On Friday, a demo version of the anticipated Stellar Blade event was released for the PlayStation 5 console. Martin was able to try it out a few days ago and brought you more detailed impressions, I will focus on the technical side in this article. The game from the Korean studio Shift Up offers three graphics modes, we compare them all here, both in terms of graphics and image quality, and in terms of frame rate.
General form
However, first I would like to comment on the overall graphic page, which I was pleasantly pleased with as a result. Stellar Blade relies on impressive visuals, super-smooth combat animations, and detailed character models. It’s not a groundbreaking game in terms of visuals, but what it does, it does very well, and the aesthetics chosen also help. In addition, the game boasts some very amazing details, personally I would note the not entirely ideal, but very impressive physics of the main character’s hair, which can curl, get tangled in various ways around her body, and so on.
I encountered some problems, but nothing serious. I only noticed a few low-resolution textures, but they were mostly off the beaten track or in places where they weren’t that noticeable. At one point I registered a rather unpleasant pop-in. Although the vegetation appears smooth, some objects bounced noticeably. But in reality it was just one location, so it’s hard to judge how it will be in the full game. From the visual side, the impressions are definitely positive.
Performance Mode
In an action game like Stellar Blade, you can automatically go into performance mode, but I think this can be a mistake for many as you’ll lose quite a bit of detail. The output resolution switches to 1440p, which (if you have a 4K monitor or TV) you can recognize in the user interface.
Compared to other modes, the image itself suffers from more pronounced aliasing, flickering and other artifacts (this is not so visible in pictures, it is better visible in motion), but generally it looks a little blurry and the details of objects in the background are lower compared to other modes modes. If you have a Full HD or 1440p screen and don’t have VRR support or just want a completely stable frame rate (I didn’t really notice any drops) then you can definitely choose this mode but you probably won’t be disappointed, but in my opinion I think there is a better solution.
Balanced mode
And that solution is Balanced mode, which we don’t often see in games, but when we do see it, it’s often 40fps mode. This is not the case with Stellar Blade, as the game targets 60fps even in this mode. I say purposefully because it’s not a completely locked 60 (otherwise Performance mode would lose all meaning), but the performance is much better than you’d expect from such a mode.
In calmer passages it actually stays at 60, in battles it fluctuates between 50 and 60, but most often it stays above fifty. The main thing, however, is that it’s within the VRR window (48Hz minimum), so if your display device supports the technology and you have HDMI 2.1, it’s essentially a win. Personally, I played the vast majority of the demo this way and, thanks to VRR, I almost didn’t even notice the mentioned failures.
So the frame rate is only slightly worse than in Performance mode, but the image quality is significantly better. The target resolution here is already 4K, and although the image is upscaled from a lower resolution, it’s still a big improvement over Performance mode. The user interface is very clear, and you will encounter much less aliasing, flickering and other artifacts right in the game.
Resolution Mode
If you want the highest image quality possible, there’s a Resolution mode, but you’ll have to sacrifice a lot of frame rate as it’s locked at 30fps. The frame rate, at least in my tests, is very stable at the correct frame rate, but it is still 30, which causes not only a loss of smoothness (which can take some time to get used to), but also mainly an increase in lag . This is an action game as Stellar Blade is quite important.
Moreover, the visual difference compared to the balanced mode is small, although this is native 4K. Honestly, given the other two modes, I can’t imagine the Resolution mode being recommended, but of course, if you care most about image quality, you can choose this mode, and it’s only good that there is such an option at all in Game.
Grade
Overall, Stellar Blade definitely has a lot to offer. This is not the most technologically advanced game, but the developers didn’t even try. Instead, they rely on beautiful aesthetics, great visuals or great animations, which of course especially stand out in combat. Aside from a few minor flaws, it’s a pleasing visual experience.
The frame rate, after several games this year with unstable frame rates, was a very pleasant surprise. The three modes are enough for everyone to choose from, and the main dilemma will likely be choosing between Performance and Balanced mode. If you want a really stable 60fps in all conditions and don’t mind the lower resolution, you can definitely go to Performance mode. However, for everyone else (but if you have VRR, otherwise your experience may vary greatly) I recommend Balanced mode, which has minimal framerate loss but much better image quality.
Source :Indian TV
