Stellar Blade Review (PS5) | Push Square

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Debuts don’t get much stronger than Stellar Blade. Korean developer Shift Up – already financially flush from the success of its saucy smartphone gacha NIKKE: Goddess of Victory – has chosen the path of most resistance, turning its hand to AAA territory with this rambunctious action-adventure outing. Despite the inherent risks involved, it’s stuck the landing like an acrobatic anime heroine, backflipping her way between deadly laser beams. That is to say, this is a PS5 console exclusive well worth playing.

You are Eve, a buxom super soldier with an unshakeable resolve. Earth has been inhabited by an extraterrestrial race of Cthulhu-esque aberrations named Naytibas, and it’s up to you and a skeleton crew of allies to bring the fight to the otherworldly invaders. A largely trite story involving artificial intelligence ensues, as the studio navel gazes familiar themes, like what it means to be human. While the narrative never really hits the emotional beats it’s gunning for, largely due to a dreadful English dub, the script does at least commit, and there’s plenty of lore to pore over if you have the patience to read through the hundreds upon hundreds of text logs you’ll uncover over the course of the 20-ish hour campaign.

Combat straddles a middle-ground between Dark Souls and Devil May Cry, and perhaps can be best compared to the likes of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and God of War Ragnarok, where rhythmic parrying plays a pivotal role in the loop. Enemies can be staggered by successfully defending against their assaults, leading to a counter-attacking style that’s much more fulfilling than it may seem at first. While the action is undoubtedly at its best in one-on-one scenarios, an enormous skill tree which slowly fleshes out your combat capabilities keeps things fresh from start to finish, and gives you plenty of tools to see off your antagonists.

Said aggressors adopt sublime monster designs, both artistically and mechanically. Foes take various grotesque forms, and