Stellar Blade is almost upon us, and fans couldn’t be more excited to see Hyung-Tae Kim’s vision come to life. The illustrator-turned-CEO has worked tirelessly on this project, and what we have seen so far has impressed fans and critics alike.
The animation and dynamic environments stand out the most, but attention to detail is not limited to just the background set pieces. A lot of effort and thought was put into the characters in the game, with one aspect that greatly extended timelines. It seems Shift Up was inspired by Rocksteady when it comes to nailing fluid textures.
Arkham Asylum Inspired Stellar Blade Developers to Go All Out
It’s always great when studios are more focused on quality as opposed to timelines. Few things are as disappointing as an unpolished game. Stellar Blade didn’t face any such constraints, and the studio seems to have taken inspiration from Rocksteady for the reason behind the extended timeline.
One look at Eve, the game’s protagonist, and the effort behind her design is evident. All of her suits and movements are perfectly polished, leading to the impression that Shift Up is not skimping out on any effort. A special focus was added to her hair, which added an entire year to the development schedule!
Hyung-Tae Kim shared that tidbit with Famitsu in an interview last month. He stated that if Eve didn’t have long hair, the development time “could have been shortened by one year.” It can sound like a lot of effort for just hair, but this isn’t the first time development schedules have been extended for seemingly small features.
Arkham Asylum, one of the best superhero games to date, featured Gotham’s caped crusader in a way never before seen in games. An impressive visual aesthetic of the game was the cape itself. While it played a big part in both traversal and combat, even the regular animations looked fluid. That’s because an Eidos Interactive developer spent two years creating over 700 animations to make it look realistic!
Eve’s Character Design Is Part Fiction and Part Reality
Every work of art requires a muse for inspiration. Eve’s look, which has created some controversy, is inspired by the Korean model Shin Jae-eun. The design has been criticized for being unrealistic and exaggerated, but Hyung-Tae Kim is very forthcoming when talking about the game being entertainment for adults.
This theme is consistent from design to gameplay, with the Naytiba monsters’ look invoking equal parts dread and intrigue. Korean monster movie legend Hee-Cheol Jang is behind the hostile creatures and has hinted at some hidden details in their appearance. These monsters are going to put up a tough fight, with whirring saw-like body parts to clash against Eve’s sword.
Stellar Blade is now just two days from launch, and it’s safe to say the hype is at an all-time high. All that remains is for Shift Up to deliver a strong experience so it can truly justify the added year to make sure Eve’s hair flows as well as her moves.
Do you think developers should be given more time with their games? Let us know in the comments!
