Gaming

Stellar Blade review: Strenuous but Stylish

Alluring beyond visuals

Published

April 24, 2024

We didn’t have the best impression of Stellar Blade after spending time with the demo. Unlike certain players who poured a full game’s length of hours playing, our reception was lukewarm due to various reasons. But after finally having some time to focus on it, we now have a better understanding of its charm–and that goes beyond character design.

The game’s director has been ever-present in various gaming and tech news websites sharing nuggets about the game and reacting to the many comments made about the proportions of its female characters. That’s a rabbit hole we’re not diving into. Instead, we’re piggy-backing on one of his responses: Just pick up a controller and play it.

Steep combat learning curve

Stellar Blade’s combat didn’t click with us right away. But that’s because we approached it more like a hack-and-slash and not for the precise combo-parry sequence that it demands. A fellow reviewer aptly described our experience: It was a lot more “Soulslike” than we anticipated.

It took a while to get over that hurdle. For one, this writer isn’t particularly fond of Soulslikes. Skill issue. That’s tough considering a big part of this game’s charm is its combat. We can’t say that it fully clicked with us, but it certainly has its moments.

In combat, you have to pay attention not only to your enemy but also to how the protagonist, Eve, acts in different combo animations. If you’re not careful, you might find yourself getting hit during a lull in your combo.

You don’t have to memorize every single combo, although if you could, that’s certainly an advantage. We can compare the practice to memorizing combos of characters in Tekken, although at a milder rate.

Parrying is tricky but that’s not the only way to counter your enemies. One of the first skills you unlock is one that lets you get behind your enemy after they unleash a fatal attack (cued in with blue indicators) and hit back with your own counter. The animation looks so good that you’ll feel like an absolute badass every time you do it. It’s one of the moves that never got old throughout the entire playthrough.

As you progress through the game you’ll unlock ranged weapons that will expand your combat capabilities further. Hard combat enthusiasts should have a field day.

For more casual players, there’s no shame in switching to Story Mode which is what we did for about 70% of the playthrough. It’s easier, sure. But it can still present challenges especially during certain encounters.

The boss battles are TOUGH

We’re going to chalk this up again to skill, and perhaps patience, issue. But Stellar Blade’s boss battles are incredibly tough. Not to the point that you’ll want to throw your DualSense controller though.

What can make it frustrating is that the patterns of the enemies, especially the earlier bosses and mini-bosses, are easy to track. But they’re not exactly easy to deal with.

Parrying becomes an even more critical skill in these encounters. It’s one of the reasons why we opted to slide down the difficulty. Otherwise, this writer will never finish the game.

Pulling from different games, worlds

We have seen many compare Stellar Blade to the Nier games. Other than the setting, another big contributing factor in that comparison is the soundtrack.

During roaming, exploring, and combat, the music will change from time to time. However, they stick to this theme that’s a little eerie. It’s hard for us to describe but it’s almost like a crescendo that never quite swells up. It matches the game’s world perfectly — it feels hollow and devoid of life but still has a sliver of hope.

Combat isn’t the only thing you’re doing here. While it’s mostly linear at first, Stellar Blade offers a healthy mix of exploration, platforming, and puzzle-solving.

The puzzles don’t get in the way of the pacing. They’re quite engaging and offer a decent level of challenge. Roaming and exploration will yield you loot to improve your gear and stats. Occasionally, a Naytiba (the game’s primary foils) will surprise you for a good jumpscare moment.

Stellar Blade doesn’t reinvent anything nor does it offer anything particularly new or groundbreaking. But everything it borrowed from other games is retrofitted to match the game’s vibe and overall aesthetic. The result is a polished experience of familiar gaming mechanics.

Eve

Another aspect that did not grab us as much during the demo is the main character, Eve. The first hour of the game doesn’t do much to endear the player to her.

That slowly changes as you play through the game. Through a mix of cut scenes and world-building collectibles, you get a better sense of what Eve is, her mission, and ultimately her purpose.

If you’re familiar with the animé Violet Evergarden, Eve and that show’s protagonist share a similar character arc. They initially seem one note and bland, but the layers are peeled back as you learn more about them and how they relate to the world and the people around them.

Is she hot? Hell yeah. But as cliché as it is, she’s certainly more than what meets the eye.

Should you play Stellar Blade?

Unlike the PlayStation 5 exclusive that immediately preceded it, Stellar Blade has plenty in common with past PS5 exclusives — visually captivating, cinematic experiences, with satisfying gameplay.

Its level of challenge is closer to Sekiro and Bloodborne but it’s also not quite as difficult. In the same category but certainly not in the same stratosphere.

It also has an alluring charm that goes beyond its aesthetics. As mentioned earlier, nothing about it is particularly new or groundbreaking. But it’s polished and cohesive. There’s something about the overall feel of the game that draws you in and makes you want to see it through.

Stellar Blade is a Day 1 purchase if you’re up for the challenge. And if you consider the game director’s goal of having a high quality AAA console game from South Korea which is dominated by PC and mobile gaming, we say they did just that. Now, it’s just up to us to pick-up the controller and play.

Related Topics:featured PlayStation PlayStation 5 PS5 Shift Up Sony PlayStation Stellar Blade

Gaming

Valve unveils price of the Steam Frame

The VR headset starts at US$ 1,059.

Published

September 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

The trifecta is complete. Almost a year after announcing their new hardware, Valve has finally unveiled the price tag of the Steam Frame, complementing the Steam Machine and Steam Controller revealed a few months ago.

Whereas the Steam Machine is a console of its own, the Steam Frame is a traditional VR headset with a pair of controllers for both hands. Unfortunately, despite being in a different segment, the headset is not immune to the rising prices of technology. The Steam Frame will start at US$ 1,059 for a 256GB model and can go up to US$ 1,299 for the 1TB model. On the plus side, each box will come Half-Life: Alyx packaged along with the headset.

Here’s a more detailed rundown of what you’re getting. The Steam Frame will ship with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, paired with 16GB of RAM. Each eye comes with a 2160 x 2160 LCD screen, putting out images at up t0 a 144Hz experimental refresh rate. As mentioned above, the headset will start with 256GB of storage but can go up to 2TB. It will come packaged with SteamOS 3 and a rechargeable 21.6Wh battery.

This might be a hard buy for some. The industry currently has more affordable options, for one. Also, virtual reality isn’t the most thriving segment of gaming today.

If you’re still decided on buying one, however, Valve is using its lottery system. Interested customers can sign up from now until September 17. The company will then randomize the purchasing order. Those who draw the first ones in the lottery can get a purchase email as soon as September 18. Meanwhile, anyone who registers after September 17 will automatically be put at the back of the queue.

Gaming

BlizzCon 2026 announces World of Warcraft: Forever and Diablo V

StarCraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and more also get news

Published

September 14, 2026

GadgetMatch

Blizzard Entertainment kicked off BlizzCon 2026 with a packed Opening Ceremony featuring new games, major expansions, updates, and other announcements across its biggest franchises.

Blizzard Entertainment President Johanna Faries opened the event at the Anaheim Convention Center, celebrating the community behind the company’s games and the teams that bring its worlds to life.

World of Warcraft: Forever and Diablo V

The biggest announcement was World of Warcraft: Forever, a new World of Warcraft experience launching November 5 AEDT, with its beta beginning September 18 AEST. The new experience will feature three zones, more than 1,000 quests, nine dungeons, two raids, and a new Skyborne race.

Blizzard also officially announced Diablo V, marking the next era of the franchise. The game is set to launch in North America in Spring 2029, with Sanctuary having fallen and Diablo having won.

StarCraft is also returning with a new story-driven, open-world shooter. The game is currently planned for a Spring 2030 release in North America.

Beyond games, Blizzard revealed that an animated series set in the Diablo universe is in development with Netflix. The company says this is only the beginning of its plans to expand its universes beyond gaming.

For Warcraft III Reforged, the new Forsaken Kingdom campaign is available today. It marks the Warcraft RTS series’ first new storyline in more than 23 years and explores the fall of Lordaeron and the origins of the Undercity. The accompanying 3.0 update also brings graphical improvements and a revamped World Editor.

Heroes of the Storm is adding Xal’atath as its newest Hero. She arrives in the Nexus on September 29 AEST, with her PTR release scheduled for September 15 AEST.

Existing games updates

Meanwhile, Diablo IV is preparing for its next major content drop. Season of Hell’s Legacy begins September 16 AEST and celebrates the franchise’s 30-year history with the return of the Prime Evils and Deckard Cain, alongside themed rewards and gear.

The legendary Amazon class will also arrive in the first half of 2027 as part of Diablo IV’s first class pack. The Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection is additionally coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on September 16 AEST with cross-platform play and cross-progression.

For World of Warcraft, Blizzard teased the next major update for Midnight. Eclipse (12.2) will see Xal’atath move closer to her goal of claiming Azeroth’s Worldsoul. Blizzard also offered another look at The Last Titan, the next expansion in the Worldsoul Saga and a major culmination of more than two decades of Warcraft storytelling. More information is coming early next year.

Overwatch is getting a major update with Season 5. The season introduces new Support Hero Doctrine, reworks for Sombra and Roadhog, and the new Watchpoint: Grimsvötn map. It will also conclude The Reign of Talon, Overwatch’s first year-long narrative arc.

LE SSERAFIM & YOASABI

BlizzCon also featured performances from YOASOBI and LE SSERAFIM. YOASOBI will perform during the first-ever esports halftime show at BlizzCon, while LE SSERAFIM will return to the Main Stage to close the weekend. A new LE SSERAFIM in-game collaboration is available now, with another Overwatch Spotlight scheduled for February 2027.

Finally, Hearthstone is getting its first new class in more than six years. The Monk arrives in 2027, while the upcoming Reign of the Black Empire expansion takes players back to the earliest age of Azeroth. It introduces the Assemble keyword, which combines two cards into a new one. Battlegrounds is also adding Aberrations as a new minion type.

BlizzCon 2026 is now underway, with Blizzard promising more announcements and details throughout the weekend.

Gaming

Xbox saves Kojima’s PHYSINT after PlayStation drops support

PlayStation says the separation was mutual, but Kojima hints otherwise.

Published

September 11, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Things aren’t going well in the PlayStation camp. After two months of frankly questionable decisions, the company adds another to the pile by dropping support for Hideo Kojima’s PHYSINT.

For a while now, Kojima and PlayStation were in a very productive relationship with the Death Stranding duology, a critically acclaimed collection of titles for the platform. When things looked like they were going well, Kojima announced PHYSINT, an espionage-themed game which reminded fans way too much of Metal Gear Solid.

If you were investing in a PlayStation 5 to play Kojima’s latest thriller, you might want to move your chips elsewhere now. PlayStation has just dropped support for the espionage game, meaning PHYSINT will no longer be a first-party title for the platform.

Though PlayStation claims that the decision came after “careful consideration,” Kojima himself has said that the move was “unexpected,” going against PlayStation’s assurance of a mutual separation.

Very quickly, Xbox has announced that their platform will support PHYSINT instead. It’s a big get for the competing brand because Xbox Game Studios is already supporting OD, Kojima’s other upcoming horror project starring Sophia Lillis.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to say more. As is tradition, Kojima will not explain much more about his upcoming titles. In fact, OD’s trailer barely says anything. One thing’s for sure, though: we’re all in for quite a ride.