Developed as a PlayStation 5 unique by South Korea-based studio Shift Up, Stellar Blade emphasises fast-paced motion and boasts a post-apocalyptic setting. Each its flashy fight and gorgeous visuals scream next-gen, but on the similar time, Stellar Blade isn’t shy to cover the previous it was impressed by. IGN Japan had the prospect to take a seat down with the builders and speak by means of their inspirations.
As Eve, gamers carry out flashy combos whereas shortly reacting to enemy assaults by parrying and dodging on the proper time to create openings for counters. Developer Kim Hyung-tae informed IGN that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Bayonetta have been a number of the motion video games his crew was impressed by.
Visually talking, Stellar Blade’s world shares vibes with many science fiction works which have a post-apocalyptic setting, albeit with a robust Asian contact. Lots of the recreation’s most important characters have Asian appearances, and Xion – a metropolis constructed by the final survivors on Earth – seems to be closely impressed by fashionable Asian cityscapes.
“As for Stellar Blade’s world-building, we designed it by mixing cultural parts from Hong Kong, Japan, China and Korea,” Kim stated.
“That being stated, Xion isn’t solely inhabited by Asian individuals, and we didn’t intend to make it seem like a particular nation or tradition. A very powerful factor about Xion is that it’s a metropolis constructed for the world’s final survivors. In fact, I’ve loved many alternative cultures and artwork myself, so I can’t deny that I used to be impressed by different science fiction works with an analogous dystopian setting.”
As a number of the most important inspirations on Stellar Blade’s world, Kim mentions cyberpunk manga sequence Battle Angel Alita and the 1982 science fiction movie Blade Runner.
Nevertheless, Stellar Blade’s largest supply of inspiration is perhaps Nier Automata. The mixture of Yoko Taro’s trendy motion and dystopian world-building feels near Stellar Blade. On prime of that, each video games have a badass anime-inspired feminine protagonist.
“Nier: Automata left an enormous impression on me,” stated Kim. “It made me understand {that a} recreation like this may very well be made, and allowed me to rediscover the form of recreation that I need to make.”
Stellar Blade launches on PS5 on April 26.
Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan.