[Bernd Lauert]

This means 10/10, must buy for my equine brethren.

 

[Grisham]

OpenCritic - 84 average - 95% recommended

Critic Reviews


Atarita - Eren Eroğlu - Turkish - 92 / 100

Stellar Blade has a unique way of always surprising you. Including uncovering the secrets of its well-crafted universe one by one. It offers an unforgettable adventure with deep gameplay that constantly evolves.

Atomix - Sebastian Quiroz - Spanish - 85 / 100

Stellar Blade has great merit when we see it from a production point of view and as Shift Up's letter of introduction to the international market. As an exclusive to the PlayStation 5, it lets us see that the industry is willing to expand and show us the AAA proposals that other regions have for us. Despite its positive points, the title offers us a generic story and gameplay mechanics that lack depth, although the presentation and production levels are impressive.

But Why Tho? - Matt Sowinski - 8.5 / 10

Stellar Blade is a fantastic addition to the PlayStation-exclusive library. The combat is slick and fun, the story deep and interesting, and the set pieces all bigger than the last. It's obvious why Sony scooped this one up, fitting into its story-rich third-party pedigree of titles.

COGconnected - Jaz Sagoo - 93 / 100

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Checkpoint Gaming - Luke Mitchell - 8.5 / 10

Stellar Blade bursts out of the gate looking stunning, full of jaw-dropping set pieces, intense action and gory violence, and maintains that pace throughout. Underneath this flashy action game are a lot of systems that we've seen before, but despite what can feel like a lack of innovation at times, it never feels stale or unenticing due to its overwhelming sense of style and polished, gratifying combat. For every familiar puzzle or annoying platforming section, there's a brutal boss battle or incredible over-the-top sequence that pulled me back in. Stellar Blade is a joy, a deliciously crafted adventure jam-packed with dramatic thrills.

ComicBook.com - Tanner Dedmon - 4 / 5

Beneath the fanservice and comparisons to NieR Automata and the Bayonetta games, Stellar Blade boasts some surprisingly involved combat systems and fantastic creature designs all in a relatively compact experience.

Console Creatures - Luke Williams - Recommended

With Stellar Blade, Shift Up shifts gears into overdrive to create an excellent debut console experience. However, the entry fee comes at being able to get over the surface level characterization.

Destructoid - Steven Mills - 8 / 10

Overall, Stellar Blade is a journey worth experiencing. I feel like with some improvements in certain areas, Stellar Blade could be a legendary landmark experience like those it clearly draws inspiration from. But even in its current form, Stellar Blade offers a fast-paced action combat system in a unique world with a rewarding narrative. It's not quite stellar, but it's certainly solid. Solid Blade.

Dexerto - James Busby - 4 / 5

Stellar Blade has landed a critical hit, successfully slicing through the crowd of well-established action-adventure game giants. If you're a fan of sleek and stylish combat, with sprinklings of Soulsborne and Nier Automata vibes, you'll feel right at home when playing Shift Up's triumphant console debut.

Digitec Magazine - Domagoj Belancic - German - 4 / 5

Stellar Blade is a brilliant PS5 exclusive with tons of over-the-top action. It mixes numerous elements from other games and genres to create a unique work of art. The aesthetics of the sci-fi world and the oversexualized protagonist are contrasted with ultra-ugly and superbly designed enemies. The dreamlike soundtrack perfectly underlines the melancholy atmosphere of the desolate sci-fi world. Graphically, the game looks excellent with a few exceptions and is one of the prettier games on the PS5.

The combat system is fast, fluid and intuitive. Aside from the spectacularly orchestrated battles, there is plenty to discover with excursions into other genres. The frustrating platformer passages, the moderately exciting side quests and the largely empty open game areas tarnish the otherwise fantastic overall impression a little.

Echo Boomer - David Fialho - Portuguese - No Recommendation

Stellar Blade is a game full of ambition and confidence, but it's too attached to its main inspirations, making it a somewhat unoriginal piece of entertainment.

Enternity.gr - Giannis Archontidis - Greek - 9 / 10

Stellar Blade offers excellent gameplay, an engaging protagonist, plenty of bloody action, an immersive battle system, and an interesting story.

Evilgamerz - Daan Nijboer - Dutch - 8 / 10

With Stellar Blade, Shift Up joins a solid list of exclusives from the Playstation 5, and does so properly. Their first console game manages to impress with challenging battles, where the boss fights in particular steal the show, and a fantastic world. And although the side missions lack quite a bit of creativity, the main mission manages to keep your attention enough. Stellar Blade has everything it takes to become a hit, but should not be mentioned in the same breath as the biggest Playstation exclusives. The South Korean developer has already hinted at a sequel and once they manage to address the weak points there, it will not be long until Stellar Blade will become one of the most important games for Playstation.

GAMES.CH - Olaf Bleich - German - 85%

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GGRecon - Jack Roberts - 4 / 5

Stellar Blade is an exceptionally well-crafted game that has learned from its influences and honed their teachings to a highly polished standard that can only be commended.

GamePro - Jonas Herrmann - German - 82 / 100

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Gameblog - French - 8 / 10

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Gameffine - Subhasish Das - 90 / 100

Stellar Blade is not just a great hack-and-slash game, it's a culmination of a great fashion designer's wardrobe and a 'souls-like' veteran's wildest fantasies. Thanks to its satisfying combat, varied enemy designs, and stellar presentation, it really lives up to its name despite some occasional hiccups involving lackluster platforming and repetitive side requests.

Gamepressure - Sebastian Kasparek - 9 / 10

Stellar Blade is an above-average title. Well-developed, with a captivating story from the first moment, and most importantly engaging due to thoroughly well-planned and competently executed gameplay. The South Korean studio Shift Up performed exceptionally well, and despite my initial skepticism, I ultimately saw it as one of the top games of 2024.

GamingBolt - Shubhankar Parijat - 8 / 10

Fluid and adrenaline-fueled combat, a compelling setting, and a stylish aesthetic make Stellar Blade an action game well worth experiencing.

GamingTrend - Henry Viola - 90 / 100

Despite not vibing too well with the demo, we were utterly in love with Stellar Blade by the time the credits rolled. Shift Up has done a tremendous job with their first triple A project and sets a high bar for modern action role playing games. There are some pacing issues, and the narrative's delivery stumbles, but the game as a whole is near perfect: the themes, the visuals, the music, the combat, the exploration, the world, and the technical performance. A modern masterpiece.

Glitched Africa - Marco Cocomello - 8.5 / 10

From its incredible soundtrack to its brilliant world design and combat, Stellar Blade's debut is a much-needed injection of fun across the PlayStation-exclusive library and likely the most refreshing new game on the platform to date.

God is a Geek - Mick Fraser - 9 / 10

There's a hell of a lot going on in Stellar Blade, but it remains a surprisingly elegant and exciting adventure throughout.

IGN Italy - Alessandro Digioia - Italian - 8.5 / 10

Stellar Blade is a good game, plain and simple. It feels like so much love and passion has been poured into it, and even if the story doesn't quite reach the heights of NieR Automata and the like, Eve's tale kept me interested until the credits rolled, and made me eager for more. There are some minor issues, and I would have loved to see a little more environment variety, but snappy combat, terrific music and visuals, and a world almost as enchanting as her protagonist make Stellar Blade very easy to recommend.

IGN Spain - Estrella Gomez - Spanish - 9 / 10

EVE has come to conquer the hearts of fans. Shift Up has built a very beautiful game that, although it presents a somewhat weak story, is capable of catching anyone with its mechanics and fluid combat. Stellar Blade is a game that will remain in the memory for a long time.

INVEN - Suhho Yoon - Korean - 9 / 10

A beautiful, yet deadly action game that combines fast-paced action with the tension of a Souls-like experience. the game also caters to various gaming tastes with beginner-friendly features and puzzles. While the lack of story buildup and the short length are disappointing, and the details of close-range to long-range combat swaps can be cumbersome, overall it's an impressive piece.

Nexus Hub - Sam Aberdeen - 8 / 10

Stellar Blade absolutely delivers on its stylish, demanding action, impressive visuals and memorable music, even if the story execution and writing stumbles at times.

One More Game - Chris Garcia - 8.5 / 10

Stellar Blade is an extremely impressive debut from Shift Up, serving up a combination of dynamic combat with visuals and animations that pay extreme attention to detail. Eve's adventure is dressed up with the wrappings of a masterful soundtrack that resonates long after the game is finished, and there's enough content to warrant a more thorough playthrough the second time around.

Stellar Blade's story is sadly predictable, and characters like Eve prove hard to form an emotional connection with due to their relatively flat personalities, but the world and lore are intriguing enough to create more properties should the developers choose to do so. It doesn't offer much in terms of groundbreaking innovation, but Stellar Blade is a competent and confident effort that will offer a good time worthy of your attention.

PSX Brasil - Portuguese - 90 / 100

Quote not yet available

PowerUp! - Adam Mathew - 8 / 10

Stellar Blade is a provocative sword guard thumb-pop that ought to make every fan of the genre snap to attention.

Press Start - Harry Kalogirou - 9 / 10

Stellar Blade recalls the classic era of character-action games in truly inspired fashion. It might struggle to deliver on its core narrative, and its platforming is often more frustrating than it isn't, but neither of those things are enough to bring down a thoroughly enjoyable action experience. It wears its inspirations on its sleeve, but manages to build on them in engaging fashion with a deliciously layered combat system and gorgeous presentation to boot.

Push Square - Sammy Barker - 8 / 10

Stellar Blade is a slick console debut from a developer clearly on the rise. With an ever-evolving counter-attacking combat system, some superb art direction, and a sensational soundtrack, this is the kind of back-to-basics PS5 outing that fans have been pleading for. A dire English dub and some trite story beats mean the studio still has plenty of room to refine its craft, but Eve's inaugural outing is largely excellent across the board, and destined to become a firm favourite among PS5 enthusiasts.

Spaziogames - Italian - 8.3 / 10

It's much easier than we expected, and it lacks really fresh ideas, but Stellar Blade is a very solid first effort from korean team Shift Up and a bold new IP for the Playstation Studios, thanks to a fast and furious combat system and solid performances. We're sincerely eager to see in which direction the devs will go from here in the future.

TechRaptor - Austin Suther - 9 / 10

Stellar Blade stands toe-to-toe with some of the best games of the character action genre. This package offers a satisfying combat system with plenty of progression, beautiful visuals, and one of the best soundtracks in years.

The Beta Network - Samuel Incze - 7 / 10

Stellar Blade is a fun hack-and-slash that leaves a little to be desired. The story is decent, the combat is challenging, but traversal and some mechanics bring the experience down. There is a lot to enjoy here, and despite its flaws, it should keep you entertained for a while.

TheSixthAxis - Gareth Chadwick - 7 / 10

Stellar Blade is a pretty enjoyable game to swing your hairband sword at, so long as you don't mind the obvious sexualisation. There's a few rough areas, but nothing to spoil things overall and there's plenty of interesting story to uncover as you fight your way through giant monsters with circular saws for heads and weird tentacles for legs.

Too Much Gaming - Carlos Hernandez - 3 / 5

Stellar Blade's potential was clear, but as its ambitions expanded into something greater, it lost focus. As soon as Stellar Blade tries to bring everything together, it merges into a single figure that looks deformed and uneven. The quality is unquestionable but it wasn't the final product I was slowly building in my head as I went through the game's first half.

VGC - Tom Regan - 4 / 5

For those who wished that God of War Ragnarok offered a bit more challenge or that Bayonetta had a bit more weight to its combat, this slick sci-fi slasher is the perfect tonic, offering both the perfect entry point into the Souls-like genre and a refreshing refinement of the well-worn character action formula. It may lack the naval gazing intelligence of the excellent Nier Automata, but when you're having this much fun, it's hard to care.

VideoGamer - Jack Webb - 6 / 10

If you take just the combat and the music from Stellar Blade, you've got a fantastic game. Sadly, this is not the whole package.

 

[JORMBO]

 

[Tapped]

VideoGamer - Jack Webb - 6 / 10
If you take just the combat and the music from Stellar Blade, you've got a fantastic game. Sadly, this is not the whole package.

Can anyone explain what this means? He thinks the combat and music are fantastic but that the rest of the game (I assume visuals, story etc) somehow pulls it down and makes the game not fantastic overall?

I don't really put much stock in reviews and tend to know what I'll enjoy from experience anyway but it's great to see that it's been well received overall. Also nice to see new IPs doing well.

 

[Bullet Club]

 

[Stilton Disco]

Im honestly astonished it's come in this highly rated with nearly the entire game journo scum pool out to get it.

By the sounds of the 8 and below reviews, if this had an ugly man with female pronouns as a protagonist, with a tranny sidekick, these scores would be 10's across the board.

Now we just need it to sell a fuckton of units…

 

[JORMBO]

Super hyped after watching the Digital Foundry review. The game looks solidly made without bugs. The environments look varied and the combat looks like tons of fun.

 

[Pyrate]

The embargo has lifted!

Well played Sony and Shift Up, this is the first time I feel like getting a PS5 for a game, it looks... stellar.

Going purely off John's insight here, this goes back to what I said in the 60fps thread about games that know how to set their priorities where you end up with something like this, a game that's beautiful, largely to the art direction rather than discrete technological advancement that's proportionately more expensive to render, while still hitting the (required) 60fps target. And the game world looks to be more lived in than the average AAA PS5 game. I hope this game fucking explodes in sales so others learn from it.

 

[regawdless]

The embargo has lifted!

Review: Stellar Blade is one of the most mechanically satisfying action games of the generation

Shift Up’s console debut delivers a refreshing refinement of the well-worn character action formula…

www.videogameschronicle.com

OpenCritic - 84 average - 95% recommended

Critic Reviews


Atarita - Eren Eroğlu - Turkish - 92 / 100



Atomix - Sebastian Quiroz - Spanish - 85 / 100



But Why Tho? - Matt Sowinski - 8.5 / 10



COGconnected - Jaz Sagoo - 93 / 100



Checkpoint Gaming - Luke Mitchell - 8.5 / 10



ComicBook.com - Tanner Dedmon - 4 / 5



Console Creatures - Luke Williams - Recommended



Destructoid - Steven Mills - 8 / 10



Dexerto - James Busby - 4 / 5



Digitec Magazine - Domagoj Belancic - German - 4 / 5



Echo Boomer - David Fialho - Portuguese - No Recommendation



Enternity.gr - Giannis Archontidis - Greek - 9 / 10



Evilgamerz - Daan Nijboer - Dutch - 8 / 10



GAMES.CH - Olaf Bleich - German - 85%



GGRecon - Jack Roberts - 4 / 5



GamePro - Jonas Herrmann - German - 82 / 100



Gameblog - French - 8 / 10



Gameffine - Subhasish Das - 90 / 100



Gamepressure - Sebastian Kasparek - 9 / 10



GamingBolt - Shubhankar Parijat - 8 / 10



GamingTrend - Henry Viola - 90 / 100



Glitched Africa - Marco Cocomello - 8.5 / 10



God is a Geek - Mick Fraser - 9 / 10



IGN Italy - Alessandro Digioia - Italian - 8.5 / 10



IGN Spain - Estrella Gomez - Spanish - 9 / 10



INVEN - Suhho Yoon - Korean - 9 / 10



Nexus Hub - Sam Aberdeen - 8 / 10



One More Game - Chris Garcia - 8.5 / 10



PSX Brasil - Portuguese - 90 / 100



PowerUp! - Adam Mathew - 8 / 10



Press Start - Harry Kalogirou - 9 / 10



Push Square - Sammy Barker - 8 / 10



Spaziogames - Italian - 8.3 / 10



TechRaptor - Austin Suther - 9 / 10



The Beta Network - Samuel Incze - 7 / 10



TheSixthAxis - Gareth Chadwick - 7 / 10



Too Much Gaming - Carlos Hernandez - 3 / 5



VGC - Tom Regan - 4 / 5



VideoGamer - Jack Webb - 6 / 10

Thanks for updating the thread while I was at work! Will add your posts to the OT.

Game looks great, reviews are really damn good taking into account the strong bias against the game from many outlets.

 

[regawdless]

IGN is salty

 

[Spiders]

This to me is why gaming is the purest form of culture war. You must interact with the thing, and ultimately, your hands decide, your mind rationalizes, and your mouth explains.

From the Eurogamer review:

"There's a lot to love about Stellar Blade, and I want it to be remembered for its moreish combat and bizarrely appealing lack of personality, not this warped internet presence."

-The Warping Internet Presence

 

[regawdless]

From The Verge. Get these people out of gaming for fucks sake.

 

[Vyse]

Damn, I really miss when it was just men who reviewed games, not female guide writers and "reporters".

 

[HeresJohnny]

This means 10/10, must buy for my equine brethren.

Buying a second copy.

 

[HeresJohnny]

Let's all pitch in and gift Alyssa Mercunte a copy

 

[JORMBO]

From The Verge. Get these people out of gaming for fucks sake.

lol what kind of job description is that

 

[p_banned]

 

[WesternBlood]

That guy looks like he goes to the doctor for weekly prostate exams, because he isn't cute enough to be a twink.

 

[bork]

So many costumes

 

[GreyHorace]

So pretty solid reviews? Good. But we'll probably never get an honest appraisal of the game from these journofreaks.

 

[bork]

Can anyone explain what this means? He thinks the combat and music are fantastic but that the rest of the game (I assume visuals, story etc) somehow pulls it down and makes the game not fantastic overall?

I don't really put much stock in reviews and tend to know what I'll enjoy from experience anyway but it's great to see that it's been well received overall. Also nice to see new IPs doing well.

He's a woke dork and his girlfriend gets plowed by Tyrone

 

[Zeta Dragoon]

So pretty solid reviews? Good. But we'll probably never get an honest appraisal of the game from these journofreaks.

I trust D-Pad at least to make actual objective reviews.

 

[bork]

I trust D-Pad at least to make actual objective reviews.

Yea fuck yea dude

 

[Bernd Lauert]

lol what kind of job description is that

Fake job for a woman with a fake college degree. Many such cases.

 

[regawdless]

 

[Stilton Disco]

The desperate need to be 'taken seriously' and not be 'embarrassing' to people outside the hobby is pretty much the most obvious tell that these rats don't actually care about or enjoy our hobby.

Because god forbid a video game be seen as a fun pastime that isn't meant to be taken too seriously.

 

[CAPTAIN RAINCOAT]

IGN is salty

sonys monthly cheque to ziff davis was a little light this month or the new ceo stopped paying them

 

[regawdless]

If you ignore the western reviews complaining about the sexualization, the game would have a Metacritic in the high 80s or even in the 90s.

 

[HeresJohnny]

Seriously. Dude doesn't seem to realize that goofy outfits are a long standing staple in Asian design. Look at Dead Rising too.

What a fucking retarded complaint.

 

[HeresJohnny]

 

[bork]

Im so proud
Bonk goty

 

[HeresJohnny]

Dude is getting flambeed in the replies LOL

 

[regawdless]

Im so proud
Bonk goty

100%

 

[Grinchy]

"Forced sex appeal" is a weird phrase.

Who is having the appeal forced onto them? Or is this weirdo saying that the collection of polygons and pixels is a victim of having sex appeal forced onto her?

 

[Stilton Disco]

"Forced sex appeal" is a weird phrase.

Who is having the appeal forced onto them? Or is this weirdo saying that the collection of polygons and pixels is a victim of having sex appeal forced onto her?

I think it's going back to the 'unrealistic beauty standards' lie they keep trying to push. Eve's sexiness is forced because that's not attainable in reality and no woman would choose to dress like that in their minds, because they're all fat, ugly cunts that only interact with other fat, ugly cunts.

 

[regawdless]

Oh no please don't be true. Sony being Sony? Some say it's fake and you see the photoshop lines. We'll see.

 

[HE1NZ]

Oh no please don't be true. Sony being Sony? Some say it's fake and you see the photoshop lines. We'll see.

Was about to post.

Guess we'll have to wait for Steam version.

 

[JORMBO]

In BG3 there is full nudity and players can have sex with a bear or demon. Meanwhile cleavage here get censored.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Yeah, fuck PlayStation so much. This is the one game they have that makes me want to buy a PS5, and they basically just told me to wait for the inevitable PC port.

Hell, even if this and every other first/second party game was a true exclusive, I still can't justify buying a PS5 with the open hatred the company is showing towards normal people, and particularly women.

 

[HeresJohnny]

Oh no please don't be true. Sony being Sony? Some say it's fake and you see the photoshop lines. We'll see.

How virtuous of Sony. Motherfuckers dressing like Little House on the Prairie next.