There's a lot of talk around the demo release of Stellar Blade at the moment.
Dubious press takes on character design aside, what's the game really like?
... It's ok ...
My impression after playing though the demo is just that , "it's fine".
It's not a great game and it's not bad either.
Obviously the demo is just a small part of the overall game but it's a good indicator of what to expect.
Visuals are nice and the creature and vehicular designs are fantastic.
It's been classed as a soulslike in many first impressions, but the controls in combat just don't feel tight enough for that comparison in my opinion. It's more of a "slightly tougher hack and slash ARPG" than a soulslike.
There was a district feeling of deja vu throughout my time with the demo. The game "borrows" heavily from other franchises. Aesthetics, systems, skills.
Most notably from Nier Automata.
The music, the drone..... the environment! ?At one point near the start of the demo, it did feel exactly like the area just outside the resistance camp in Nier.
After seeing the creativity the developers showed in some of the creature designs, it was a little disappointing to see this didn't carry over other areas of the game too.
That being said there are much worse sources to draw inspiration from. It just doesn't feel anywhere near as good to play as Nier.
While I did enjoy the demo, it didn't leave me wanting more, or anxiously anticipating the full game release date (April 26th 2024).
It felt like a competent and fun AA title , but not something tight enough in terms of gameplay and presentation to warrant a $70 pricetag.
If you're looking for a quality soulslike arpg experience on the PS5, Remnant 2 is currently on sale for $30, looks, feels and plays much better IMO.
As it stands, Stellar Blade will be a game I might revisit at under the $30 mark, or if it appears on PlayStation Plus.