A free demo for Stellar Blade, developer Shift Up's character-action PS5 exclusive, will go live on March 29. Ahead of its imminent release, some gaming publications got early hands-on time with roughly two hours of the game, which contains the first level and its respective boss. Based on everything that's being said from these previews, it sounds like Stellar Blade is going to be a stellar release when it drops on April 26.
That's because our perception of the game might be all wrong. Instead of something closer to Bayonetta or Devil May Cry, action games that are more about rhythmically offensive attack strings, the Stellar Blade previews suggest that it's more in line with games like God of War Ragnarok, Nier: Automata, and even FromSoftware titles such as Dark Souls and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. There's still some PlatinumGames-isms in the DNA of Shift Up's upcoming PS5 exclusive. However, it sounds like what we're getting is a much more methodical affair, one that requires a bit of patience and thought as you journey through its world. And I'm stoked, especially since all of the previews I've read thus far seemingly land on the same consensus: Stellar Blade could breathe new life into the action game genre.