Uploads from That Boy Aqua

Currently Playing: Stellar Blade is More Than a Pretty Face

Edited by VFXShaun Shauns Twitter: https://x.com/VFXShaun Shauns Portfolio https://ytjobs.co/talent/profile/3229?r=333 Shauns YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/PlaystayShaun Support the channel: https://www.patreon.com/thatboyaqua Follow my Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatBoyAqua Follow my Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@that_boy_aqua Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/VBJwTUa Other Essays: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0hudNq_z8tDAoBj0iR1bO2f0U8TRQDu8 - Chapters - Intro: 0:00 Identitty: 3:40 Moments: 14:07 Memories: 28:34 Future: 47:09 Conclusion: 50:38 6 years ago, a teaser for a game called Project Eve hit the internet. It was a typical recruitment trailer, from a Korean developer; ShiftUp. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to see, and the developers were previously known for making a series of mobile games. I saw this and thought it would be a fruitless attempt at breaking into the triple A scene, but I also couldn’t judge very much because it was clear that hardly anything was set in stone. 2 years later and we now had a full on look at Project Eve, and what a look it was. I fondly remember looking at the trailer and thinking, “wait a minute, I’ve seen this marketing strategy before.” I’m not entirely against using sex appeal as a marketing strategy, especially when, clearly, it works so well, but it definitely doesn’t instill confidence. So much attention is drawn to the protagonist's cheeks that not only had my sitting desk turned into a standing desk, but I wondered with my wiser head, what are those buns hiding? I wanna see some meat, some sauce, hey, maybe some gameplay, but I’d have to wait another whole year before we’d see that, and when we did, I was sold. It looked so good, and had a proper name now, Stellar Blade, and wow, I mean the animation work was top notch, environments seemed good, and solid action was on the table too, and yet, huh, those are some dislikes. I wonder why? The answer, is exclusivity. See, when Project Eve was first announced, it was advertised as coming to the Playstation, Xbox, and Windows platforms, but now, it was a Playstation exclusive. These days, it’s not a big deal because it’s playable on PC, but back when this trailer dropped, it was a huge letdown for non Playstation players. For me, I hardly noticed, because there was a different trend that was much more... annoying. Let’s not pretend like sexualisation hasn’t been a thing in media since the fucking stone ages ok, and again, it works. My problem comes from when we inject culture war bullshit into it. For example, the “keep politics out of video games” people are saying Stellar Blade is “anti woke”, because its main character is attractive. This, as far as what I was seeing, was entirely because the protagonist was cheeked up. Look, half the reason I don’t engage with this culture war stuff much on the channel, is for exactly this reason. The parameters for something being woke, anti-woke, political, or apolitical coming down to a pair of tits is unbelievably dense. Especially when, in spite of this game supposedly being “anti-woke”, it still supposedly censored itself after launch, as one of the skins was changed to be ever so slightly less revealing. Now, let’s pretend that the literal skin suit, IE, the pseudo nude skin, which is available from the moment you boot the game, isn’t available, and yea, maybe Shift Up is becoming prude. But what frustrated me most about this conversation was how encompassing it was. I hardly heard anyone talking about the game itself. So; I wanted to try for myself, and that’s how this video spawned. While it took me a while to get around to it, I felt that Stellar Balde, one year later, needed a deeper look that wasn’t in service or in opposition to a culture war. After a whole year and a whole PC port, Stellar Blade deserves to be perceived beneath the surface level jokes of “haha character hot”. In doing so, there will be spoilers ahead. This Stellar Blade review, or more accurately, Stellar Blade critique and Stellar Blade analysis will be focusing on the PS5 version of the game, not the Stellar Blade PC port. Stellar Blade 1 Year Later proved that Stellar Blade is more than a pretty face, even if the Stellar Blade PC mods would have you think otherwise. While the Stellar Blade controversy, specifically the Stellar Blade censorship was draining, there were still many who appreciated the Stellar Blade story, mysefl incldued, even hoping for a Stellar Blade sequel. Ultimatley, the Stellar Blade gameplay is what matters, not just the Stellar Blade outfits. This video aims to answer the question of should you buy Stellar Blade, and I'll spoil it, the answer is yes. While Eve might be a weak protagonist, the Stellar Blade secrets are still fun to uncover.