# Stellar Blade

Stellar Blade (Korean: 스텔라 블레이드) is a sci-fi action-adventure game developed by Shift Up and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Players take control of the protagonist, Eve, as she embarks on a mission to save humanity from a relentless war against the Naytibas in a distant future. Throughout her journey, Eve is joined by her squad and other survivors as they fight to reclaim Earth.
Shift Up, a Korean studio founded by Kim Hyung-tae, first teased the game in 2019 under the working title Project Eve. By 2021, it was announced as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, to be published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. In 2022, the game was officially named Stellar Blade.
After being delayed from its original 2023 release, Stellar Blade was launched for the PlayStation 5 on April 26, 2024. The game received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its visuals and combat, though some criticism was aimed at the story. By June, the game had sold over 1 million units. A Windows version is scheduled to release in June 2025.

## Gameplay

Stellar Blade is an action-adventure video game set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, played from a third-person perspective. The combat system emphasizes understanding enemy attack patterns and countering them with precise timing. Eve's Beta Gauge fills as players successfully parry and evade in combat. The Beta Gauge can be used for skills like piercing super armor and interrupting enemy combos. Eve also possesses a Burst Gauge, which fills through successive parries and combos, allowing players to activate buffs and execute powerful attacks. The game makes use of the PlayStation 5's DualSense controller, utilizing its haptic feedback to enhance the feel of enemy attacks and weapon accuracy. Exploration mechanics include wall scaling and rope swinging to traverse the environment, with rewards like extra costumes to be found. The overworld is populated with NPCs who offer side quests, which the player can choose to accept or ignore.

## Synopsis
### Setting

The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been forced to abandon Earth after losing a war against monstrous creatures known as the Naytibas. In an effort to reclaim their home, Eve and her squad are deployed from the Colony to fight the Naytibas and retake Earth. Along the way, Eve encounters two survivors, Adam and Lily, and eventually settles in Xion, the last surviving human city on Earth. Eve then establishes contact with Orcal, an elder, and begins forming relationships with the residents of Xion, all in pursuit of her mission to save humanity and reclaim Earth.

### Plot

The Colony sends the 7th Airborne Squad in its latest attempt to liberate Earth from the Naytiba. However, the invasion ends in disaster, with Eve being the sole survivor of the landing force. Her close friend, Tachy, sacrifices herself to protect Eve from an unidentified Alpha Naytiba. Eve is rescued by Adam, a scavenger who enlists her help in recovering a Hyper Cell power source from the ruined megacity of Eidos 7. In exchange, Adam leads Eve to a nearby Alpha Naytiba for her to kill. After eliminating the Alpha Naytiba, Eve encounters Lily, a survivor of the 5th Airborne Squad, who decides to join her as engineering support. Adam then takes them both to Xion, the last human city on Earth, and requests their assistance in saving it. Eve meets Xion's leader, Orcal, who explains that, in addition to the Hyper Cell she recovered from Eidos 7, three more Hyper Cells are needed to restore Xion to full functionality. This would not only allow him to revive the tens of thousands of humans kept in stasis within the city, but also to locate other Alpha Naytibas. Orcal further explains that four Alpha Naytiba Cores are required to form a Master Core, which will provide access to the Naytibas' Nest, where their leader, the Elder Naytiba, resides.
After recovering the second Hyper Cell, Orcal informs Eve of the location of the second Alpha Core. She is devastated upon learning that Tachy has been transformed into an Alpha Naytiba, forcing her to kill Tachy and retrieve her core. After recovering the third Hyper Cell, the team uncovers a recording from a former Airborne Squad member named Raven. Raven claims that what they currently believe to be humanity is, in fact, a race of advanced human-like androids called Andro-Eidos, and that the Naytibas are the original human race, which resorted to radical genetic modification. Orcal confirms that long ago, their leader, the AI Mother Sphere, created the Andro-Eidos at humanity's request, and both races coexisted peacefully. However, Mother Sphere unexpectedly ordered the Andro-Eidos to exterminate humanity and rewrote history to deceive the Andro-Eidos into believing they are humans. Meanwhile, the surviving humans went into hiding and eventually transformed themselves into Naytibas to fight back against Mother Sphere and the Andro-Eidos. Despite being shocked by the revelation that she has been killing the descendants of humanity, Eve remains determined to end the war by killing the Elder Naytiba.
Eve learns from Orcal that the third Alpha core is located atop a space elevator. Before they can break in, Adam receives troubling news from Xion and departs, leaving both Lily and Eve behind. After defeating the Alpha Naytiba Demogorgon, Eve fails to retrieve its Alpha core and is rescued by Lily, who sends a signal to the Colony to dispatch the powered exoskeleton Providence to assist in her return to Earth. They return to Xion, only to find it under attack by the Naytiba. Eve and Lily rush back to defend the city, and Eve faces the same unidentified Alpha Naytiba that had attacked her and killed Tachy. After defeating the creature and retrieving its core, she is shocked to discover its true identity as Raven. Raven manages to escape, while Eve tends to Orcal. Orcal reveals that he is also an Alpha Naytiba, a fusion of Andro-Eidos and Naytiba technology. With only three Alpha Cores in Eve’s possession, Orcal sacrifices himself by using his own Alpha Core to create the Master Core. Before passing away, he urges Eve to meet the Elder Naytiba. Eve and Lily then head for the Nest, where they find a final recording from Raven. In the recording, Raven reveals her disillusionment upon learning that Mother Sphere not only exterminated the original humans but also devastated Earth's surface by ejecting large parts of the Colony from orbit to prevent the Naytiba from completely overrunning the planet.
Upon reaching the entrance of the Nest, Eve encounters Raven, who attempts to prevent her from entering. However, Eve manages to defeat Raven, leaving her disabled but alive. Eve and Lily then enter the Nest, only to uncover Adam's true identity as Raphael Marks, the scientist who created the Mother Sphere, and the Elder Naytiba who designed the Naytibas, which plunged the world into conflict with the Andro-Eidos and Humanity wars. Adam reveals that he has come to regret creating the Naytiba, as it resulted in the sacrifice of their humanity. He also acknowledges that, as androids lacking human DNA, the Andro-Eidos cannot be the true successors of humanity due to their inability to evolve. To remedy this, Adam proposes to fuse himself with Eve, thereby becoming the next step in human evolution, which would eliminate the threat of the Naytiba and offer humanity a chance at a new future. The ending diverges based on Eve's choices and previous actions.
* If Eve refuses to accept Adam's plan, the two are forced to battle each other, with Eve ultimately prevailing. Adam dies along with the last hope for humanity, and Mother Sphere welcomes Eve and Lily back to the Colony now that their mission is complete.
* If Eve accepts Adam's plan, the two of them fuse to create an entirely new type of human being. Mother Sphere then overrides Lily's power armor and commands it to attack Eve, forcing her to defend herself. Eve prevails, with Lily surviving or dying depending on whether Eve has maximum affection with her.
** If Eve hasn't reached maximum affection with Lily, Lily will die. Mother Sphere then arrives and congratulates Eve for eliminating the Elder Naytiba as planned. However, with no further use for her, Mother Sphere sends an army to destroy Eve, and the game ends with her fighting against an endless horde of Andro-Eidos soldiers.
** If Lily's relationship has reached maximum affection and the Iberis code has been recovered from Lily's Atelier in Eidos 9, Lily hacks the robot with the Iberis code and ejects herself to safety. Eve manages to completely annihilate the army Mother Sphere sends at her. Lily then delivers the fourth and final Hyper Cell to Xion, fully restoring the city while Eve becomes its new protector.

## Development

On April 4, 2019, the Korean studio Shift Up (founded by Blade & Soul illustrator Kim Hyung Tae) announced Project Eve for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game was set to be developed using Unreal Engine 4. A prototype showcasing new gameplay and art direction was presented in late 2020, but the game's release platforms were not mentioned. In the September 2021 PlayStation Showcase, the game was announced as an exclusive for PlayStation 5 and would be published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
In a September 2022 PlayStation State of Play, the game's final title was revealed to be Stellar Blade, accompanied by new gameplay footage and an original release window scheduled for 2023. The next day, MONACA announced their involvement, stating that their members, Oliver Good and Keita Inoue, are participating in the music production of the game, which has been reiterated multiple times prior to release. The game uses 3D scanning for some character models, with Eve being based on the model Shin Jae-eun. The Naytiba enemies were designed by Korean movie monster designer Hee-Cheol Jang, who created clay models that were then 3D scanned to produce the game's 3D models. In December 2023, the game was delayed to 2024.

## Release

In a January 2024 State of Play, it was announced that the game would be released on April 26. A demo of the game was released on the PlayStation Store worldwide on March 29, 2024; but it was accidentally published early in the United States on March 8 and was quickly removed. An update for the game adding support for enhanced visual fidelity and higher framerates on the PlayStation 5 Pro was released on October 22, 2024. On November 19, 2024, photo mode was added to coincide with the release of collaboration DLC with Nier: Automata. A free Christmas-themed update added new cosmetics and minigames on December 17, 2024. A Windows version of the game will be released in 2025.

## Reception
### Critical reception

Aggregate scores :
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 81/100 |
| OpenCritic | 84% |
Review scores :
| Publication | Score |
| 4Players | 84/100 |
| Destructoid | 8/10 |
| Eurogamer | 4/5 |
| Famitsu | 35/40 |
| Game Informer | 8.75/10 |
| GameSpot | 8/10 |
| IGN | 7/10 |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 17/20 |
| PCMag | 4.5/5 |
| Shacknews | 8/10 |
| Video Games Chronicle | 4/5 |
Stellar Blade received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic, based on 136 critic reviews. On OpenCritic, 84% of 113 critic reviews recommend the game. Much of the initial reception addressed exisiting online discourse around the character Eve leading up to Stellar Blade's release, with several critics questioning the validity of the discourse and how it overshadowed the quality and other aspects of the game.
Benjamin Schmädig of Eurogamer Germany gave Stellar Blade a 5 out of 5, describing Stellar Blade as "an adventure that scores with motivating level design as well as its sophisticated combat system and furious boss duels. And that, despite its minor weaknesses, completely captivated me both in terms of gameplay and narrative." Matt Miller of Game Informer gave the game an 8.75 out of 10, stating Stellar Blade is "unabashed in its titillating approach to sex and violence, but unlike so many games that use those appeals as a crutch, it’s also a top-notch action experience that can easily stand with the big girls."
Imran Khan of Gamespot and Katcy Stephan of Variety gave Stellar Blade an 8 out of 10, with Khan stating "a strong battle system and exciting moments make Stellar Blade more than just an imitator" and Stephan concluding "whether you’re considering 'Stellar Blade' for its buxom hero or its blisteringly frenetic combat, this is one stylish and well-polished game that’s certainly worth your attention." Connor Makar of VG247 described Stellar Blade as a "pleasant surprise. It is a better action game than I expected, with better art, audio, and action than I had hoped for. As far as first attempts at making an action game go it's a damn good effort," giving it a 4/5.
More critically, IGN gave Stellar Blade a 7/10 explaining "Stellar Blade stands out as a gorgeous and well-crafted action game with very impressive strengths and very clear weaknesses," citing a lack substance behind its story and characters, some poorly implemented RPG elements, and dull sidequests. Gene Park of The Washington Post awarded Stellar 3 out of 4 stars, explaining "'Stellar Blade' doesn’t make the strongest first impression, but it leaves a lasting one. What’s more important, it’s actually able to carve out its own distinguished identity by the end, much like Eve."

### Portrayal of Eve

According to Den of Geek, some critics argued that the marketing for Stellar Blade heavily leaned on the sexual appeal of Eve, with elements like revealing costumes and suggestive character designs being central to the game's promotional strategy. The game has also received an Adults Only rating in South Korea, attributed to its explicit content, including revealing outfits, violence, and suggestive imagery. TheGamer argued that the protagonist, while attractive, is "barely sexy at all," and that the lack of any real characterisation for Eve made the sexualised outfits "feel like she's playing dress up". Kim has defended some of these design choices by explaining that, from a third-person perspective, the player's view is predominantly directed at the back of the character, hence the emphasis on making this view appealing. He further elaborated that the design choices were made to entertain an adult audience. IGN Italia noted that while some criticized Eve's design as oversexualized, others felt there was a double standard among critics, fans, and developers who condemned the game while praising other examples like Nier Automata and Bayonetta.

### Sales

Stellar Blade was the best-selling game in North America in April 2024, reflecting its strong market performance during that month. In Canada, it ranked as the second-best-selling software for the same month. In Japan, Stellar Blade sold 67,131 physical units during its first week, making it the best-selling game of the week. It had sold 111,490 physical units in Japan by 14 July 2024.
By June 2024, Shift Up announced that the game had sold over 1 million units.

### Awards

| Year | Ceremony | Category | Result |
| 2024 | The Game Awards 2024 | Best Score and Music | Nominated |
| 2024 | The Game Awards 2024 | Best Action Game | Nominated |
| 2024 | PlayStation Partner Awards | Special Award | Won |
| 2024 | PlayStation Partner Awards | Users' Choice Award | Won |
| 2024 | PS Blog Game of the Year Awards | Best New Character | Won |
| 2024 | PS Blog Game of the Year Awards | Best Story | Nominated |
| 2024 | PS Blog Game of the Year Awards | Best Graphical Showcase | Nominated |
| 2024 | PS Blog Game of the Year Awards | Best Audio Design | Nominated |
| 2024 | PS Blog Game of the Year Awards | Best Soundtrack | Nominated |
| 2024 | PS Blog Game of the Year Awards | Best Use of DualSense | Runner-up |
| 2024 | PS Blog Game of the Year Awards | Best PS5 Game | Nominated |
| 2024 | PS Blog Game of the Year Awards | Studio of the Year (Shift Up) | Nominated |
| 2025 | 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Action Game of the Year | Nominated |