Yoko Taro Thinks Stellar Blade Is "Much Better" Than Nier Automata

thegamer.com:

Stellar Blade has invited quite a lot of comparisons to other titles in recent weeks, ever since the game's demo officially dropped. First thought to be a Devil May Cry/Bayonetta inspired hack-and-slash, fans jumped into the game to see that developer Shift Up has actually taken a lot of inspiration from the likes of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Nier Automata.

In fact, the comparisons between Nier Automata and Stellar Blade are so apparent, that it convinced IGN Japan to sit down with the directors of both titles - Yoko Taro and Hyung-Tae Kim respectively - to talk about development and their inspirations. It's very clear in the interview that the two have a lot of respect for each other and their work, with Yoko Taro even claiming that he thinks Stellar Blade is "much better" than Nier Automata.

Stellar Blade is a really amazing game. I’d say that it’s much better than Nier: Automata. I have been acquainted with Mr. Kim’s works since Magna Carta: Tears of Blood. Your illustrations are of a very high quality. - Yoko Taro

That's a pretty wild claim to make with how beloved and critically acclaimed Nier: Automata is, but Yoko Taro later goes into some of his reasons. Most of it seems to boil down to Stellar Blade's presentation, as Yoko Taro is extremely impressed by the game's graphics and the "character design’s direction." Taro is also a big fan of the game's "cool male characters and cute female characters", which is completely unsurprising if you take one look at Nier: Automata protagonist 2B.

Not content to just sit there and watch one of the industry's most beloved game directors heap praise on him, Hyung-Tae Kim fires some compliments back at Yoko Taro and Nier: Automata, calling the title an "inviolable holy grace." He also thinks that Nier: Automata's story and visuals are so impressive that they are "not possible to imitate", which is why Shift Up chose to focus more on the gameplay aspect of Stellar Blade rather than story.

It's a very lovely