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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →In Christopher Cruz’s review, Stellar Blade is both a capable action game and an unusually sexualized spectacle. Its sharpest criticism is that the combat and presentation can approach greatness, while thin characterization and a camera that persistently emphasizes protagonist EVE’s body make the game’s dramatic ambitions feel at odds with its priorities.
What is the review’s central argument?
Cruz treats EVE’s sexualized presentation as a defining part of Stellar Blade, not a minor design choice. EVE is a soldier sent to a ruined Earth to fight the Naytiba, but Cruz argues that her personality is too thin and inconsistent to give the story’s serious scenes much grounding. Against that dramatic backdrop, the camera’s focus on her body becomes a source of absurdity as well as criticism.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
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Stellar Blade - PlayStation 5 | $46.30 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
![Stellar Blade Korean Edition [English Supports] for PS5](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51I72DI5yVL._SL160_.jpg)
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Stellar Blade Korean Edition [English Supports] for PS5 | $59.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Stellar Blade (Multi-Language) | $64.00 | Buy on Amazon |
The comparison with Bayonetta and Nier: Automata’s 2B is about characterization and agency, not a claim that those games are mechanically interchangeable. Cruz’s view is that sexualized design can land differently when a character seems to own her sexuality and has a more distinctive personality. That is the reviewer’s interpretation, rather than a universal account of how players will respond.
What works in Stellar Blade?
Timing-based melee combat
The review’s strongest praise is for combat built around parries and dodges. Fast melee attacks and special abilities give fights a satisfying rhythm, and Cruz sees the action as capable of approaching greatness. The game draws on action-game and soulslike conventions, but this is a critical comparison, not a claim that its combat is identical to any one influence.
#1 Best Overall
- Stunning PS5 visuals: Explore vibrant futuristic environments, and engage with a cast of original friends and foes from the creative minds of the SHIFT UP team, led by renowned artist Kim Hyung Tae.
- Ultra high-speed SSD: Explore new locations, overcome powerful enemies, and encounter jaw-dropping revelations as you advance relentlessly through EVE’s mission with lightning-fast load times.
- Adaptive triggers: Unleash devastating yet graceful acrobatic moves, and interact with the technological remnants of an abandoned Earth using the DualSense wireless controller’s adaptive triggers.
- Haptic feedback: Feel the thrill of combat as your blade slashes its way to victory, with sensations enriched by the DualSense wireless controller’s responsive vibrations.
- Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
Polish, sound, and controller feedback
Cruz also praises the visual polish, music, and tactile DualSense feedback. These qualities help the game deliver an appealing audiovisual spectacle even as the review questions what that spectacle chooses to emphasize. For the PC edition, PlayStation announced support for DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers in its May 15, 2025 feature announcement.
Where does the game fall short?
Gunplay and ammunition friction
Cruz finds shooting enjoyable on its own, but awkward to access during combat. The review also objects to ammunition not replenishing after death, a rule that can make ranged attacks feel like a resource burden rather than a seamless part of the action.
Thin characterization and uneven storytelling
The review’s concern is not simply that EVE is sexualized; it is that this presentation sits beside a story that asks players to take her seriously without giving her a consistently compelling personality. Cruz reads that gap as one reason the game’s dramatic scenes can feel unintentionally comic.
Rank #2
- This is Korean Version released by SIEK. Region free title so you can play it on your system.
- Korean Edition supports Multi language Subtitles: Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, German, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Arabic, Italian, Turkish, Portuguese, Polish, French, Finnish, Tyre
- A thrilling slice of razor-sharp action - Engage in blisteringly fast combat as you slash a path through the remnants of Earth, facing epic boss encounters that will challenge both brain and brawn in equal measure. Unleash graceful yet brutal attacking combos and unlock new moves as you progress, with customisable skills based on your play style. Upgrade Eve’s weapons to boost your chances as each boss battle becomes progressively more demanding
- An incredible visual experience - Become immersed in a highly detailed post-apocalyptic world that blends beauty and horror to spectacular effect. Explore breath-taking science fiction-inspired environments as the characters and creations of renowned Korean artist and Shift Up studio director Kim Hyung Tae are brought to life, via the graphical power.
- A deep, unforgettable adventure - Discover an enthralling narrative filled with mature themes, mystery and revelation. Embrace the relentless pace, with no time to pause between moments where critical, story-changing decisions are made. Eve's belief in her mission is absolute. But as she destroys her enemies with ruthless power while at the same time forming close-knit bonds with the few friends that have got her back, she'll ultimately be asked questions about what it truly means to be human
Repetitive stretches of exploration
The world moves among ruined cities, underground facilities, and science-fiction environments, but Cruz says long desert and wasteland stretches, including fetch quests, make exploration feel repetitive. The review estimates a campaign of roughly 40 hours; that is the reviewer’s estimate, not an official playtime figure. It also compares aspects of traversal and open-world presentation with Horizon Forbidden West without suggesting the games are equivalent.
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Stellar Blade is available for PlayStation 5 and Windows PC. Steam lists June 11, 2025 as the PC release date and describes the game as a single-player action-adventure RPG. Its listing names SHIFT UP Corporation as developer and PlayStation Publishing LLC as publisher outside China: Steam’s product page.
The ESRB rates the game Mature 17+ on PS5 and Windows PC for Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, and Violence; its listing also notes in-game purchases. See the ESRB rating for the official rating details.
Rank #3
- A thrilling slice of razor-sharp action - Engage in blisteringly fast combat as you slash a path through the remnants of Earth, facing epic boss encounters that will challenge both brain and brawn in equal measure. Unleash graceful yet brutal attacking combos and unlock new moves as you progress, with customisable skills based on your play style. Upgrade Eve’s weapons to boost your chances as each boss battle becomes progressively more demanding
- An incredible visual experience - Become immersed in a highly detailed post-apocalyptic world that blends beauty and horror to spectacular effect. Explore breath-taking science fiction-inspired environments as the characters and creations of renowned Korean artist and Shift Up studio director Kim Hyung Tae are brought to life, via the graphical power of PlayStation5
- A deep, unforgettable adventure - Discover an enthralling narrative filled with mature themes, mystery and revelation. Embrace the relentless pace, with no time to pause between moments where critical, story-changing decisions are made. Eve's belief in her mission is absolute. But as she destroys her enemies with ruthless power while at the same time forming close-knit bonds with the few friends that have got her back, she'll ultimately be asked questions about what it truly means to be human
Is Stellar Blade a good game, or mostly about EVE’s appearance?
Cruz’s verdict is mixed: the game is a serviceable action romp with excellent moments in combat and audiovisual presentation, held back by awkward ranged combat, uneven pacing, and thin storytelling. Its sexualized framing is central to the review’s criticism, but the review does not reduce the game to that alone. Its closing phrase captures the uneasy blend of atmosphere and spectacle: “That, plus boobs.” — Christopher Cruz, April 24, 2024.
Read Christopher Cruz’s April 24, 2024 review for the full argument.
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