Stellar Blade

The Good
Note: I observed little to no hiccups in performance on PS5 in my over 46-hour playthrough.

Gameplay & Consistency: 8/10 (Great).

I enjoyed the combat, abilities, and open-world-esque sections. I especially enjoyed exploration through ruined landscapes. Bosses blended demon, machine, and alien designs. Combat keeps things varied with multiple dodge and parry types against relentless foes.

Incentive Structure: 9/10 (Excellent).

Outfit-collecting was a strong incentive, especially since Eve looks gorgeous in them, complementing her figure well. Additionally, skill and stat upgrades, map secrets, and other mysteries provided ample incentive.

Characters, Story, & Worldbuilding: 8/10 (Great).

The memorable main and side cast, with standout designs, added flavor to the world. I was surprised by the story's depth—esoteric at times but engrossing, and I had fun piecing the lore together.

Music: 9/10 (Excellent).

I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic environments with beautiful background music. While not as memorable as some of my favorite game soundtracks, the often relaxing music enriched the experience of wandering a ruined landscape.

Price Point: 7/10 (Good).

I played via a free GameFly trial. Eventually I'll buy this game alongside the DLC I have yet to experience. The game is often discounted over 25%, and prices will likely drop further. The demo can help you decide how much you're willing to pay.

The Bad
Dungeon-Like Segments Slow the Flow:

I found the game's strongest points to be in its more open areas where I could explore and fight and retreat at will. But the linear dungeon-like areas often removed close-quarters combat, breaking the smooth flow I loved. Plus, their environments weren't as interesting as the outdoor ones.

Underdeveloped Characters:

Characters felt a bit underdeveloped. By the game's end, some of their stories felt a bit frayed. I could use more time to really get to know them. Hints towards deeper resolutions in store weren't entirely explored. An epilogue could have added a lot.

Outfit Customization Lacked Uniqueness & Utility:

There was a lot of potential for outfits to be more interesting in their designs due to sci-fi elements. Outfits could incorporate alien or machine elements, like in Warframe, to truly alter Eve's look. Passive abilities would have also created even more incentive towards collecting outfits.

The Bottom Line
If you can find Stellar Blade at a discount, it's well worth the purchase. Try the demo and see what price you're willing to pay. It was much deeper than I expected from the combat and music to the worldbuilding and characters. Other than the dungeon-like segments which broke the flow, the game was a great experience with strikingly beautiful characters and music that contrasted nicely with the world's bleak backdrop.