Now I kinda regret buying the digital edition of the game.
Shift Up, the developers behind the upcoming game Stellar Blade, recently revealed that the cover of the game’s physical edition is hiding a very interesting, and very much surprising, secret.
「Stellar Blade」 Physical Package Secrets⚠️#StellarBlade #PS5 #Disc pic.twitter.com/WQSzKUSDQ4
— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) April 22, 2024
On the Shift Up official X (formerly Twitter), the developers uploaded a short video focused on the game’s physical edition. They started by showing off the physical case, as well as the contents of the game, like the card that contained the pre-order bonuses. Afterward, they did something surprising.
After showing off the insides of the case, the person in the video reached into the cover sleeve to remove the printed cover insert. This revealed the Stellar Blade cover’s secret: it was a double-sided cover. After flipping the cover insert and placing it back in the sleeve, the person in the video showed what the alternate cover art was.
The cover featured major characters from the game. Of course, Eve was still the main focus and center of the cover, but it also showed Adam, Lily, Tachy, a white-haired girl and the elder from Xion (both of which we caught glimpses of from previous trailers), and another black-haired character.
The cover also features a different vibe compared to the original cover. Whereas the original cover focused on Eve and consisted primarily of cool, bright colors, the alternate color was predominantly warm, and was darker than the original cover.
At the risk of reading too much into this, likely, this alternate cover looks more into the game’s darker side, something we have already seen a glimpse of in the game’s demo with the failed landing on Earth. We will hopefully see more of that once the game comes out on April 26.
Absolutely yes!
— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) April 22, 2024
Thankfully, this doesn’t seem to be a limited-time thing. When asked if the reversible cover is “in every region”, the developers replied by saying “Absolutely yes!”. If anything, this made me regret my decision to get a digital copy of the game instead of a physical one.
This is just one of the many positive things that players can expect from the release of Stellar Blade. In a recent interview, Stellar Blade’s director Kim Hyung Tae mentioned that the game would have no microtransactions and that if they were to spend money on the game it would just be for collaboration skins.
They said that the game would have various free updates, including outfits, a New Game Plus after the game’s launch, and more. Of course, this has not stopped people from treating Stellar Blade as a very controversial game.
Stellar Blade Is 2024’s Most Controversial Game
One does not need to look further than the game’s base cover to see why the game has perhaps become 2024’s most controversial game. The original cover of the game, as mentioned above, features a closeup of Eve, showing off her body while doing a backflip that accentuates her curves.
Ever since we first got trailers for the game, a lot of people have been calling the game out, saying that it was “overly sexualized” or that it “appeals to the male fantasy”, and that Eve was “unrealistic” in her proportions.
Players have also brought up that this is not the first time that Shift Up has sexualized women in their games, quoting examples like Goddess of Victory: Nikke and the now-shut-down Destiny Child. If they can do it with those games, it’s not so farfetched for them to do the same with Stellar Blade.
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So @IGN calls Stellar Blade protagonist a sexualized “doll” and says the creator “has never seen a living woman.”
The not real “doll”:
The creator’s wife and team artist: pic.twitter.com/IPgDbwmdgR
— Grummz (@Grummz) March 30, 2024
In a (now edited) preview written by IGN France, the writer went as far as to describe Eve as “bland”, and that she was a “doll sexualized by someone you would think has never seen a woman.” IGN has since then apologized for what the writer said in the article.
People have also started comparing Eve’s design with that of Aphrodite in Hades II. Some people believe that it is wrong to bash Eve for sexualization while praising Aphrodite’s design despite it being a nude woman. Others have defended Aphrodite in response, saying that her design is not sexualized, and more nuanced compared to Eve.
Sexualized or not, it doesn’t change the fact that, at least for me, Stellar Blade is more than just eye candy. After playing the demo of the game for quite a while, I can honestly say that it is as fun and challenging as it is beautiful. The combat feels nice, the game’s atmosphere is interesting, and the music is just great. If not for Eve, play it for those reasons.
That’s all the information we have regarding the secret that the Stellar Blade physical edition’s cover hides. Stellar Blade comes out on April 26, 2024, exclusively on the PlayStation 5. A demo for the game is also available, with the player’s progress carrying over to the full game.
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