I just finished Stellar Blade.

It’s not a groundbreaking story- not by any means. I don’t believe they were aiming for top notch storytelling. However, combat is the highlight of this game and it that regard, it excels. I am thankful for playing Sekiro awhile back, since this game requires you to get in their face and perfect parry & punish. The counters can get tricky- knowing when to dash forward or backward depending on the glow to punish the enemy with a counter. Later on, a few bosses will mix both moves back to back, so quick reflexes are a must.

I’m going for platinum and glad to say that none of the trophies require Hard Mode, which is unlocked after finishing the game. I did enjoy hunting for cans, oddly enough. Their design is really good and some are cleverly hidden. Also, fishing. I wasn’t too keen on the mechanics until it was brought up you can make it much easier in Accessibility mode in the menu.

The enemy designs are very good. All incredibly grotesque to contrast with Eve’s beauty and her ever expanding collection of body suits.