Stellar Blade PC Demo Impressions – Great, With Some Technical Drawbacks

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Last year’s sleeper sensation, “Stellar Blade,” left many gamers impressed, particularly with its action RPG gameplay and stunning visuals on the PlayStation 5. The main character sparked intriguing conversations online, but it was the overall quality of the game that truly stood out. Following its successful launch, the Korean developers at Shift Up have hinted at a potential sequel and even a port for PC platforms. Given their recent financial success and growth over the years, this move towards expansion seems logical.

Approximately a year and a bit since its announcement, the highly anticipated title “Stellar Blade” is set to launch on PC this coming June 11th. Excited PC gamers won’t have to wait long as they can already download a demo of the game from Steam and Epic Games Store. The demo contains an initial portion of the game to explore, providing a taste of its gameplay mechanics and performance. After trying out the demo myself, I must admit that I found it quite enjoyable, barring one significant flaw.

The Combat of Stellar Blade

In a quick run-through, I managed to grasp the overall style of gameplay. The fights involve both light and heavy attacks, along with some unique special moves. Your defense includes dodging, blocking, and parrying, which you’ll use in combination during combat. Your choice of moves depends on the enemy and your personal preference. Initially, I expected the game to feel quicker and smoother, but I found the combat a bit sluggish at first. However, as I delved deeper into the battles, it began to make sense to me. It takes some getting used to, but once you’re in the heat of battle, it becomes more intuitive.

The demonstration hints that as you continue playing, the combat will become more refined. It offers a glimpse into what the skill tree structures might resemble. Additionally, there’s a gear system, though not shown in the demo, which I suspect will greatly impact gameplay. Although I hoped for more from the combat initially, it seems to be progressing towards meeting those expectations. Even if it remains unchanged, I still found pleasure in the brief experience I had. Everything began to make sense when I encountered the final boss of the demonstration; I even replayed it once because it felt improved.

A Stellar World

One thing that instantly caught my attention is the captivating universe of Stellar Blade. It presents a post-apocalyptic Earth overrun by monstrous creatures known as Naytibas. A significant portion of the demo takes place in a deserted city, which I wished I could delve deeper into. The primary storyline didn’t resonate with me, but the environments hint at a narrative that I yearn to uncover more. This sentiment also applies to the enemy design, as I found myself intrigued by each Naytibas and eager to learn about them. If I don’t end up purchasing the game, I can still immerse myself in concept art or watch lore videos to satiate my curiosity.

Initially, I yearned for a larger experience, but I had mixed feelings about the game’s storyline and soundtrack. Since the demo was brief, it’s hard to judge the quality of the narrative. However, I expected a compelling hook from the story during the demo, but it fell flat. On the upside, there are some beautiful pieces of music in the game, though most are heard at resting spots. The only other track that stands out is the boss music, which I found quite irritating. Hopefully, future developments will improve upon these aspects, but for now, I’m holding back my full enthusiasm.

Not Too Stellar in Performance

Last year, Stellar Blade was exclusive to PS5, but now it’s making its way to PC, just like many other big PlayStation releases. As a fan, I always hope for a well-optimized PC version with a variety of graphical settings, and I’m happy to say that this port delivers on those fronts, even if it could do more. The graphical customization is decent and supports both Nvidia DLSS and AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution, allowing me to adjust the settings according to my preferences and prioritize performance. The range of options was impressive, but unfortunately, there was a significant problem that marred my experience with this port.

At the moment, this demo experiences frequent freezing issues, which left me quite frustrated during my initial playthrough. I found myself spending significant time adjusting settings in an attempt to resolve the problem, but all efforts were futile. The game would freeze at random moments, rendering it unplayable at times. I eventually had to set it aside for a while, on the verge of abandoning it altogether. However, upon checking the Steam discussion page, I discovered a helpful post from the developer that was pinned to the top.

At the moment, Windows Defender prevents the game from saving correctly, resulting in the game freezing. To resolve this issue, you need to authorize the game within Defender. Although I’m relieved that it resolves the problem, I’m annoyed that manual intervention was required. Once I did so, the problem didn’t reoccur, and I could enjoy the demo. However, this issue needs to be addressed. Additionally, there seems to be a frequent crash on startup, but I haven’t encountered it myself. I hope there is enough time to rectify these problems, but with the PC release imminent, my concerns are growing.

Is the Stellar Blade PC Demo Good Enough?

The short demo of Stellar Blade left me curious. Although it took a moment to get into the swing of things combat-wise, once it did, I found myself enjoying myself more and anticipating further improvements as gameplay progresses. The world is captivating, leaving me eager to delve deeper. However, the narrative didn’t resonate with me just yet, perhaps due to the demo’s brevity. I appreciated the music selection at rest areas, but I can’t recall much of what played beyond that, aside from the boss track which I found grating. Ultimately, it’s the game’s port quality that seems to be a potential hurdle.

I’d like to express my admiration for this game port. Several significant launches have faced optimization challenges and compatibility issues with lower-end GPUs. However, a mid-range computer should have no trouble achieving 1080p 60FPS performance. Unfortunately, I can’t endorse it at the moment due to the severe freezing issues. Although the developers are addressing the problem, I’m uncertain if they’ll solve it in time for the final release. In its present condition, I wouldn’t suggest playing it, but I hope the situation improves swiftly so that I can enjoy it myself.

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2025-06-03 14:02