Stellar Blade, my beloved – it’s good to have a purpose to put in writing about you once more.
Push Sq. readers will know I could have come near popping the query to protagonist Eve, and after writing our intensive Stellar Blade information (the place I documented all of our heroine’s outfits in intensive, obsessive element), I used to be assigned the duty of testing out the brand new Swap 2 port right here in Tokyo.
For individuals who don’t know, that is Korean studio Shift Up’s debut console effort, initially revealed by Sony for the PS5 in 2024.
Its mixture of earworm audio and acrobatic motion made it my Recreation of the 12 months, and whereas some could take concern with its barren open world segments and so-so story, I count on Nintendo stalwarts to get a kick out of this.
I used to be capable of play a full 20 minutes taken from the opening of the marketing campaign, the place Eve — a member of an assault unit named the seventh Airborne Squad — arrives on Earth to liberate it from a horde of monstrous ne’er-do-wells named Naytibas.
For sure, the mission goes badly, and we witness the primary character’s crew getting viscerally worn out on this action-packed opening mission.
It’s clear from my hands-on that Shift Up has needed to make some compromises for this Swap 2 port, which I performed docked utilizing a Professional Controller.
I’d love for as many Nintendo followers as potential to assist this title
The plush hair of our heroine and her shut companion, Tachy, stood out to me: it’s stiff and jagged, relatively than smooth and opulent like within the PS5 recreation. Look, it’s no secret I believe Eve’s completely value it — however she’s been utilizing own-brand shampoo versus L’Oreal on Swap 2.
Whereas the opening mission performs out identically on Nintendo’s machine, full with collapsing buildings and explosions all over, there’s a transparent decision drop required to get issues operating. I additionally assume the lighting seems to be flatter general.
That is all in service of a 60fps goal body price, nevertheless, which I believe is the fitting selection.
Whereas Stellar Blade isn’t revelatory from a gameplay perspective, it depends very closely on fastidiously timed parries, and also you want a silky clean body price to make sure the timing strains up. I seen a couple of chugs throughout cutscenes, however nothing within the gameplay itself.
The opening mission is a largely linear affair, however my 20 minutes additionally afforded me sufficient time to discover the wet streets of Eidos 7 as effectively – it’s right here the place you’ll really come to understand Shift Up’s untouchable audio motifs and artwork course.
Once more, I’d level to an absence of anti-aliasing on this demo, giving the rain results within the foreground a surprisingly harsh look — however I’m hesitant to go all Digital Foundry on an unfinished construct. It’s solely potential many of those shortcomings might be improved.
Shift Up has needed to make some compromises for this Swap 2 port
That applies to Eve’s outfits, too — a official spotlight in the primary recreation.
Texture element seems to be a number of ranges beneath the PS5 to my eye, as Shift Up famously scanned these into the sport utilizing real-life fashions and materials. I noticed some glitching on the lace of the heroine’s default Planet Diving Swimsuit, for example, however I’m certain it’s largely a symptom of an unfinished construct.
I hope Shift Up can clear up as many of those compromises as potential, although, as a result of I’m an enormous fan of the fledgling franchise and I’d love for as many Nintendo followers as potential to assist this title.
In actual fact, I believe the Korean dev deserves monumental credit score for delivery the title in full on a 32GB cartridge, with the unique’s NieR Automata and Nikke: Goddess of Victory expansions included day one (and a few candy Bayonetta bonuses thrown in for good measure).
With the sport launching on fifth November alongside Nintendo’s Ocarina of Time remake, the discharge date does really feel sadly timed.
However with some outlandish motion sequences and memorable boss fights, I hope Swap 2 homeowners will save themselves for a side-dish of Stellar Blade — particularly if Shift Up can tidy up the graphical drawbacks I discussed inside.