What we’ve seen so far about Stellar Blade shows it’s all about great designs and fluid combat. The combat may often be compared to Sekiro, but the art and design of the game are truly unique. Hyung-Tae Kim has put a lot of thought and effort into making his characters stand out from the crowd.
But the design doesn’t stop at just humans. The creatures Eve faces were given the same degree of attention by none other than legendary Korean movie monster designer Hee-Cheol Jang. Jang is the mind behind some iconic monster movies, such as The Host and Okja. However, even he was surprised by SHIFT UP’s design process.
Stellar Blade Creature Design Began with Old School Methods
In the game, Eve will be facing off against a never-before-seen species known as the Naytiba. They are a powerful race, capable of dealing with humanity’s armaments of the future and destroying the planet. There are several types of Naytiba for Eve to take down, such as the Stalker, Raven, and Gigas. Hee-Cheol Jang, the man behind the monsters, shares how the team went about not only ideating the creatures but the process it took to bring them to life.
Speaking with PlayStation, Jang revealed that the Naytiba began life not as computer graphics and digital sketches but as humble clay models. These models, called scannable maquettes, would then undergo 3D scanning to render the design on screen. This was a similar process used in movies, but Jang was surprised to see it being used for Stellar Blade.
At the time, the film industry was moving towards digital models using ZBrush for efficiency reasons, so I was shocked by the idea of using traditional modeling/3D scanning for creature creation for a new console game project.
Jang went on to talk about how they wanted the Naytiba to look eerie and unnerving, opting for missing features and having faces that one would not expect. The idea was to tie their appearance into the overall look of the game.
The Inspiration for the Naytiba Came from Life that Exists on Earth
While the creatures may be entirely original, their design is inspired by animals and nature we can observe currently. It’s all part of Hyung-Tae Kim’s worldview for Stellar Blade that he envisioned over 10 years ago. Hee-Cheol Jang says the monsters didn’t need to look realistic, but they will look a bit familiar on closer inspection.
In the interview, Jang goes into detail about the time it takes to create such clay models, the many rounds of discussions regarding proportions, and also consideration of how the creature will move and attack. Given that it can take months to finalize a design, it makes sense why the game is coming out in 2024 after being revealed in 2019.
Stellar Blade is set to hit the shelves by the end of the month and is going to be one of PlayStation 5’s most-awaited exclusives. The combination of dynamic gameplay and gorgeous graphics is shaping up to be a gaming experience ready to shock and awe fans.
Have you already pre-ordered Stellar Blade? Let us know in the comments!
