Stellar Blade is so much more than it seems (2024)

@blackkat1013 หลายเดือนก่อน

1. Upgrading the parry and dodge window skills exist. They're incredibly useful. I grinded a bit in the demo to try them (outside of the boss rush that just gives you almost everything) and it did wonders for helping with the timing (ah, you do mention this at the end of the video, writing this up as I watched).
2. You mentioned 30 fps, however the game is only locked to 30 fps in Graphics mode. Performance mode is locked at 60 fps (but real drop in graphics/resolution). Then there is Balanced mode, which is AMAZING. It runs at a smooth 57-60 fps (people have video tests to show, it never really drops below that, normally staying at exactly 60 fps about 80% of the time), while also having essentially the level of graphics/resolution that the Graphics mode offers. To add to the fact that in the PS5 settings, you can force VRR and this is compatible with Balanced Mode. It makes it even more amazing and should be turned on (of course your TV needs to support it and if not, ah well, Balanced is still the best). Balanced mode is just so very optimized that it's amazing. You don't need to sacrifice graphics/resolution or performance/fps when using it.
A note on languages, as that matters to some players, like me.
- EN VA's felt kind of flat. They may get better later on, but they were not amazing or even great. They are passable....
- KR VA's are really good. However, personally, I cannot understand KR and in the middle of action sequences, don't feel like reading subtitles (not that I cannot, I do way to much Anime to not be good at reading subtitles while watching things, but sometimes just don't want to read subtitles).
Sadly, JP VA's are not included in the EN releases of Stellar Blade. Only the JP version can (possible licensing issues).
- JP VA's are amazing. Not knowing the KR language as well, I do not know how well it was done (though they sounded right, good emotions and the like), but I do actually understand spoken Japanese. So for me, I can do both subtitles and do without (for 80% of what is spoken). The JP VA's do an amazing job as one has come to expect from the behemoth of a country that does VA work for both Anime and Games and how they treat their VA's as well as America treats their Hollywood actors (and holds them to such higher standards.... not that all EN VA's are bad, there are some amazing ones, but it sadly isn't as big or prevalent and often treated as second class citizens compared to the Hollywood stars in the US).
- THANKFULLY, the JP version of Stellar Blade has ALL languages for both voice and text PLUS of course, Japanese.
- Meaning you can get a JP copy of the game and you will have access to the JP VA's while also playing the game entirely with English Text and Subtitles.
- The JP version itself is also seemingly cheaper to get, at only $56 for a phys copy on PlayAsia (plus shipping, ordered mine there for $64 after tax and shipping).
Well, that extra is just for anyone else that was hoping for JP VA's like me.
You can even make a JP PSN account on your PS5 (just swap users, make a new account and say your country of origin is JP) and you can download the JP version of the Demo if you want to try out the JP VA's to make your decision. It is the exact same demo. Same options. Only the JP VA's are added as an option. EN VA's and Text is available and is default to English because of the default set on your console. So nothing difficult to swap settings that you want going through a menu you cannot read (the JP PSN store though will have JP text you might want to know how to navigate... not hard, but is something for those that cannot read it).
YOU DO NOT need a JP PSN account to play import physical copies of games though. You can play those on any region's account. So yay on that. No region locking (okay, there is some region locking, but only on DVD and Blu-Ray movies IF those discs have region protection activated on them, which most do not) for games.