Stellar Blade, the latest offering from director Hyung-Tae Kim and Shift Up, has made waves with its demo. If you’ve played it, you might’ve noticed how gracefully the main character, Eve, moves as she gruesomely hacks away at the enemy Naytibas.
In a recent interview, Kim delved into the reason behind Eve’s movements, the difficulty of the game, as well as other interesting details.
Stellar Blade’s Director Had a Particular Vision for Eve
During an interview with Ruliweb, Kim revealed his vision for the game’s main character, Eve, which goes heavy on acrobatic and hypnotic movements. He explained that he drew inspiration from several real-life performing arts (translated from Korean):
As I featured an attractive female warrior as the main character, I wanted to give it a different feel from the typical male action scenes. So, I actually tried to express acrobatic movements by taking a lot of inspiration from ballet and gymnastics.
And it paid off, as the result is striking. Eve’s movements on screen are fluid, graceful, and mesmerizing, contrasting the brute force seen in some action games.
But how did Kim arrive at this unique approach? Drawing from his experience working on previous titles like Blade & Soul, Kim and his team were able to leverage their expertise to bring Eve to life in a way that feels fresh.
Speaking of hacking and slashing as Eve, Stellar Blade offers a different kind of action experience than you’d expect.
While it was assumed it’d play out like a hack-and-slash similar to NieR: Automata or Bayonetta, it’s a little more slow-paced and relies a lot on parrying, dodging, and striking at the right moments, similar to the Soulsborne games.
Depending on character growth, skills, and gear settings, players can also enjoy faster-paced hack-and-slash elements.
Hack-And-Slash Your Way Through Enemies
So, what about the difficulty level? Director Lee Dong-gi says that the boss challenge in the trial version may feel daunting at first, comparing it to experiencing mid-level content right off the bat.
However, he assures players that as they progress through the game, they’ll gradually learn the various systems and find a playstyle that suits them.
For those who find boss battles too challenging, Shift Up’s latest game offers a story mode with adjusted enemy HP and damage, as well as an action assist function to help with pattern identification and avoidance. It’s a thoughtful inclusion that ensures players of all skill levels can enjoy the game’s narrative without feeling overwhelmed.
On the other hand, if you enjoy a challenge and want to make things harder for yourself, you can turn up the difficulty and don Eve’s special NSFW skin suit that effectively leaves you shield-less. This means you’ll take more damage with every hit the enemy lands.
What type of playstyle do you typically prefer? Will you try something new in Stellar Blade? Let us know in the comments below!
