Shift Up’s latest game, Stellar Blade, is all set to be released on PlayStation 5 on April 26, 2024. The game’s director, Kim Hyung-tae, previously discussed various games that inspired Stellar Blade, particularly, Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Although the games are slightly different, Hyung-tae explained that Miyazaki’s video game was one of the main inspirations behind the themes of his latest game.
Stellar Blade is a third-person action-adventure game where players control Eve and navigate through the remnants of Earth. The game’s demo is available on PS5 right now and as expected, the game provides an action-packed gaming experience with its stunning visuals and impressive mechanics.
Stellar Blade‘s director revealed that the game was inspired by Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Shift Up’s 2024 video game Stellar Blade was inspired by several video games and one could feel it while playing the game’s demo. The game’s director Kim Hyung-tae was recently interviewed by IGN and during the conversation, he revealed the prime inspirations behind the game (translated from Japanese),
“First of all, I am influenced by a manga called Gunm. As for the game, NieR: Automata released in 2017 or so was shocking. The big discovery was that I could make games like this, and it gave me the opportunity to rediscover what kind of games I wanted to make. Other influences include games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Bayonetta. Of course, sci-fi movies from the 80s and 90s, including Blade Runner, are also an inspiration.”
Unlike Hidetaka Miyazaki‘s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Stellar Blade is a Soulslike game. Many will argue with this fact but it is true as Sekiro indeed shares similarities with Soulslike games but it is not cited as one.
Stellar Blade is also inspired by cities like Hong Kong, Japan, China, and Korea
Hyung-tae explained that some popular Asian cities also inspired the world of Stellar Blade, adding that the city of Zion will have a variety of cultures,
The worldview of Stellar Blade is designed by mixing cultures such as Hong Kong, Japan, China, and Korea. However, Zion is not only inhabited by Oriental people. Rather than wanting to represent the culture of a particular country, Zion becomes a city built by its people to survive. However, I have enjoyed a variety of cultures, and I am definitely influenced by the dystopian science fiction works of the 1980s and 1990s.
The demo of Stellar Blade introduces players to protagonist Eve’s regiment, Airborne Squad 7, as they descend on a subsection of Earth called District 3. They plan to intercept an invasion by the alien monstrosities known as the Naytibas. The full game is scheduled to be released for the PlayStation 5 on April 26, 2024.
