DaRmaZat With the release of Stellar Blade on Steam and the Epic Games Store, developer SHIFT UP is finally expanding their first AAA console game to a wider audience. Originally launched in April last year as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, it quickly became clear that this action-packed sci-fi game had a lot more up its sleeve than many had expected. The stylish title soon drew attention thanks to its spectacular combat, the strikingly sexy lead character EVE, and a vividly imagined dystopian setting that gives subtle nods to acclaimed titles like NieR: Automata and Bayonetta. It’s no surprise, then, that a sequel has already been confirmed.
This PC release also coincides with a crossover DLC featuring Goddess of Victory: Nikke, included in the new Complete Edition, which is also launching on PlayStation 5. On PC, Stellar Blade pulls out all the technical stops, offering ultrawide support, unlocked framerates, DLSS 4, FSR 3, and full DualSense feature support via a wired controller connection.
A World in Ruins, a Blood-Soaked Mission
In Stellar Blade, you step into the shoes of EVE, an elite soldier of the 7th Airborne Squad, sent alongside numerous other units to a devastated Earth to fight off the Naytiba—monstrous creatures that have brought humanity to the brink of extinction. Unfortunately, your heroic mission goes sideways from the start: your squad is brutally slaughtered (with some gut-wrenching and downright gruesome scenes—not for the faint of heart), and you’re barely saved by Adam, a mysterious man on a flying speeder that looks like it came straight out of Star Wars Outlaws.
Not for the faint of heart.
Soon after, you resume the operation with a drone at your side and reenter the battlefield in the lost city of Eidos 7. You’re determined to complete the mission—now seasoned with a hint of vengeance. The objective, and a large portion of the narrative, is initially pretty straightforward: crush mutants and aliens to survive while collecting special relics to unlock new paths. But as the story progresses, familiar sci-fi tropes start to surface—like the age-old dilemma of allowing A.I. versus preserving humanity, and the question of how far sacrifice can go on either side.
Now, I won’t pretend the story moved me to my core, but there’s something there. Something vague, yet intriguing—amplified by the haunting, decaying environments and the desolate atmosphere that lingered throughout.
Rest Stops Aren’t Free
Survival, of course, requires moments of recuperation, and that’s where the base camps in Stellar Blade come into play. These function primarily as checkpoints where you can rest, heal, buy items from vending machines, or—arguably most importantly—learn new skills that you can, and sometimes must, practice in a separate training mode. Activating a camp costs Vitcoins, but you’ll usually find plenty scattered nearby. EVE’s healing item, the Rechargeable Tumbler, also gets refilled here. Everything comes at a price, though: using a base camp will also respawn a number of nearby enemies.
Even more interesting are the Supply Camps. Here, you can upgrade your Exospines (as they say, literally grow a spine—which defines your combat style), unlock nano-suits (read: test out more latex outfits), fine-tune your drone, and enhance your weapons using the Repair Console. Fast Travel is also available at these camps—via good old-fashioned phone booths. Hey, the ends justify the means, right?
Steel in Her Spine, Sweat in Your Palms
Combat in Stellar Blade is, to say the least, intense. It’s fast-paced and demands your full focus. EVE is equipped with a Beta Energy meter and a shield that can temporarily buffer her health. Her enemies, in turn, have a Balance meter that determines when they become staggered—and thus vulnerable. In short, without mastering the art of parrying, dodging, and timing your attacks, you won’t get very far. So if you’re here mainly for the Asian lead but don’t have Soulslike experience—get ready to train for hours on those perfect parries and countless special moves.
This game isn’t just about grinding for gear and upgrades—it’s about understanding when and where to use which moves, and that only comes after a lot of trial, error, and dying your way to understanding.
Learning by dying.
Fortunately, Stellar Blade doesn’t just revolve around endless weapon-clashing. There are light puzzles, swimming, and platforming sections that offer a welcome change of pace. That said, platforming itself can sometimes feel a bit imprecise—EVE occasionally floats awkwardly in the air, and animations tend to glitch when navigating rough terrain in the otherwise linear environments.
You’ll visit multiple areas beyond Eidos 7, each with its own vibe, enemies, and side quests. Some of those quests add to the story, while others are basic fetch missions. Along the way, you’ll face a few moral choices—but those only start to feel meaningful toward the final third of the game.
Visually and Technically Impressive, Musically Sometimes a Mess
This fresh PC version brings a solid set of accessibility options to the table, including a Story Mode alongside the default mode, and Action Assist that slows down parry windows with a visual cue. Even then, though, combat can still be pretty demanding. Unfortunately, quick time events can’t be turned off, and cutscenes can’t be paused or skipped. Also, my demo progress was indeed lost after switching to the main game—despite promises to the contrary.
Thankfully, the rest of Stellar Blade’s technical performance is impressive. The game runs smoothly even without Frame Generation, DLSS, or FSR. With DLSS 4 in Quality mode, image quality is just as stunning as in native resolution. Sure, upscaling introduced a bit of grain during movement, but overall the visual presentation is far better than just “okay.” Bombastic cutscenes play flawlessly, and I didn’t experience a single crash during my lengthy play sessions.
The soundtrack, however, wasn’t quite my style. Some tracks fit the mood perfectly, while others droned on repetitively and almost lulled me to sleep—making me genuinely glad each time I entered a new area. Then there’s that oddity where, near a camp, the record player suddenly starts blaring over the game’s main theme, creating a complete audio mess. This could’ve been handled far better.
Final Thoughts
Despite a somewhat messy soundtrack and a story that isn’t exactly groundbreaking, this PC port of Stellar Blade remains a top-tier action game. It offers a compelling lead character, deep combat mechanics, and gorgeously atmospheric environments—all wrapped in a visually stunning presentation. The PC port is a definite success, with an abundance of graphical settings and rock-solid performance. If you enjoy beautiful characters, a solid challenge, hack-and-slash mechanics with a Soulslike twist, and a touch of melancholy in a post-apocalyptic world, Stellar Blade delivers.
Additional Information
Release Date: June 12, 2025
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the developer and publisher via BeyondGaming.
Developer: SHIFT UP Corporation
Publisher: PlayStation Publishing LLC (excluding China)
Website: https://www.stellar-blade.com
Relevant Links: Stellar Blade on STEAM
