Stellar Blade (PS5)

Stellar Blade ist ein großartiger Action-Titel, der neben massig Content auch unheimlich motivierende Kämpfe und sich weiterentwickelnde Fähigkeiten bietet. Es sieht super aus, hört sich wie eine Cousine vom Nier-OST an und macht durch die stetigen Abwechslungen auch durchweg Spaß. Nur eine ausgearbeitete Geschichte mit guten Charakteren sollte man nicht erwarten, da sollen wahrscheinlich auch die vielen freischaltbaren Outfits von ablenken.

Vieles wirkt vertraut und manchmal gleichförmig, doch ein starkes Kampfsystem, exzellente Bosskämpfe, ein spannendes Szenario, das motivierende Erkunden der Umgebung sowie viele kleine Ideen machen Stellar Blade zu einem hervorragenden Solo-Abenteuer.

Stellar Blade has a fair bit of weirdness, but its killer tunes and vibey, flow-state combat - plus a transformative hard mode - are enough to leave you entranced.

The story never clicked for me, but the world-building, top-notch art, and silky animation certainly did. Even when certain devastating bosses made me curse, it was always because I made a mistake and was left eager to dive back in for another shot. I loved the gradual mastery I developed as I explored its many interlocking systems of combos and special moves. Stellar Blade is unabashed in its titillating approach to sex and violence, but unlike so many games that use those appeals as a crutch, it’s also a top-notch action experience that can easily stand with the big girls.

It all contributes to Stellar Blade being a bit of a mixed bag, checking off boxes for what constitutes an action RPG in this modern age. That is not exactly a bad thing per se, but it is most certainly a missed opportunity for positioning the game as the leader of a new generation of experiences that build upon the successes that have come before. This title might not be the sharpest blade around, but it still has an edge that players can enjoy. Come for the visuals, stay for the combat, and try to ignore the suboptimal portions of humankind's latest attempt to take back the Earth.

A strong battle system and exciting moments make Stellar Blade more than just an imitator.

Stellar Blade is a pretty enjoyable game to swing your hairband sword at, so long as you don't mind the obvious sexualisation. There's a few rough areas, but nothing to spoil things overall and there’s plenty of interesting story to uncover as you fight your way through giant monsters with circular saws for heads and weird tentacles for legs.