This may come as a surprise to some, but the “main attraction” of the seductive heroine Eva with her strong curves and tight uniform was not what got me interested in this game. In the end, I probably prefer the more realistic curves of the Death Stranding characters, and also find the physical “shaking” of various parts of Eva’s body to be exaggerated. But I have a big soft spot for mystery sci-fi with an interesting central mystery, and the last time I got a game like this was three years ago in the form of Returnal. To my very pleasant surprise, after launching the demo of Stellar Blade, this is the factor that almost immediately enveloped me in the game, because its introductory sequence is simply amazing.
In it, we witness the arrival of landing ships with striking biblical iconography (statues of angels on the prows) to planet Earth, from the surface of which a huge salvo of missiles is immediately launched, with the help of which the fleet then tries to zigzag through, and the landing ship is launched onto the surface of the planet. It’s a breathtaking cinematic sequence backed by a thrilling orchestral score. The destruction of the entire fleet is surprisingly quick and brutal, as is the destruction of most landing ships before they even land. However, some of them manage to land, and your playable character, sweet Eva, “bursts” out of one of them.
This entire episode is absolutely masterfully crafted, from the content to the form, from the filmography to the aforementioned music. But the game’s next first steps across the chaotic battlefield are no less impressive. Accompanied by a more experienced comrade named Tahi, you break through the first waves of alien monsters that have infested the planet and from which you have come to free it. They are called “Naitiba” and are most reminiscent of the Creature from the film of the same name in that they are often an absurd mixture of flesh and limbs rearranged into absurd shapes. As you mow down the first one, debris from crashed spaceships is still falling around you.
The extremely narrative sequence also serves as a basic combat tutorial that might remind you of the Devil May Cry series, for example – it’s very acrobatic, although you’ll have to gradually unlock a number of advanced holds or combos as the game progresses. through the skill tree, which is unlocked by gaining experience points. What may pleasantly surprise you is the cruelty and bloodiness of the battles. The authors clearly knew that the game would receive a high age rating, so they did not skimp on these things. Of course, this makes the combat more gritty and real.
During the fight, you can observe several other female fighters nearby, but they are gradually destroyed by the sheer force of the monsters. It’s not entirely clear from the dialogue whether Eve and her cohorts are robots, humans, clones, or something similar, but if I were to go with one indication, they’re probably special combat androids with strikingly human characteristics. At the end of this sequence, you will encounter a boss that is quite large and monstrous, and you will have to counter and dodge to survive its devastating attacks. In any case, the entire landing ends in disaster.
After a short time jump, Eve sets off on another adventure alone, or rather accompanied by a flying drone, remotely controlled by a pilot named Adam. At this point, it is absolutely impossible to ignore the absolutely obvious parallel with the cult game Nier: Automata, where a sexy female robot warrior was accompanied by a drone cutting through a post-apocalyptic Earth teeming with enemy fighters. But this is a very high bar, at least in terms of overall artistic ambitions and story, so we’ll see how the game from a virtually unknown Korean studio copes with it.
However, there is one front where the game can hold its own against its models and competitors from the start, and that is in the audiovisual processing. The technical and aesthetic quality is at a very high level, and the designs of some of the monsters or equipment are truly superb, as is the impressive filmography of story scenes or character animations during combat. The game was released exclusively for the PlayStation 5 console and appears to be optimized to order, including three graphics modes (quality, balance, performance). I played in performance mode and had no problems with the gameplay or any other technical aspects. The DualSense controller also has good haptic feedback support.
What I also really liked was the slowing down of exploration and combat a bit after that initial wild run. The next sequence in the deserted streets is much more methodical and atmospheric, and more reminiscent of FromSoftware games than the Devil May Cry series. Of course, I also remembered another “under the radar” Korean game from last year, Lies of P. From what I’ve been able to try so far, I have a very hopeful hope that just like last year’s Korean hit, this year’s game will too can surprise. with its own atmosphere, plot and thoughtful gameplay.
While I only got to try out melee combat in the demo, the impressive trailer at the end of the demo promises, among other things, multiple types of firearms, as well as atmospheric transitions in darkened interiors. The game gives the impression of an exciting, and sometimes even frightening journey into the depths of an infected planet, among grotesque monsters and terrifying bosses. Because it’s such a joy to manage and play at the same time, Stellar Blade rose very high on my list of most anticipated games after the demo. Try to see if you feel the same way when the demo goes live on Friday, March 29th.
Stellar Blade will release on PlayStation 5 on Friday, April 26, 2024.
Source :Indian TV
