izigame.me

it won't appeal to everyone, as nothing can, but... if you love Stellar Blade, you're going to really love it. that's certainly the case for me. i originally beat the game back on PlayStation 5 and it was my overall game of the year for 2024 and perhaps now even sits amongst my favourite games of all time. (Animal Well was my PC GOTY, but with consoles included, Stellar Blade narrowly takes the cake.) it was the primary reason i even purchased a PS5, along with Astro Bot. i still have to get around to playing that one, but i've been loving Astro's Playroom this past week! i spent over 60 hours with Stellar Blade on PS5, completing the majority of its side content, but not everything. i had such a great time with it that i knew i wanted to do another playthrough soon, but decided to wait for the PC release when i saw that it was on the way.
Stellar Blade is composed of fantastic qualities that elevate it to a master class game among all works of interactive fiction. its world, characters, and lore captivate me in a way that few others do. it takes obvious inspiration from a variety of sources, but manages to create its own unique identity out of the mix. some pieces harken back to The Matrix, and some small details of remind me of my favourite film, Blade Runner. i've seen comparisons to Nier, but i haven't played any of those games so i cannot say. (i will need to check out Automata soon!) the game presents its universe in a simultaneously vague but direct form, with an emphasis on the human condition and profound vulnerability. additionally, the artwork, visuals, sound design, and music in Stellar Blade are absolutely top notch. its soundtrack has quickly become a favourite of mine. The OST is full of wondrous ambient tunes, energetic electronic cuts, and poppy tracks with vocals that are both catchy and soothing. i can say that the voice acting is of very high quality for both Korean which i went with on PS5 and Japanese which i picked on PC.
i've seen some criticism leveled at the character/enemy designs on the game, and while i do like them a lot, i do understand that's a pretty subjective thing. however, i think it's more or less objectively true that the areas you traverse in the game are breathtaking and full of evocative scenery. if there's ever been a post-apocalyptic world i'd love to exist in, it's this one. open world games often feel boring and empty to me, but i didn't find this place to be at all dull. there's a good blend of more linear and very open areas, and it's just the right scale of being a big game without feeling overwhelming to the point of eliciting apathy. the game may reach its peak for both the exploration and world building around halfway through. i greatly enjoy the beginning and the end of the Stellar Blade, but the mid point was where i began to be truly amazed and experienced the most awe inspiring moments.
exploration in the game is great fun and extremely satisfying, with both interesting and useful stuff to find if you wish to delve into all the nooks and crannies tucked away. i felt compelled to look around everywhere to perhaps find a juicy nugget of lore, some useful supplies, collectibles, enemies to fight, or even just something cool to look at. most of all, i never knew if i might find a new outfit! trying on all of the pretty outfits for Eve and her friends is perhaps my favourite part of the game overall. fashionistas should be quite happy with the quantity and variety of clothing on offer here. i love being able to self insert and play as a beautiful woman in video games, and Stellar Blade utterly excels in that department. customization of not only one's own clothing outfits but also glasses, earrings, and hairstyles is so greatly appreciated and contributes a lot to immersion. the PS5 version of the game already had a plethora of clothing options, but the PC port's many additions just ups the ante even more. there's a load of new, official cosmetics added for this version, as well as numerous high quality contributions from the mod community.
i don't play many action/Soulslike kind of games, but Stellar Blade still managed to impress me quite a bit in the combat portion of the gameplay too. i think a large reason for that is that it isn't purely a Soulslike; the combat is faster paced and includes jumping, aerial attacks, ranged attacks, combos as well as blocking/parrying/dodging. it feels like a blend of Dark Souls combined with snappier action games like Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden, and Bayonetta. you get the best of both worlds of combat: a noticeable weight and deliberate flow, but also a quicker paced rhythm. i'm normally not very skilled at these types of games, and while i struggle at times, it's an enjoyable level of challenge. the game offers you plenty of different methods/strategies for staying alive through unlockable abilities, upgrades and usable items. fighting in the game just feels great, and slashing countless enemies to shreds hasn't gotten old to me yet. some of the those bosses though... so much awesome and so much pain... when you're not fighting, Stellar Blade also has bits of light platforming/climbing/wallrunning as well as simple puzzle solving within its exploration that keep things from getting stale. the quality of the game's action has inspired me to explore action/Soulslike games more in the future.
Stellar Blade lives up to the title. it's truly a stellar, masterpiece of a game that shines brightly in every facet of its elements and production values. it's incredibly rare that i purchase a game twice, and i also am usually quite a firm believer in skipping games with Denuvo DRM. for this one, though, i had to make an exception. i plan on playing through it quite a bit more on both platforms, it's got insane replay value for me. i can't wait for the sequel!
EDIT: i figured i should add a small note about the game's performance for the PC port- overall, it's extremely positive! i don't have a top of the line PC and can still get a stable 60fps at almost maxed out settings the vast majority of the time. (i just have some lighting/shadows sort of settings turned down to medium.) i did initially have a weird issue where texture quality looked very blurry and low res on some walls, floors etc. when i set the quality to anything below "very high", but my PC can handle the setting maxed so everything looks great now. i have had occasional frame drops in random places and when some scripted events begin, but such occurances are rare and don't detract much. these issues don't seem to have to do much with my hardware, but i would perhaps have a better time with a beefier rig. combat has performed perfectly for me except for one or two instances. i will note that frame drops were occasionally present even on the PS5 version, and on PS5 i had multiple crashes! i haven't had any crashes on PC. all things considered, it's nearly flawless for a day one console to PC port, which is a welcome surprise... especially compared to other recent ports of a similar nature, specifically Sony ones. im sure that patches later on will be able to fully polish this port.