Stellar Blade, since its announcement, has promised to be a game that will certainly make people talk about it. After having had the opportunity to try the Stellar Blade demo, we can tell you that we are even more hyped for the release of the game, which we remember is set for April 26th exclusively for PlayStation 5.
In this article, therefore, we will tell you what our impressions are about the demo and what we think to expect from the final game. These first sensations are truly very positive and we hope that they will remain so throughout the adventure that awaits us.
Stellar Blade Demo Impressions
The Stellar Blade demo isn’t very long; you will be able to finish it in about an hour, but it’s enough to get an idea of what the game will be once it’s released on the market. Sony will certainly focus a lot on this new exclusive, hoping that it manages to obtain excellent ratings on a general level with regards to the press and not receive a more varied reception as happened for the recent Rise of the Ronin.
Stellar Blade Plot
From a plot point of view, obviously, we don’t have a complete overview from the demo, but we know that this is precisely the introductory part of the game. Stellar Blade opens with a cutscene in which we are shown how the ships in which this species of androids is found are attacked and are forced to make an emergency landing. However, the local wildlife will not be so hospitable and almost all of them will be killed.
The only ones to remain alive are EVE, the protagonist of the game, and Tachy, her adventure companion. After facing a first boss, however, what seems to be the main antagonist of the game will arrive, namely Alpha Naytiba. The girls, in fact, were right on the trail of this dangerous enemy, who, in some way, is spreading terror and destruction. However, Tachy fails to survive the encounter, while EVE will be saved by Adam, and from there, their journey together will begin.
The demo continues for a while longer in the story of Stellar Blade and makes us explore what is the first area of the game (without considering the introductory one), namely Eidos 7, one of the last human outposts. Here we should face several enemies while we try to clarify what happened and, in the meantime, follow the traces of the Alpha Naytiba. The demo will end after defeating the first real boss of the game, Abaddon.
Stellar Blade Gameplay
From the very first minutes of the game, you can see how Stellar Blade is a hybrid product. The developers tried to take elements and game mechanics from various series to combine them and create the gameplay of Stellar Blade. Was the experiment successful? From what we saw in the demo, we have to say yes.
Stellar Blade borrows heavily from games like Devil May Cry and Nier Automata. The combat system is very fluid, dynamic, fast, and adrenaline-filled, like in the best hack ‘n’ slash games, but there is certainly no shortage of setting of the game world, which is very similar to that of Nier Automata, thanks also to the fact of being accompanied by a robot during our adventure that can actually help us both in combat and in exploration.
But, although it is not a game strictly belonging to this genre, we cannot fail to mention the fact that the developers wanted to include some soulslike mechanics within it. One above all is the presence of camps (similar to bonfires) that you can unlock at specific points and which allow you to restore your health, upgrade yourself, purchase objects, and, in the case of the main camps, you can also travel quickly to other points of the map. Obviously, as also happens in soulslikes, some enemies will reappear again.
As for the combat system itself, obviously, we haven’t had the opportunity to try it in its entirety, but from what we’ve seen, it seems like it will be quite deep. There are a myriad of skills that you can unlock as you continue your adventure, divided into different categories. This will certainly serve to make the combat system as close to your skills as possible.
It is very likely, in fact, that if you decide to unlock some skills rather than others, you will be able to have a completely different fighting style. For this reason, it will certainly be very important to choose carefully which skills to unlock, even if we have seen that it will be possible to reset your choices, even if in the demo it is not possible and therefore we do not know how this feature actually works.
Finally, a very important thing is that it will be possible to choose to face your adventure in two different modes: Story and Normal. In the first mode, you will have assistance from the game in combat, which will show you on the screen the most effective buttons to press in order to defeat a particular enemy. Normal mode, on the other hand, will put your destiny completely in your hands. Which of the two modes you choose is up to you, depending on whether you want to focus more on the plot or the combat.
What Do We Think About Stellar Blade?
Stellar Blade presents itself as a product that tries to take inspiration from different games, but it also seems to want to have its own identity and not be too influenced by its inspirations. The demo impressed us in a positive way, both from the point of view of the plot and the gameplay.
The plot will certainly be unfold during the adventure, perhaps also collecting collectibles around the game world that help to have a greater understanding. The gameplay seems to be very solid and still gives room for some sort of customization, so that it is different for each type of player.
Finally, let’s say a few words about the graphics sector. From what we have seen, it seems to be quite in line with Sony’s standards regarding the latest productions. Since this is a demo, it is normal that there are some uncertainties regarding the textures and frame rate, but we are confident that in the final version of the game these small problems will not exist and that therefore players will be able to enjoy the game without any kind of problem.