Those familiar with Shift Up’s work on the titillating but ultimately top-notch smartphone shooter NIKKE: Goddess of Victory would never have doubted Stellar Blade. The mobile game has sharp arcade gameplay, an earworm soundtrack, and an abundance of style – many of the qualities replicated in the Korean dev’s debut console effort.
Increasingly caught up in a tiresome culture war, heroine Eve cut through the exhausting discourse with a character action affair that, for some, exceeded expectations; strong gameplay chops, memorable audio motifs, and some remarkable environmental design all combine to make one of the better PS5 exclusives of the year.
While there are obvious flaws, like the forgettable open world level design and the iffy English voice acting, there’s an earnestness to the title that’s easy to appreciate. It feels like a game that’s stepped straight out of the PS2 era in the best possible way, shedding all of the bloat and self-seriousness that’s infected the industry in recent times. This is a good old-fashioned video game, and it’s not afraid to show it.
But there’s real quality, too. While the side-quests are largely optional, they have good character arcs – and say what you will about the protagonist’s busty design, playing dress-up with her richly detailed outfits has become an undeniably fun pastime as her wardrobe has expanded.
We should also credit the excellent post-release support, which has breathed fresh life into the title in the months following its launch.
Shift Up will learn a lot from this effort, and if there’s any justice in the world, Eve and Stellar Blade will become a part of PlayStation’s fabric moving forward. For now, though, we must reflect on a sensational debut effort; a rip-roaring console debut from a hugely talented studio that promises plenty for the future.
Push Square's Game of the Year top 10 is decided by votes coming from internal staff and regular contributors. Our community Game of the Year poll also factors into the result. Feel free to agree or disagree with our list in the comments section below.
You can check out all of our Game of the Year coverage by clicking the link.
Do you agree with Stellar Blade being our #4 Game of the Year? (1,013 votes)
- Absolutely, it's in the right spot
- It should be higher on the list
- It should be lower on the list
- It shouldn't even be on the list
- I don't know / I haven't played it
Comments 82
Definitely best game of the year for me, but still I'm glad it's getting some recognition.
Actually higher than I expected it to be but well deserved!
I love this game on the Pro too but dang 3 spots above Rebirth?? I mean it isn't a bad game but like, wow.
@Dalamar Same, the game was such a treat for me!
If this game had a gruff dude named ADAM as the protagonist it would have been long forgotten as the poorer version of Metal Gear Rising and Sekiro that it clearly is.
I'll step on the landmine: I thought Stellar Blade was way overhyped and mostly mediocre. For what it's worth, I got the platinum and my second playthrough was on the harder difficulty, so I've seen everything the game offers and still found it wanting.
I was certain Sammy was gonna lobby this game into the top three. This is my GOTY right here.
No way there's 3 games better than Stellar Blade this year. Not for me anyway.
Omg Infinite Wealth is above this as well 🙄.
@MrPeanutbutterz Well... Yeah. Yet another game in a sea of games starring gruff dudes would be more forgettable, don't know what point you're trying to make.
While not the best game this year, I came back to it multiple times, for multiple playthroughs. I was never a fan of souls-like games, until this one’s zippy combat hooked me over the usual sluggishness of other games. I just wish the community around this game wasn’t so gross…
@Cloud39472 I'll be honest, I fn wish the in game Adam had more interesting outfits in the game, considering how much work went in Eve's wardrobe, the supporting cast could do with some love.
@Cloud39472 Before this started I thought it would be Astro Bot, FF7 ReBirth and Metaphor as the top 3 with Balatro and Stellar Blade for the rest of the top 5. So I was mostly right just didn't expect Infinite Wealth to be so highly rated and for FF7 ReBirth to be done dirty.
@MrPeanutbutterz Well there is a main dude named Adam in it 😅. You must know by now a powerful attractive protagonist sells games, look at Nier Automata, Tomb Raider and Bayonetta, heck even on the opposite side there's Uncharted and Devil May Cry imagine if they included ugly fat dudes instead, would they still be popular?
@IceClimbersMain my thoughts exactly. Pretty good game, but FF7R was on another level.
I'm not feeling the Push Square list at all this year. That's fine. To each their own. 🤷♂️
It was my second favorite game this year only behind Astro Bot, I loved everything from the music to the fighting and all the characters!
Could they have given her a bit more personality? Sure! she did remind me of Aloy in Forbidden West, it still didn't take away anything from the entire experience. I'm ready for part 2 💪🏼
Above Balatro. The people lost.
I really loved the game, it was really fun. Can't wait to do another playthrough when it releases on PC.
@UltimateOtaku91 Bayonetta is a girl with great personality and style, not doing the „looking like a fawn but wearing cloths of a wh***“ thing all these waifus in cheap games and apps are doing.
These lists never make sense, haha. Purexbox gave Indiana Jones 6/10 and the other day decided it was their No. 1 game of the year.
@DrClayman My point is cheap titillation was used in place of an overall superior product because it sells and is a whole lot easier to implement.
@UltimateOtaku91 Those protagonists aren't comparable. One bunch is the waifu fantasy, the other a male power fantasy.
I had a fun time with Stellar Blade but this is the first real misstep of the list for me; all part of the fun though. I did really like the creature design.
Honestly, no hate to Stellar Blade, but it’s a game that, while solid, just reminded me of other games that do what it does, but better, albeit with less polished visuals and debatably lesser soundtracks. It’s reminiscent of the PS2/PS3 titles and updates their formula for a modern audience rather than pushing the boundaries of what they did like the oft-compared title Nier Automata, for instance. So, yeah, I’ll admit it’s not in my top 10 and I’ve felt the game was overrated all year, even though I do think it’s an overall good game.
However, that said, it’s impossible for this one not to be in a top 10 for a PlayStation site. It’s a very palatable title and one of the few AAA tier games that released this year. I can see where some might’ve liked the game more than me, and, if you’ve not been as exposed to the genre as some of us ancient gaming folk, I could see where the game might not recall other games as strongly. Now to see if Metaphor or Infinite Wealth is next… Astro Bot is almost certainly Pushsquare’s GotY.
Higher then FF7 Rebirth? That's certainly a take. It makes my top 10 but its very much just making my top 10.
@DrClayman The point is a large portion of the games fanbase only "play" it because they have yet to discover adult videos. Funny enough Adam was a better character then Eve.
@UltimateOtaku91
Didn't wukong sell like 30m units, and you play as a monkey man. Also GTAV stars a bunch of bums.
That will be a really meh top 3, if it’s those two rpg’s and Astrobot. Some interesting titles to check out in the rest of the top 10 though.
@DennisReynolds nah I don't believe that. Adult videos are free and way easier to access compared to a £70 ps5 game. There's more to this game than titillation. Which is there, I'm not denying that, but saying that's all there is to it is a bit much.
Fantastic game, loved every second of it. Definitely in my top 3, mixed up in a stew with Astrobot and Silent Hill 2…
I don't know, I just got bored with it. It was somewhat okay at the beginning, but as soon as I entered the first open-world zone and saw the copy-pasted enemy animations in the distance, along with a ton of icons on the map, I completely lost interest. As for the visuals, well... I get that it's supposed to be super-advanced armor, but I just can't take it seriously. It's not the women or the big, bouncing breasts that bother me (quite the opposite), but the fact that the whole thing feels ridiculous. But it's just my opinion.
I've not played this yet (I know the shame) but having watched enough game play vids I know its my kind of game. I strongly disagree with the "straight out of the ps2 era" comment as I never played anything that resembled this on my ps2. It's more like something that came out of the ps3 era like bayonetta or ninja gaiden.
@DrClayman Considering all the stuff the fanbase only ever post is gooner images of Eve i bet most of them never even made it to the hub world. I agree there's way more to it then Eve and its why its in my own top 10 but the fanbase made it clear they only care about the anime doll showing cleavage and butt.
@ChrisDeku didn't most of the games' sales come from China due to the origin of the game's premise?
Great game, hoping for a sequel that allows for more exploration and choices.
Stellar Blade was my GOTY. The quality and quantity these devs put in their development is truly on another level. Well done Shift-Up.
I really wanted to love this game and practically begged my brother to get it with me. But I can’t help feel disappointed. I did enjoy it, I’ll be honest. But it just felt like so many games I’ve played before. And the plot definitely felt like something I’ve seen done way too many times.
Definitely deserving of a spot in the top 5, I'd probably have it in my top 3. Don't usually care for Soulslike combat but had fun with this game.
@PorkChopExpress
Just means not enough PushSquare writers enjoyed the game as much as the 10 that did make the list. It's the only big game from this year I haven't played yet but it seems pretty cool, definitely one I'll get to eventually.
@Cloud39472 I agree I would definitely have put Rebirth higher (I mean it's my no 1 this year). In terms of Infinite wealth, I haven't played it yet, so can't have much of an opinion. But Like a dragon became one of my favourite games of all time, so if Infinite wealth is as good or better I could definitely see why it gets into a top 3
@somnambulance less polished visuals? Dunno about that. It’s the best looking game on the Pro for me, by far.
I think it’s right around where it belongs. It’s a great game but there few titles I’d put over it. It’s crazy looking back and seeing how many amazing games released in 2024.
@Orochilocka I could have read the comment wrong, but I think they meant the games they enjoy more than Stellar Blade have less polished visuals.
@Orochilocka By my comment, I meant that other similar games have lesser visuals and likely lesser soundtracks. If there’s two areas that Stellar Blade is undeniably strong, it’s the audio and visual department.
Push Square and their lists 🤣
Stellar Blade was a very good game, but not better dan Rebirth.
If Infinite Wealth is in the top 3 we riot!
@somnambulance Roger that! And agreed.
Not bad, but disappointed it couldn't squeeze into the podium. Stellar Blade is a real gem of a game for sure!
@RBMango my guy hated it so much he completed it twice
@Barry_vV Have you played Infinite Wealth? It definitely deserves to be somewhere on the list.
The immensely wearisome push back on Stellar's physics by intolerable rabble rousers on both sides marred what essentially is a pretty simple good old fashioned video game. One that I thoroughly enjoyed.
@Brundleflies21 There was no real pushback on Eve. IGN France complained and that was about it. The "pushback" was fake controversy made up by incels and grifters but the reality is most never gave much of a damn.
For me somehow stellar blade was better than the sum of its parts - which are already strong.
This is where it’s at for me. But I haven’t played a lot of heavy hitters like SH2, Astrobot, DD2, etc.
The combat of this game is an absolute blast. A sequel will be incredible with more enemy types, bosses, moves, platforming aspects, weapons, etc. I can only see it improving on an already fantastic gameplay “loop”. Sony should do whatever it takes to make Stellar Blade 2 stay an exclusive because the sequel can only be better.
This is the only game this year that I finished and then immediately started the NG+. It’s just fun.
Some of the other games on this list, I’ve never even heard of and I certainly have no interest in FF7 or whatever that poker game is.
Tastes are an interesting thing 😆
Most of the other games I’ve enjoyed this year have been VR.
Love the diversity of opinion here. But is had this game trade places with Dragon’s Dogma 2.
@DennisReynolds exactly! There are no online campaigns to destroy this game because of the heavy-handed sexualization of the main character. But make a game where the main female character has a shave head and, well…
Like, go check this game’s metacritic and Al the reviews seem like genuine reviews. No trolling just because.
@DennisReynolds I disagree. There were plenty of the morally anointed Mary Whitehouse types running their mouths just as tediously as the grifters. Metro's rants especially were completely preposterous.
@Brundleflies21 No there wasn't. A small handful of people complaining online means nothing because everything has a small handful of people complaining online about it. Again the narrative that Stellar Blade was causing backlash was just BS made up by grifters. Like dude the previews were positive and the game got great reviews, the main criticism Eve got was more down to her being nothing more then an anime sex doll and not that she was an anime sex doll.
Finally some recognition for this gem. Fantastic experience from beginning to end. I just platinum’d it a few days ago and the trophy list was exquisitely curated. No tacked on garbage modes with forced trophies, no difficulty related trophies, no online trophies, just about the most perfect list there could possibly be.
Sony needs to press its foot down on developers like Neil Druckmann’s neck and force them to use the trophy list in Stellar Blade as a guideline of sorts, since Naughty Dog is notorious for making fantastic games with trash trophy lists.
My game of the year
@DennisReynolds The small handful of outlets complaining online equates to the small handful of grifters complaining online. Both have a regular audience that is swayed by their points. Whether that amounts to an oversized army of devotees championing their angle can be debated. My issue is that it distracted from the geniune merits of the game.
Really enjoyed Stellar Blade. I would say this my game of the year. Dragon Dogma 2 and Unicorn Overlord are up there too.
@Brundleflies21 Who were the outlets? IGN France was the only one if note and even then the main IGN site gave it a great review.
Lol, bringing the comments to #70.
It seemed like a fine game. The discourse reminded me of why I don't have SM, everywhere I looked. I love being on the ground floor with a cool new game, but I need less "culture war" in my life.
@DennisReynolds
That's the funniest part of it all to me. I thought no "real gamer" listened to anything IGN said???
Yeah, I had a feeling this was one of the reasons why VII Rebirth was ranked so low. And tbh, I still don’t see why that is. From what I’ve played of Stellar Blade (i.e. the demo) the game overall seems decent, with good combat during the boss fights and…….that’s it. Admittedly that’s only from the demo, but unless the game gets significantly better afterwards, I’m having trouble seeing this game as a #4 as opposed to a #7 or 8.
Absolutely worthy of the spot, it's a great game. But not better than Rebirth, so it's crazy to see it that much higher than it
This was my personal GOTY. Can’t say enough good things about it. Just that simple.
I am going to miss Stellar Blade’s soundtrack the most when I’m done playing it. So freakin good!!! Especially that song at the Oasis.
Definitely my GOTY with Astro Bot and MUCH BETTER than Rebirth!
In contrast to Rebirth, SB was much better optimized for the PS5. It's a shame that a mobile developer shows a AAA studio how to properly optimize a game for the PS5.
Stellar Placement (?)
This is one of my favorite game.
@DennisReynolds Like dude (one shall adopt that rather annoying common parlance) did you like read the response? I already listed one.
You could also start with naming a few of the grifters
Blergh.
Goes to show what little grasp people have of actually good games, but then again, we live in a world dominated by shallow, meaningless franchises like Marvel and such, so I'm not exactly surprised by the low standards.
With all the great games out in 2024, this shouldn't even be mentioned.
@Brundleflies21 Metro is hardly a source they exist to rage bait and the likes of Critical Drinker, Nerdrotic, Asmongold, Shadiversity (under his Knights Watch channel), Grummz and more bring in way way more views and clicks then Metro ever does.
Metro morphed out of GameCentral which took over from Digitiser and Mr Biffo (back to the Teletext days) so they're far older than many of the current mob of journalists.
Out of the list you give I only know Critical Drinker and that's because he reviews movies. He seems to have unintentionally taken on RLM's Mr Plinkett character now that Stoklasa retired him.
I doubt half of his audience give a toss about games if you were inclined to notice the difference in views.
Putting this at #4 is certainly a choice!
My 2nd favorite game of the year. Just an absolute banger in almost every way! Great combat, great enemy design/variety, great performance/presentation, interesting lore, fun characters...it's all here. My only real gripe with the game is I wish there were other melee weapons to use besides just the sword.
If the hopeful sequel fixes that one bit and retains everything else it could be an all-time great in my opinion. Congrats Shift Up!
I loved this game. It's pretty much the only thing I finished this year besides Trails games. I even liked it enough to play some of New Game +, which is something I very rarely do. Great combat, beautiful visuals and a really excellent soundtrack.
@Cloud39472 Gosh please no
I actually really enjoyed my time with Stellar Blade but #4 of the year? Really? I know these lists are entirely subjective but still I probably wouldn't even include Stellar Blade in my top 10 games of the year let alone in the top 5. I mean its a pretty-good-but-not-great action game but thats about it. It had a phenomenal OST but other than that there isn't all that much to write home about
The combat is worse than Sekiro or Lies of P. The story isn't as good as a Nier Automata. And for a character action game it isnt as over the top or ridiculous as Bayonetta or Metal Gear Rising. Stellar Blade takes inspiration from a lot of different games but it doesn't bring anything new of its own to the table. I fear this game my be somewhat overhyped for what it is
I got Stellar Blade for Christmas so I hadn't played it when I did my GOTY voting but this absolutely would have made my list. I'm an hour or so away from getting the platinum and I've spent around 100 hours on it since Christmas Day.
I honestly thought this game was like a ten or fifteen hour Devil May Cry type thing. I didn't realise I could go fishing and stuff and collect a billion different costumes.
I like the story and the characters and the world. It looks amazing. The combat is fun and doesn't annoy me. The music is S-Tier. I really, really like this game. Genuinely surprising.
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