Stellar Blade

Game came out much early this year but I didn't see a thread for it. I finally got around to getting this recently, am probably a little over half way done.

It's definitely one of the weirdest games I've ever played that's for sure.

It's fundamentally an action style game, kinda Devil May Cry meets Sekiro in terms of gameplay.

That part is done extremely well. It's far more forgiving than a Soulslike game though, there's really no penalty for death other than annoyance and you're way more OP just because of how fast and agile you are. There is a hard mode that unlocks after you beat the game on normal. I definitely think they shoulda had that as an option from the get go however, because this genre of gameplay attracts experienced gamers who want challenge and most of them will find normal too easy.

Where this game stands out is obviously the ridiculously sexy girl characters though. In a modern Western gaming world of aggressively plain, androgynous, ugly female characters, this game has absolutely no issue with making the girls over the top sex bombs. That alone will make it worth playing for some.

Game is very "anime" in general, expect a lot of weird stuff in that regard. Story, character designs, dialog, all weird Asian shite.

But there is a lot of tonal inconsistency and even genre inconsistency.

The first act is very much what you would expect, a linear style sci-fi world with bits of exploration and secrets and stuff, very well done. Very minimally invasive story too.

But then all sudden out of nowhere in the second act it decides it wants to be an open world style game with a heavy in your face story line and long cuts scenes and shite. You're in this desert city and it's suddenly Asian Firefly. Tons of NPCs, pointless little "quests" to do for them, open areas to explore. The open world stuff is pretty dreadful. Not because it's flat out bad exactly but mostly because it doesn't fit at all with this style of combat or genre. People who play action games want action, not wandering around big open empty areas and shite. The open world stuff feels like a chore.

Thankfully the game does pivot back to the more structured, linear type sci fi areas and those are significantly more fun and just way better aesthetically too.

They do a good job of introducing new systems and mechanics as the game progresses as well, which keeps things fresh.

Like I said, a very good game but a weird game, even outside the anime camp. Had the potential to be great but they made some really bizarre choices in terms of structure.