Shift Up’s latest Soulslike video game, Stellar Blade, has left the gaming community divided. The game is being criticized for the objectification of its female protagonist, Eve, while the demo of the game has created a lot of anticipation among the fans. Unfortunately, Eve’s portrayal in the game has attracted a lot of attention and as a result, the game has received an adults-only rating in Korea.
Many gamers have pointed out that Eve’s odd outfits are a deliberate addition as the developers are trying to attract the male audience. There is a particular skin suit with a leather-like texture that has stirred up a lot of controversies. The game’s director, Kim Hyung-tae, recently explained the design process of that skin as well as the inspiration behind Eve’s outfits.
Stellar Blade director Kim Hyung-tae talked about Eve’s most controversial skin
In a recent interview with Famitsu, the director of Stellar Blade, Kim Hyung-tae, was asked to explain why Eve’s skin suit had a leather-like feel or an unusual texture. Hyung-tae explained (translated from Japanese),
“Skinsuits are designed to cover your bare skin with skin-colored fabric. The way light is reflected differs between natural skin and skin-colored fabric. This expresses a unique texture, but it has nothing to do with Eve’s setting – However, there is one thing I would like to note. The skin suit has no defensive function, and since there is no shield, you will take a lot of damage and may die quickly. We recommend that you wear clothes as much as possible, as it will greatly increase the difficulty of gameplay.”
Shift Up is under fire as many of Eve’s outfits clearly indicate that the studios are hoping to make money with the over-s*xualization of the character. To make things worse, Stellar Blade has received an adults-only rating in Korea for its n*dity and violence, making its gamer base smaller.
It’s very apparent that Stellar Blade is inspired by games like NieR: Automata and Bayonetta as both of these games feature a female protagonist very similar to Eve but Shift Up may have taken things too far with unusual outfits.
Anime and movies inspired Eve’s outfits
Further in the interview, Kim Hyung-tae revealed outfits in animes and movies inspired Eve’s outfits in the game, adding that they try to go beyond their limits when it comes to designing,
“Sometimes we design from scratch, and sometimes we brush up on something taken in the 3D scanning studio that we showed you on the studio tour – In addition to real-life costumes, some are influenced by anime and movies. When it comes to design, we try to think without limits and express the diverse charms of the main characters.”
As for the gameplay, Stellar Blade has been praised for its visuals and engaging combat. The demo of the game was released for PlayStation 5 users on March 29, 2024, and has created a lot of buzz about the game. Stellar Blade is all set to be released for the PlayStation 5 on April 26, 2024, and it’s safe to say that gamers are very excited about it.
