Stellar Blade on PS5 is Not The Game You Expect

Stellar Blade is not what we expected. We haven't been able to stop playing Stellar Blade on PS5, so Rosie and Dave are here to offer their spoiler-free thoughts on the game, from combat mechanics and lethal boss battles to the thrill of exploring the desolate post-apocalyptic Earth - which you can drink in for yourself in our 4K Stellar Blade PS5 gameplay.
We’ve got a lot more Stellar Blade gameplay to show off ( • Stellar Blade PS5 Game... ), explaining the game in full. Which feature are you most excited to take for a spin when the game releases on 26 April?
#stellarblade
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All music featured courtesy of epidemicsound.com (www.epidemicsound.com)
We use the AverMedia Live Gamer Ultra, Elgato 4K60 S+, and Atomos Ninja V and Ninja Inferno for gameplay capture.
Follow the team on Twitter:
Ash: bit.ly/AshMillman
Rosie: bit.ly/RosieCaddick
Rob: bit.ly/RobPearson
Dave: bit.ly/DavidJackson
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[@Einamu]

I like that the dev's own thoughts on the game are that they just wanted to make a single player console experience that people could have fun with.

[@aaronhayes4259]

Also for God sakes put clothes on 😂😂

[@MultiMiha1234]

@@aaronhayes4259 Shut up

[@ShinjiIkari007]

​@@aaronhayes4259no

[@matthewlugo2417]

How do u have fun with a combat system that is slow and clunky?

[@connorlaurey4647]

I felt like it was slow and clunky too but once you figure out parrying and dodging on top of unlock a couple skills that you get early on it flows in a really satisfying way in my opinion 😌

[@jasonmcmurtry7812]

Shout out to South Korea for making what seems to be an incredible PS5 game that's immensely fun in a country that majorly only does mobile games. I was hyped after the kick ass demo. I hope this does well so South Korea sees console games is where it's at 😊

[@theanimaster]

My gripe is that SQUARE ENIX could have made FFVII:ReBirth like this - but noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Maybe Shift Up can make the final part of the trilogy … would definitely be redeeming for the franchise.

[@mygamechannel2300]

I agree. I hope they add an Xbox version soon to expand their reach. As for the PC release, perhaps delaying it by a year could help mitigate the risk of the easily pirated version affecting sales.

[@AstroBimpson]

​@@theanimasterwas rebirth not good? Also trilogy? I thought it was only supposed to be 2 parts, lol.

[@ShafiqFaizal]

@@theanimaster What the heck? Rebirth is fine and Square knows what they're doing.

[@solid_justice5855]

​@@mygamechannel2300 there won’t be a xbox version

[@carlharrison3637]

Love the way items come out of the boxes, blood splatter and general physics of liquids. Awesome

[@mza4739]

So many games. My backlog just seems to get bigger.

[@LePeppino]

The backlog isn't the only thing that's getting bigger with this game... what

[@andrewkuldip8785]

I know how you feel. Right now, before I get more games, I'm finishing my backlog

[@israelruiz8706]

Same I will unfortunately have to wait on this one. I want it but the funds are low and the backlog is huge. I'll probably get it by the end of the year tho

[@saesang352]

@@LePeppino how did know someone was gonna type this before I even looked at the replies 😂

[@VelvetTornado_Enrico]

At this point I'm just giving up when it comes to my backlog 😅😭

[@Dean1000...]

Thank you South Korea for this great game and beautiful main character. 🇭🇷❤️🇰🇷

[@TurboK24z]

"Is not the game you expect".....It's actually better than you expected 😂

[@mandrews6282]

Yah the demo didn’t properly convey what the full experience would be like. The demo was already great but getting into the game proper it def surprised in a good way.

[@xperience-evolution]

Now we need more Devs making Games because they want to and they don't care what others say instead of focusing on how much money they can squeeze out of players in every Corner of their Game. Big thanks to the CEO and the everyone involved!

[@shokmunky]

So you could say the game looks... Stellar?

[@jomega_gaming]

Also, is that a ...... Blade?!? Nah we'll stick with yours, that one works 😂

[@Tastyshrooms]

Roflcopter

[@Bongbongo]

Booooo 🍅🍅🍅

[@danellboy5757]

They really invested in making the protagonist as fit as possible 🤣

[@ZiggyMarlon-gf6qv]

"Who won, Dad?" "We all did, Son. We all did."

[@user-mq9ll8bn6t]

thanks for the beautiful video Rosie and Dave

[@thegeekkid1]

Everything I saw just made me even more excited

[@Artemisthemp]

Happy to learn that I can comeback, as there was section in the Demo where I couldn't find the code and though I missed something. Think I'm gonna start fresh instead of using my Demo save.

[@deiberquesadaramirez363]

This game is so beautiful. Can't wait for friday

[@Caim6311]

Friday night for me

[@LePeppino]

Can't wait. Absolutely loved the demo. Also I'm glad the devs shipped the whole first section of the game with the demo, so with a little 'creativity' we could play up to the monorail part, hehe.

[@MrFreeth26]

This looks awesome. Shall we anticipate a stream or two in the future?

[@darkzentai7417]

I’m going to be interested in what shift up make next.

[@James-gj8rn]

i like that it has the parry mechanic, kind of like Sekiro but thankfully not as punishing, couple that with the Nier influence and the soundtrack being Stellar and i think this is going to right up my street :)

[@VelvetTornado_Enrico]

Parries are always so satisfying 😌 I like it much more than blocking and dodging.

[@MrSPW93]

Parrying in this is way more difficult than sekiro

[@James-gj8rn]

@@MrSPW93 in Sekiro you have to do a ton of parries at once against bosses so i don't agree

[@RR-ut3xl]

Sekiro players remembering their Mikiri counter muscle memory with the Blink skill

[@benseac]

I'm hoping they release the soundtrack on a CD sometime. What music I've heard from it has been great! One of the guys who did some of the music did the soundtrack to the Nier games (among others) and those games have fantastic scores to them.

[@krookedvulture]

At last! ... a game with a horse that Dave is _supposed_ to kill 😂

[@mrrandomdude4291]

😂

[@SilentHill4Life]

I’m curious about something: there are going to be 30 outfits available at launch. Are these 30 outfits unique from one another or are someone of them just different colors of the same variation?

[@JoaLoft]

There are a few color variations, but there are lots of unique outfits to discover and unlock.

[@SilentHill4Life]

@@JoaLoft so you think there might be like 15 unique costumes with the remaining 15 just being different colors of the originals, for example?

[@JoaLoft]

@@SilentHill4Life I haven't discovered all of them yet (i've reviewed the game myself for a different outlet) but so far I've mostly discovered unique costumes and only a few color variations. If the current ratio holds up, I'm confident there are way more unique outfits than simple color variations.

[@SilentHill4Life]

@@JoaLoft I can’t wait to see them all!

[@batshats8243]

I'm happy seeing many outlets are speaking highly positive of this game. I had high hopes for it, and after the demo I know it's a gem. I hope the purchase amount reflect that.

[@Kanakeikatsuo]

I can’t wait I sadly have work so I can’t play the game till after I get home but I will hop on so fast once I can play it

[@Becktastic01]

Nice that you can swim as well, i like games where water isn't a trial or just scenery but its another area to explore.

[@geetargato]

The alpha Neigh-tiba

[@kylemontenegro7825]

That platform that needs double jump, just press jump and press circle to dash.

[@gibbothegibbo]

I can't wait to finally play it.

[@cefalu63]

This is good news. I thought it was a dmc linear game.

[@synthraofficial5366]

As a DMC fan, I'm glad too. It's always fun to get something new in the genre!

[@SizemoreMusic]

Love DMC and I wish we got more hack/slash games that are actually fun to play.

[@drumjod]

I'm a big fan of great level design. Feeling funneled between fighting arenas tends to turn me off and lose my interest, even if the combat can be engaging. Level design in the Stellar Blade demo definitely felt like my cup of tea.

[@slashdef]

Loved the demo, can't wait for Friday.

[@pabo69]

Very informative video, this made me more confident that I'll enjoy the game.

[@truthbetold6496]

I was excited after playing the demo i am even more excited now i am glad its not souls like and there is a lot of exploring plateforming and puzzles. This is going to be amazing

[@RjDaGreatOne]

Game has top tier combat mechanics!

[@jomega_gaming]

This does look right up my alley. But I'm sooooo back logged, there's always at least 1 game on the ps+ games I wanna try, I still ain't finished FF7 rebirth (and I'm struggling with aalllll the mini games) plus still on Helldivers at least trying to do the daily orders, and now I've just been hooked (😉) on Dave the diver, I was on a day off and I think I mostly playef it all day 😅

[@jellyguides]

This game looks so sick ❤

[@loreseeker6604]

I have been expecting neir meets seikro myself from what i have seen/heard about.

[@nathanscott2871]

It's it's own thing. Not much in common with nier other than a female lead. The pod isn't a robot but a drone. The combat has active abilities, and feels very different to sekiro. I think these comparisons actually damage the game as the cause people to compare it to them rather than judge it on its own merits

[@N3k0G4m1]

It's sitting on my storage for a while now and I'm just waiting for the timer to run out... After the demo I felt like it's a combination of multiple games, like nier, sekiro, dmc and else

[@shyambharath3172]

Nice. Is there a easier difficulty mode for just chill hack and slash gameplay?

[@PlayStationAccess]

There's a story mode which is much more forgiving, yes. You still need to keep an eye on health, but shouldn't be a problem.

[@shyambharath3172]

@@PlayStationAccess OMG Huge fan! I got reply from you. I am framing this

[@sabertron1373]

Can wait to get it

[@SimonStewart75]

And this was meant to be a barren year for PlayStation. So far, it has been a constant supply of amazing games! This is another game that sparks the kind of joy I experienced playing ghost games in my formative years.

[@DaRkLoRd-rc5yu]

For sure. From gran blue fantasy, to Yakuza 8, Tekken 8, persona 3, hell divers, final fantasy 7 rebirth, dragons dogma, rise of ronin and now Stellar blade. Impossible to find the time to play everything. And all of it has been really great.

[@halcyon6098]

​@@DaRkLoRd-rc5yu And then the shadows creep over the Erdtree.....

[@Pak_Flesot]

I was already going to get it. You don't have to try to sell it to me anymore.

[@KillaD69]

Whoever made Stellar Blade played Nier Automata, looked up 2B's skirt and said "Yeah, I wanna make a game about THAT"

[@littleaussierippa]

As excited as I was about the game before, seeing this video has made me want to play even more. I can't wait to pick this up tomorrow.

[@MrSefiroh]

Just a heads up. Dev released a statement that the game will release fully UNCENSORED in all regions.

[@sfwreaths1]

But i just read that Sony censored it?

[@MrSefiroh]

@@sfwreaths1 removing some graffiti is hardly censorship to me. 😂

[@halcyon6098]

What does that mean? Nudity?

[@AXL.]

​@@halcyon6098I think it's for the gore, like the girl's arm in the demo

[@brucenatelee]

"Soulslite" is the word I use.

[@DarrenExplorz]

Tomorrow Night! This game is my game!

[@joeflhigl]

😂😂

[@DarrenExplorz]

@@joeflhigl 😁

[@joeflhigl]

@@DarrenExplorz i just hope the game will be as we think 😄

[@jasonsmith530]

Friday will be stellar

[@boblog131]

zero budget cuts we need more games like this

[@notoriousbmc1]

It always looks as though it would be incredibly fun to shoot scenes with these guys...but that's what Shelley Duvall thought when she signed up to work with Stanley Kubrick

[@cedricscottscott6222]

Hell they way they talk I want to buy it even more and it looks good

[@drumjod]

I had a great time with the demo. When a game has music this phenomenal, it elevates the entire experience for me.

[@CrazeeAdam]

I already pre-ordered this as soon as I could. I didn't play the demo or anything. I want my experience to be just on the day of release, I play this. It reminds me of Nier Automata in premise, which I loved, and the action looks great. That's all I need. Can't wait to play it.

[@lordhades9759]

So its ganne be even better then I thought it was gonna be? Perfect 😀

[@notoriousbmc1]

*When Kingdom come deliverance 2 is out* "I've decided I need to move out. I have to continue to avenge my parents. TO KUTTENBERG, PEBBLES!"

[@yarbles66]

WAY better than my expectations. I'm 43 years old, console gamer of 38 years, extremely picky... turned into a but of a PC snob a few years ago & have a 4090 etc... but wow... this game has graphically pushed the PS5 to new limits. I'll be honest... I do not have the patience for souls games or super hard boss battles... so I play on 'story mode' because I have no interest in fighting the same boss a dozen times... three max... my old thumbs are fucked & click so give me a break. Anyway... I played this on my entire day off yesterday & it's very rare I'll play an action game for even 90 mins. It's s cross between Souls Devil May Cry, but had it's own stuff going on. Skill tree is very clever - the way it unlocks new abilities thst just sounds like a fun way to play rather than feeling you should be chasing a meta build... it's a solid 8/10 from me (I'm stingy with scores!!!) Totally essential PS5 purchase.

[@suede1953]

Soon as you said it has a hub i was hooked

[@TakaChan569]

This was a great start and i hope to more AAA Korean console games.

[@hotaru193]

This game is just amazing!.

[@gri22lybear]

A few more hours until GREATNESS descends upon us mere Mortals! ❤

[@envoyofrot7046]

I expected a mix of Jedi Survivor and Sekiro

[@senshai1267]

a special game indeed

[@pasta1169]

Do the open world areas have a map?

[@PlayStationAccess]

Yep.

[@pasta1169]

@@PlayStationAccess are collectibles marked on the map too?

[@lazy_gamer5263]

​@@pasta1169after seeing FightingCowboy's review, it looks like that's the case.

[@sushiyeah]

Love PS Access :) yes I cannot wait to play Stellar Blade. This game is gonna be massive, definitely a GOTY nominee for 2024 The Game Awards.

[@Wolfdaddy91]

I'm 2hrs in and loving the game so far 😊

[@mad636man]

Is the combat unforgiving? I don’t like to die in games which is why I stay away from souls likes. Does this have an easy mode or story setting?

[@PlayStationAccess]

It has an easy mode, which also lets you turn on a setting that shows you which button to press to counter more difficult moves - good way to train in the basics. But even on normal difficulty it's way easier than any From soft game - unlock the more generous parry window and combat becomes much more manageable.

[@mad636man]

Oh great!! It may have worked its way onto my “find time to play” list.

[@demonshinobi66]

Looks so beautiful 😍❤🔥

[@snake4342001]

Only thing holding me back is spending 70.

[@kumikaze4735]

well Day one it is then XD

[@somfplease]

so it's not a game where a smoking hot girl with jiggle physics fights monsters?

[@martysamuels]

I get the vibe of Lightning Returns FF13, only better

[@advancedgryphon]

im having a blast with the game so far

[@PlayStationAccess]

Great to hear!

[@geoffreyletch8121]

Already pre ordered physical copy and played the demol. Looking forward to playing this on Friday 😮😊

[@mraftergames]

is even more:)

[@troygreen3272]

Total Nier vibes

[@JankyToe]

Sand Land or Stellar Blade, I'm at an impasse.

[@austinjoseph2881]

Stellar

[@Milan0Thapa]

Is this set in japan cuz I see a lot of kanji characters

[@spaceyzane9275]

Those poses with the cans are CUTE

[@faranior]

The way you described it made me think of Fallen Order and Horizon. Would those close enough to compare it to?

[@PlayStationAccess]

Not as open as Horizon - more like Fallen Order.

[@Herowebcomics]

Heck yeah! Stellar blade looks amazing! And not just because the girl is hot! The gameplay looks good too!😎

[@Extra_Onions]

I'm one of those weird people who "completed" the demo- unlocked every possible skill, explored more than I should (got to the linecar so i'm guessing i'll start with Xion). so far the game feels great. there is a little bit of jank to it but it is definitely in consideration for one of my top games of 2024

[@lucasharris9696]

Oh man, why are there sooo many good games?!? I’m still working on P3R just beat FF7Rebirth, and now I’m going to have to get this and Eiyuden Chronicles! My wife is gonna kill me lol! Will you have a stream of Stellar Blade?

[@blankets5782]

For Shift Up's first triple A game, with it having: - Linear to fully open world exploration - A great combat system with an evolving skill tree - Fully customization for Eve's looks and fashion - A banger OST - Free updates under a $70 price tag... *_GOTY contender, for sure._*

[@dcollie20]

GOTY 🔥🔥🔥🔥bottomline💯

[@dewaalvandercolff251]

One of my most anticipated games EVER. I'm so excited to finally play it

[@ant_47383_uei]

Hi dave hi rosie

[@metamind8674]

Is it me, or are there some God of War 2018 and God of War Ragnarok elements intricated into the stellar blade game? For example, when the monsters attack, color-coordinated attacks indicate when to block, dodge, and more. It's exciting, I can't wait to play it.

[@Silent_Avenger]

Director said god of war was one of his inspirations

[@metamind8674]

@@Silent_Avenger Ah, that makes sense.

[@chrisstaats9237]

Just finished lies of p - what do we expect with stellar blade combat, brutal, forgiving, in the middle! I’m down for whatever just curious

[@chrisstaats9237]

I should probably finish the video! I’m bout to dive into this in a couple days

[@PlayStationAccess]

Much more forgiving than Lies of P. Its difficulty is more like Nier Automata or Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. We did most bosses first/second time (but still felt suitably challenged).

[@Teffy2105]

Can’t wait to play this. I’ll be in Paris for A few weeks so, I’ll be late to playing it. Looks awesome though.

[@hypnotic313]

so nier automata, but it's not trying to destroy you mentally, physically, and emotionally at every turn.

[@matthewlugo2417]

No its not nier lol and also stellar blade looks kinda blah compared to bayo and nier

[@notpuppet1934]

After listening to what theyve said, imma farm the demo, i dont want to have to see a box and not being able to get it, it will get me frustrated not being able to get it.

[@TallAndThin123]

so its a good game then?

[@BlestNekun]

The art style and character design reminds me of an artist Evan Lee's work. Looks very pretty and fun💜💜 😎🍻😎

[@zaltmanbleroze]

I'm getting my copy tomorrow, a day early.

[@Raphaell099]

IT HAS AN OPEN MAP??? LFGG

[@JoaLoft]

Not exactly one big open map: it has individual environments which you need to travel to i.e. separated by very short loading screens. But you're definitely incentivised to go and discover all the hidden areas and rewards in each environment.

[@Violenceinsilence]

@@JoaLoftso like God of war?

[@JoaLoft]

@@Violenceinsilence Sort of, except I think there were no loading screens in God of War, right? You can continuously run through that game’s open world without the screen going black for five seconds

[@drumjod]

​@@Violenceinsilence I felt like the level design hit the spot for me when I played the demo. Plenty of moments to take small detours to find a chest or fight optional enemies that are a bit more challenging. It gave pretty good indicators about where the main path was, never felt overwhelming or confusing to navigate, but still felt like I was finding little secrets and was rewarded for exploring. You can occasionally unlock a shortcut back to a recent section, which is nice since you might want to heal up at camp to save on healing items or open a chest you couldn't previously open. We'll see how much it's still like that when the game opens up and we get to larger areas. It's certainly not open world, and I'm glad for that lol. Just want to say, great level design with excellent music and satisfying combat sounds like exactly what I'm craving in a game right now.

[@undergnomes6248]

Only complaint after the demo is that I wish the dodge was better other than that it seems really good

[@TheTarnishedGamer]

I can't wait to stream it 🤩

[@VelvetFox]

I wasn’t expecting censorship either :)

[@videobasil9575]

Grow up ya mad baby

[@ClevelandFan17]

So jealous of your jobs. I want to play this game so badly, but I sadly just don't have the time these days for a game like this. Looks amazing, hope everyone enjoys it!

[@lxxgxll2954]

Obviously not played the full game (so can’t say for sure) but it sounds very much like Jedi Survivor! Dark Souls style combat, focus on parrying, restore points etc. Metroidvania style levels that open up as you unlock abilities. A smaller world that leads to a city/town area (complete with side quests) that leads up a large open world. Even had the wall run and tutorial stage when you unlock new abilities! None of that is a criticism to be clear. Just sounds very similar!

[@PlayStationAccess]

100%. Great comparison. Fewer Metroidvania elements, but similar in feel, for sure.

[@BerryNiceToMeetYou]

I guess she didn't hear of the blink trick when she played the demo 😂

[@kungfuscubabape953]

GOTY