Year:  2024

Director:  Kim Hyung-tae

Rated:  MA

Release:  Out Now

Distributor: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Running time: 30-50 hour campaign

Worth: $16.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth

Intro:
The story and voice acting are both disappointing, but in terms of visual spectacle and engaging gameplay, this is one of 2024’s most pleasant surprises.

Kids movies, comic book characters, old sci-fi flicks and video games are loaded like ammunition into the mouth-muskets of extremists from both sides of the ideological divide in the endless culture wars, employed in banal arguments that cynically serve as a way to whip up the terminally online and perpetually aggrieved. The sad thing is, in the case of something like Stellar Blade, if you can tune out the sturm and drang, there’s a really bloody good video game at the core of the whole mess.

And if you’re smart, that’s what you should be focusing on.

Stellar Blade is the story of Eve, a sort of sexy future super soldier, who has been sent to help reclaim Earth from a bunch of goopy, nasty-looking monsters known as the Naytiba. However, things go tits up fast and Eve ends up being the sole survivor from her squadron, avoiding death by inches thanks to the help of local scavenger, Adam. The pair embark on a mission that starts off simply enough but soon becomes an odyssey through Earth’s darker places, where secrets are revealed and dark truths are faced.

If the idea of a sexy, scantily-clad woman traipsing through the ruins of mankind’s hubris sounds an awful lot like NieR: Automata to you, you’re absolutely on the money. In fact, Stellar Blade’s director, Kim Hyung-tae, has in no uncertain terms expressed his love for that wonderful 2017 release and its eccentric director, Yoko Taro. And if you compared the two titles in terms of story and world-building, then NieR is the clear winner. However, Stellar Blade’s spectacular combat is on a whole different level.

Playing as a symbiosis of Sekiro, NieR: Automata and Bayonetta, Stellar Blade is much more a character action title than a straight up RPG. Oh sure, exploration, leveling up and side quests all play a part in the game, but the memorable moments, the bits of gameplay that keep you coming back, will almost certainly be the responsive, finely tuned fights. Particularly the boss battles, which are epic, engaging and fun. Combined with the game’s slick, appealing presentation, and surprisingly robust fashion options, Stellar Blade feels like a real throwback to the late ‘90s/early 2000s style of title and, honestly, that’s a good thing when compared to the recent glut of AAA bloat and live service mediocrity.

Now, that’s not to say Stellar Blade is perfect. The plot feels like less of an homage and more of a slightly cack-handed rewrite of much better games (like NieR). The voice acting is also pretty limp, from our lead character to Adam to the various mostly dull NPCs you run across. This won’t be one you’ll play for the story. There are also a number of platforming sections that are clunky and a bit dull, offering a sharp contrast to how polished the rest of the title is.

Plus, of course, there’s the culture war nonsense we alluded to in the intro – with those for and against Eve’s revealing outfits gibbering like enraged, bum-baring baboons – which is both embarrassing and tedious and a very pertinent reminder to stay off social media and take up a healthier hobby. Like crack.

Noise and nonsense aside, the truth of Stellar Blade is that it’s simply a very good video game. Fast-paced, action-packed, fun with superb combat, a spectacular score and a genuine sense of style. The story and voice acting are both disappointing, but in terms of visual spectacle and engaging gameplay, this is one of 2024’s most pleasant surprises.

8Good
Score
8
Shares: