First Look

Stellar Blade First Impressions

Demo Preview

Published

March 27, 2024

Stellar Blade has made quite a buzz in the online gaming community thanks in large part to its visuals. Specifically, thanks to Eve’s (main character) character design. But is there more to the game than meets the eye? We had the privilege of playing the demo early and here are our thoughts.

Eye candy

The game is visually stunning and it’s not just all about Eve. The initial sequence shows off a new yet familiar sci-fi setting. The character models on screen look impressive. The costumes look very detailed, the environment well-rendered, and the enemy monsters look terrifying.

By default, the graphics mode is set to Balanced which, as you might have deduced, balances frame rate and resolution. The two other options are exactly what you expect: One mode prioritizes frame rate, the other prioritizes resolution. You will be able to tell the differences among the three but whichever mode you choose, the game will undeniably look like a next-gen title.

While the initial stage of the game feels drab and looks devoid of color, the environment, enemies, and characters all appear graphically impressive.

The enemy designs, in particular, stand out. At first glance, they seem nothing more than scary-looking pounds of flesh that want to hurt you, but a closer look will show you just how thoughtful and detailed the designs are.

Korean beauty standard

We already know that this game is made by a Korean developer called Shift Up and that Eve’s body is a digital replica of an actual Korean model. Eve’s face, however, is completely built from the ground up. Something about that makes it a little eerie.

First off, Eve’s facial structure certainly follows the “Korean beauty standard,” which is generally big eyes, small face, a near v-shaped jaw line and what not. We’re no experts on this matter but this seems pretty eviden. And although we consume a lot of K-content, something about it feels a little unsettling.

We’re not sure if this was by design but two things stood out to us about Eve. She feels very robotic compared to the other characters she interacts with in the beginning of the game. This could be because her face isn’t a scan of a real-life person or due to the English voice actress’ line delivery, but that’s how she feels so far.

Off-beat combat rhythm

The combat felt completely different from our expectations. The trailers we’ve seen so far and the two other games we just finished playing (FFVII Rebirth, Rise of the Ronin) might have impacted and influenced our view. But something about the combat of Stellar Blade felt off-beat.

We were under the impression that it was going to be fast-paced but that’s not how it felt at all. Instead, there’s a pretty generous window when some enemies aren’t attacking at all. So much so that some of it almost felt turn-based.

The game teaches you about light and heavy attacks as well as basic blocking and dodging. After the opening sequence you’ll also learn about a special dodge skill that looks incredibly bad-ass. But if you weren’t tinkering with the settings prior, you won’t see that there are already plenty of combos available to you.

What’s a little off-putting is it didn’t feel like you can cancel the combo animations and string it to a different move. That made it feel a little limited – you’re at the mercy of the combat animations. While it looked amazing, it didn’t feel as fluid as we would have liked.

Standard Action RPG affair

The rest of the game felt like what you would have expected from an Action RPG. The opening sequence and subsequent first stage is pretty linear with some path deviations that should be obvious to any veteran gamer.

In the first stage alone you’ll experience some running, stair climbing, jumping from a ledge to another, and some swimming. There’s a fair bit of deviation from a straight path but the game will give you hints if you ever feel lost.

Special boss battle

The demo covers the actual opening sequence of the game. Beating it means you can carry over your progress to the main game should you choose to purchase it. But there’s another ‘reward.’

After you beat the initial stage of the demo, a special boss battle option will appear on the title screen. This will take you to a pretty challenging boss battle set in a later stage of the game.

You’ll have access to a wider move set, more items, and more equipment. And yes, you can change Eve’s outfit. Have fun with it.

Stellar Blade Demo

As far as demos go, this is nowhere near the best but it does give you ample taste of the game’s look, feel, traversal, and combat.The story felt inadequate with some mystery factor not explained well. But the game’s premise felt like most other dystopian sci-fi stories. That said, we still look forward to seeing more of Eve and how the story unfolds.

The Stellar Blade demo will go live on the PlayStation store on March 29 at 7AM PDT. The full game will be available on April 26, 2024.

Code to the Stellar Blade Demo was provided by the Publisher.

Related Topics:PlayStation 5 PS5 Shift Up Stellar Blade

CES 2026

Spotlight: ASUS Zenbook at CES 2026

Did They Perfect the Dual-Screen Laptop?

Published

January 15, 2026

GadgetMatch

THE Michael Josh just got back from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas — the annual tech event that attracts all the biggest tech brands.

One of which is none other than ASUS, Taiwan’s biggest computing giant. They have launched the first wave of Windows laptops for 2026. There’s a full lineup — models for everyday folks, creators, and gamers.

However, we are focusing on these Zenbooks favorites the show: the updated 2026 Zenbook DUO and Zenbook A14, as well as a bigger Zenbook A16 model.

Eager to know more about them? Here’s our Spotlight on the three power-packed ASUS Zenbooks at CES 2026.

First Look

First Look: Apple iPhone Air, 17, and 17 Pro

The Most Important iPhone Lineup Ever?!

Published

September 13, 2025

GadgetMatch

Apple just dropped four new iPhones!

There’s the base iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro series, and the much-anticipated iPhone Air.

Which model should you get? Should you even upgrade this year?

And which is your GadgetMatch?

Here is a comprehensive First Look with the new iPhone Apple announced at its September event.

First Look

Match Pulse: Infinix HOT 60 Pro+

Getting to know the super-slender slab for 60 hours

Published

September 11, 2025

Vincenz

Two months ago, Infinix unveiled the latest HOT 60 Pro+.

It’s out there not just for being a sexy slim smartphone, it’s a record-breaker in the history of Guinness World Records as well.

Now that the device was introduced to me, it’s the perfect time to know exactly what it’s like being with it 60 hours after unboxing.

First Look

At first glance, you’d be surprised how the Infinix HOT 60 Pro+ managed to be this oh-so-thin. With its thinnest point capped at 5.95mm, it’s one of the slimmest smartphones out in the market.

Interestingly, it’s a bit thicker compared to the 5.8mm Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and the newly-revealed iPhone Air at 5.64mm — which is, by far, the world’s thinnest.

But, with a frame sandwich by a curved screen and a fiberglass back, it gives you the illusion of being the slimmer smartphone. The other two have flat edges around, making them look otherwise.

Revealing its back will remind you of something that will satisfy someone’s sweet tooth. Dubbed as the “Coral Tides” colorway, it exudes shades of pink in a gradient manner.

Although it’s not the something I’d pick, it’s personally more pleasing than the plain ol’ Sleek Black and the ultra-flashy Sonic Yellow choices.

As you’ve noticed, there are three camera lens cutouts. Despite that, it’s only a single-firing 50MP shooter. The rest are just auxiliary lenses that honestly give nothing but aesthetics.

Speaking of, beneath that third cutout is where Infinix’s Active Halo Lighting resides. Though not as evident as you see it on its GT and NOTE cousins, that light-up feature can still be useful for important notifications and reminders.

The eye-candy satisfaction doesn’t end there. Flipping it gives you a bedazzling 6.78-inch curved screen with bezels that are narrower than my patience.

While the heydays of curved displays are slowly fading away, this type of display is where it makes more sense as it harmoniously blends together along its thin trims.

That’s then protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 7i alongside an IP65 water and dust resistance rating for utmost durability.

These are all something one wouldn’t expect to have in a budget smartphone if we’re gonna predict it five years ago.

First Date

What does the Infinix HOT 60 Pro+ and government officials have in common? They both exist but, you’ll barely feel ’em. Moreover, holding Infinix’s thinnest phone felt surreal — just like their “effective” flood control projects.

Even so, the HOT 60 Pro+ is still effectively thin and light even when you slap on its bundled Rimowa-inspired clear case. At the end of the day, only the Nepo babies get the real Rimowa treatment.

Now, despite the category it belongs to, its display is honestly top-notch and never a slouch. That AMOLED display tech surely gives the best visuals possible.

Colors pop, blacks are deep, whites are effectively blinding when pushed to the extremes. Much like politicians and their ~innocent children~ being blinded by greed when shown heaps of taxpayers’ money.

Elizabeth Helga Müller cleansing our eyes against all anomalies

Its 144Hz refresh rate takes it to the next level. And, I’m not speaking solely by numbers. You can actually see and feel its overall buttery smoothness.

Thanks to the upgraded MediaTek Helio G200 chipset paired with an 8GB memory (virtually extendable up to 16GB), breezing through apps and multitasking in-between felt snappy — unlike the sluggish and incompetent officials out there.

The experience was never the same when I held numerous lag-fested G99 phones two to three years ago.

The downside, however, is using this phone past its performance limits — particularly hardcore gaming. You can obviously play your favorite games but at the expense of medium to low quality graphics and gameplay stuttering.

Additionally, the inclusion of stereo speakers are unexpected.

For a phone this price and thin, I’m not expecting anything grand. However, the HOT 60 Pro+ delivered desirable sound output that’s adequate to the ears.

They’re not like the hypocritical individuals in the senate who are excessively loud and sound irritating in the long run.

Gladly, its entry-level SoC didn’t hinder me from downloading and listening to Lossless audio tracks. More so, the YouTube playback limit of Full HD (1080p) finally gets pushed to a clearer 2K (1440p) resolution.

Overall, these make the HOT 60 Pro+ undeniably great for a full-on entertainment experience.

Back to its lone 50MP camera, I’ve managed to take more than enough to show how it performs.

1x Wide vs 2x Lossless Zoom

1x Portrait ON vs 1x Regular

I even tried it with some delectable munchies and coffees paid by me and my colleagues’ self-earned money.

Lastly, night-time shots that looked as sharp as any crocodiles’ 🐊👀 night vision.

After all that moderate usage, the Infinix HOT 60 Pro+ was able to last at the end of the day. More than that if you don’t exhaust it.

For its size, 5160mAh sounds more than enough in today’s standards. If it totally dies down, its packaged 45W charger will totally fill it in around 70 minutes.

That’s still faster than applying for a single government-issued ID or document, if I must say.

First Impressions

If you’ve been clamoring for a super-slim smartphone without breaking the bank (literally and figuratively), the Infinix HOT 60 Pro+ is a match made for you.

Considering the hardware it possesses, it’s a no-brainer that it belongs to the budget segment.

To get this exclusive colorway, you need to shell out PhP 9,555 (below US$ 170) in the Philippines. Other variants are being offered at a cheaper price tag under PhP 9,200.

Then again, being affordable doesn’t mean bad quality. The Infinix HOT 60 Pro+ proves to be just one among the quality-tested smartphones that provides ample performance for most users.

Just don’t expect it to run your favorite games nor take images with its camera at the bestest quality possible.

After all, the phone being impossibly thin and featherweight without compromising the Android experience is the reason why it exists in the first place.