IGN recently interviewed NieR:Automata director Yoko Taro and Stellar Blade creative director Hyung-Tae Kim simultaneously. Both games are discussed extensively, including combat and art design.
One of the most notable responses regards how Taro finds Stellar Blade to be much better than NieR:Automata due to the next-gen graphic quality and character design, specifically mentioning a shopkeeper’s cuteness.
Some quoted comments by Taro are below:
Yoko Taro: Stellar Blade is a really amazing game. I’d say that it’s much better than NieR:Automata. I have been acquainted with Mr. Kim’s works since Magna Carta: Tears of Blood. Your illustrations are of a very high quality. Magna Carta: Tears of Blood came out before Drakengard, the first game I directed. So while I’m the older one, to me, in this industry you’re my senior.
[…]
Yoko Taro: …Stellar Blade actually makes me quite jealous. It’s a game with a great concept and amazing graphics. The product shows how you and your studio’s staff were working on it very hard together. As someone who works together with development studios as an outsider, it’s not possible to share my vision and ideas for details at the same level as you can. I really envy that.
The rest of the interview delves into various other topics, such as 2B’s distinct appearance, which sets the game apart from other sci-fi settings. The greater difficulty and action depth of Stellar Blade is also discussed, with Yoko Taro saying he’ll play on Story Mode with all the support features.
Interestingly, Kim reveals that Bayonetta 2 is one of his favorite games of all time, which is pretty unique since many fans don’t regard that entry favorably.
You can view IGN’s full interview for several more questions and responses.
In Stellar Blade, the enemy called Naytiba makes humanity flee to an off-world colony. The protagonist, Eve, is a member of the seventh airborne squad; she’s trying to save the planet by defeating the elder Naytiba. Her companions are Adam from Earth as well as Lily.
Xion is a city built under the Wasteland by humanity’s last survivors. Eve is called Angel by the residents, being both feared and in awe by others, though many will come to trust her throughout the game. You can camp around the world to upgrade her capabilities and heal. Xion is connected to semi-open world areas called the Wasteland and the Great Desert, which encourage exploration. You can gather Hyper Cells; Eve finds these to restore Xion to its former state of glory.
Other items include Exospines and Gears, which are used to acquire SP EXP and new skills, as well as cosmetics like accessories, costumes, and hairstyles. Moreover, this adventure’s soundtrack will be almost entirely comprised of choruses and vocals.
Stellar Blade will be released for PlayStation 5 on April 26, 2024. Pre-orders are now available. A free demo is available.
Check out our impressions.
