Stellar Blade is the stylish, stimulating action romp PC gaming needed in 2025

Image source: Gamesplanet

I’m trapped in a sci-fi, anime-flavored reenactment of Normandy Beach. My fellow gals have all suffered gruesome deaths at the claws of giant bug creatures. The only survivors are my comrade and me, the last two pairs of high-heeled boots on the ground. We pound sand and slash bugs, fighting until we’re sweaty and bloody. And yet, no matter how many creatures’ guts we spill or how much filth we endure, my partner and I still look fabulous. We move with grace and elegance. Our outfits sparkle and shimmer. We’re essentially runway models hijacking action sequences from Edge of Tomorrow.

TL;DR: Stellar Blade is a waifu hack-’n-slasher. It embraces the same core design philosophy as Nier: Automata and Bayonetta, in that it gives me a stylish protagonist who knows her way around a blade. That’s a subgenre of action game I love, so Stellar Blade had my name written all over it.

Aesthetic luster is the game’s biggest selling point, and Stellar Blade isn’t shy about it. Every high-octane camera angle or over-the-top character animation gets the point across. The game offers costume options galore for Eve so there’s a look for every flavor of gamer. And I could even tweak her appearance from deep within the game’s settings. When’s the last time you played a game without a character creator that let you modify ponytail lengths from the tab next to the graphics settings? This is that kind of game.

Image source: Gamesplanet

But beyond the readily apparent, surface-level luster of Stellar Blade, there’s a real, quality actioneer waiting to be played. The core gameplay is basically a sped-up soulslike. You dodge, block, and carefully attack to survive punishing enemy encounters. Stellar Blade adds much-appreciated zest to the formula with its flashy attacks, stylish super moves, and emphasis on flow. Eve’s movements are silky smooth, and there’s a grace — panache, even — to every movement and attack she makes. I haven’t felt so dexterous and elegant in a game in quite some time.

Stellar Blade’s slickness doesn’t stop with its main character, either. Its rule-of-cool attitude extends to the game’s visual language (just look at the game title’s stylish font!) and its killer soundtrack. I found myself head-bopping to some truly smooth jazz-pop throughout the campaign. Whether I was listening to level themes or checkpoint areas’ unique tunes, I was vibing on a particular wavelength that few games have accessed since Bayonetta.

Stellar Blade isn’t just for spectacle-inclined style fiends like me. It packs enough depth and challenge to appeal to those who really want to test themselves. And it sports two distinct difficulty modes to facilitate optimal experiences for both these player camps.

Image source: Gamesplanet

On story difficulty, I can engage with the game’s mechanics without being bullied by them. I can immerse myself in the game’s vibe. But whenever I want to crank up the heat, I switch to normal difficulty and get a taste of the developer’s true soulslike vision.

Stellar Blade features countless upgrades, consumables to carry, and character-augmenting gear items to equip. Normal difficulty fights are tough, but with the right inventory and smartly spent skill points, I’m able to overcome the game’s obstacles. I imagine soulslike veterans will have an easy, breezy time with this game even at its hardest parts, but for me, it’s comfortably hot on the difficulty pepper scale. It forces me to think — and sweat — just enough that I can appreciate a well-earned feeling of progression without getting annoyed.

That flexible difficulty and the game’s overarching style are what carry Stellar Blade to victory. It’s one thing to look good, it’s another to play well, and it’s a Herculean task to deliver a game that manages both. But Stellar Blade does the job with gusto, giving me the means to fine-tune both gameplay and aesthetics. With both these streamlined experiences at my fingertips, I’m only ever left with a single question upon booting: do I want to conquer, or do I want to dance?

You can pick up Stellar Blade right now on Gamesplanet.