The film has been a resounding success, making a whopping 172 million yen (1.06 million USD) with over 137,000 admissions.

What Hideo Kojima Had To Say About ‘the New Film ‘Look Back’

On his official X account, Hideo Kojima noted that he found Look Back to be, “one of the most remarkable anime of the last decade.” He offered additional commentary, saying: “I was shaken to my core! The tenderness, the kindness, the strength! Such rich expressions and sensitivity, surpassing even a live-action film! I was moved by the present and future of entertainment! Anime is truly incredible. I’ve already ordered Tatsuki Fujimoto’s original manga and can’t wait to “look back” on it.”

Fans have taken notice of Kojima’s adoration for the film, too, with one popular tweet saying the following:

As with other services, HIDIVE is ready to start streaming their Summer 2024 lineup, and while we can’t wait to watch some of the obvious heavy-hitters, like Oshi no Ko Season 2, they have plenty of other new shows worth checking out.

Every New Anime Available on HIDIVE During the Summer 2024 Anime Season

Here’s every new anime that HIDIVE will air to kick off the summer anime season:

While their list of new anime may seem a little short, it’s filled with everything anime fans will need to enjoy this year’s seasonal summer lineup. With the comeback of one of the most sensational anime in the last year, Oshi no Ko, the streaming service has also licensed the hilarious ecchi comedy Plus-sized Elf; a series filled with cute fantasy-inspired girls trying and failing to work out, as well as 2.5 Dimensional Seduction, a romance series focusing on cosplay.

HIDIVE will also be airing a number of new English dubs for series they’ve already aired, such as Helck.

The Summer 2024 anime season is no different, with the platform boasting a massive catalogue of shows for anime fans to keep up with.

Every Anime Releasing On Crunchyroll This Summer

Here’s every anime that Crunchyroll will be streaming during the Summer 2024 anime season:

Boasting well over 30 new and returning series this summer, Crunchyroll has truly outdone themselves by having an immense amount of variety in this year’s catalogue.

Some of the new series we’re most excited to watch this season include Wistoria: Wand & Sword, Delico’s Nursery, and Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings In Russian, a romance slice-of-life series produced by the same studio behind the electrifying Oshi no Ko.

Perhaps surprisingly, there are a number of anime and manga that share similar themes, world-building sensibilities, and character writing that fans of the sensational television series would have a hard time ignoring if they new what they were missing out on.

Kingdom

While not nearly as popular in the West as it should be due to a lack of localization and publication in English, Kingdom is a fictionalized take on real historical events in China. Taking place in the Warring States Period, the story follows to orphans, Shin and Hyou, who reside in Qin. Hyou is eventually taken to the palace and barely escapes alive, while meets a young man that resembles Hyou, named Ei Sei.

While it may seem a bit slow on the surface, Kingdom is an epic story that has several characters based on real historical figures, and gives a unique take on one of the biggest foundational periods in Chinese history. What it lacks in dragons, magic, and other high fantasy staples it more than makes up for in political drama and exciting battles.

Code Geass

Code Geass is far from a traditional high fantasy anime – taking place in an alternate-reality dystopian future, but it does contain all the political intrigue, backstabbing, and drama that fans of House of Dragon can’t get enough of.

As previously mentioned, Code Geass takes place in Japan years after being conquered by the Holy Empire of Britannia, now called Area 11. The Empire has stripped the citizens of their rights and refer to them as “Elevens”, keeping them in check with a militaristic government and deadly, high tech weaponry. The series’ protagonist, Lelouch, is an ambitious young man that gains the ability to use a “Geass” – a mysterious power that allows him to completely take control of other people, hoping to build a new world following his political ideals.

Tales of Earthsea

While not as political as other fantasy series fans of House of Dragon might be expecting, Tales of Earthsea still has many strong attributes to make it worth adding to their watchlists. Tales of Earthsea takes place in the eponymous fantasy nation, threatened by a mysterious force that could plunge humanity into chaos. The film primarily follows a wizard named Sparrowhawk seeking to find a solution to this problem, and along the way, meet a young priestess and a runaway prince.

An adventure film at its core, Tales of Earthsea is a unique fantasy film from Studio Ghibli with a dedicated cult following. Its lush world and fantastical setting make it feel like a storybook to life, which, while not nearly as gritty as the drama in House of Dragon, can still be a nice break for fans wishing that they could see more of the world in the series.

Yona of the Dawn

While many anime fans think that the shojo demographic exclusively caters to those looking for heart-stopping romance series – this couldn’t be farther from the truth. While Yona of the Dawn has some romantic elements, at its core, the series is a politically-driven high fantasy that’s perfect for House of the Dragon fans to add to their watchlists.

Yona of the Dawn follows the titular Yona, the sole princess of Kouka, who lives a sheltered life as royalty; kept safe from the grim reality hiding just beyond the Crimson Dragon Castle she resides in. Despite her cozy lifestyle – Kouka is on the verge of ruin, and Yona is none the wiser. On the eve of her 16th birthday, Yona’s crush of over 10 years, Su-on, visits with her father to declare his intentions. After being turned away, Yona attempts to talk to her father, the king, to change his mind, only to find Su-on assassinating him. Yona and her bodyguard are forced out of the castle as fugitives, and she embarks on a journey to find a way to earn the throne.

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

While far from being the same type of story as House of the Dragon on the surface, Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms is an exceptional fantasy film that blends political intrigue and family drama just as effortlessly as the aforementioned television series. Maquia‘s world-building is incredibly lush for being a stand-alone film, and all its main characters are easy to get attached to and sympathize with by the time the film unveils its heart-wrenching ending.

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms follows the people of Iolph, a notable race of people known for their eternally youthful appearances and their pacifism – living peaceful lives weaving tapestries. Other humans believe that the people’s blood is a font of youth, leading to their society being invaded and thrust into chaos. One of the survivors, Maquia, begins to wander aimlessly until she comes across an orphaned boy. The child gives her life a new purpose, and the rest of the film watches Maquia raising the boy from a rambunctious child into a soldier.

Gachiakuta follows Rudo – a tribesfolk, or individual that has descended from criminals that have been exiled from society. Rudo detests the upper class for dumping trash where the other tribesfolk live, in a massive dump site known only as “The Pit”. As a child, Rudo was told by his adoptive father, a man named Regto, that his biological father was thrown into The Pit for committing a crime before Rudo was born. After rummaging through the site the next day, Rudo returns home to fine Regto killed – and he’s the primary suspect.

What makes Gachiakuta a unique shonen series?

While the shonen demographic is no stranger to grunge and grime, Gachiakuta stands out in how it handles topics like wealth and class disparity, the justice system, and other timely sociopolitical topics. Aside from its poignancy, Gaciakuta is filled with high-stakes action. After the lead protagonist is thrown into The Pit, he’s give the opportunity to work as a Cleaner, a unique role given to “Givers” – something that Rudo awakens in himself, and fight alongside an exclusive group of individuals that hunt and destroy trash beasts.

For anime fans that enjoyed the highly underrated Dorohedoro, or other eccentric series like Soul Eater will easily latch on to Gachiakuta‘s unique artstyle and modes of story telling. For those that can’t wait to see the series animated, the manga serializes in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine, and is available in both English print and digital editions through retailers like Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and Books-A-Million

Oshi no Ko follows a doctor named Gorou Amamiya as he treats Ai Hoshino, a popular idol that he’s a massive fan of and happens to be pregnant with twins. While Ai is recovering, Gorou is murdered by a stalker of Ai’s, and is reincarnated as the idol’s son. Now named Aquamarine (or Aqua) he and his new twin sister discover that both of them are reincarnated fans of the idol. When the two are toddlers, Ai is mysteriously murdered at their front door, and the two young children vow to avenge her.

When will the ‘Oshi no Ko’ live action release?

The live action adaptation of Oshi no Ko has confirmed that the upcoming episode will have eight episodes, and is scheduled to be released exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on November 28, 2024 worldwide. The live action film doesn’t have a Western release date just yet, but it will have a theatrical run in Japan beginning on December 20, 2024.

In addition to the release date being revealed, additional staff details has also been announced. Aqua will be played by Kaito Sakurai, Ai Hoshino will be played by Asuka Saito of Nogisaka 46, Ruby Hoshino will be played by Nagisa Saito of =LOVE member, Kana Arima will be played by Nanoka Hara, the voice of Suzume in Suzume; Akane Kurokawa will be played by Mizuki Kayashima, and Mem-cho will be played by ano.

Having originally begun serialization in 2006 in Square Enix’s shonen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy, Black Butler has become a classic around the globe, having 35 million copies in circulation at time of writing, multiple anime adaptations covering arcs from the manga, live stage plays, and even a Nintendo DS game.

When will Black Butler begin serializing again?

At this time, there’s no word on when Yana Toboso will be returning from her break and get back to work on Black Butler. As announced by the official X account for Monthly GFantasy, the mangaka will be taking a trip to England in order to conduct further research and prepare for the manga’s final story arc as well as taking a much needed break from writing.

With 34 collected volumes and nearly two decades of build up under its belt, fans of the series are both anxious and devastated to hear that the series will be entering its final stretch, but, as the iconic demon butler Sebastian might say, it’s certainly been one hell of an adventure.

The latest episode of My Hero Academia will finally be adapting the fight against Dabi and Shoto Todoroki – a battle that beautifully defines everything that the series has been building up to with both character’s individual arcs.

When will My Hero Academia season 7, episode 8 air?

My Hero Academia season 7, episode 8 will be released on Crunchyroll on June 22, 2024 at 2:30 am PST, 4:30 am CST, 5:30 am EST, and 10:30 GST; shortly after the new episode airs in Japan.

The battle between Todoroki and his estranged older brother is one that fans have been waiting for since the original chapters of the manga released. Based on the episode trailer alone, it seems as though this will be a fight that studio Bones pours their heart and soul into – teasing some of the most fluid animation quality the anime has ever seen.

After running for the better part of the last decade after beginning serialization in 2014, My Hero Academia has spawned an incredibly successful anime adaptation, video games, spin-off manga, and so much more. While the manga may be publishing its final pages, the production team behind the anime adaptation aren’t finished giving fans more of their favorite heroes just yet.

When will My Hero Academia: You’re Next release?

Alongside a stunning new trailer featuring the film’s main theme, “Homunculus” by Vaundy, it’s official that My Hero Academia: You’re Next will release in Japan on August 2, 2024. While there’s no confirmation yet on when the film will make it overseas, this is still exciting news for fans looking forward to the latest lineup in My Hero Academia movies.

Taking place after season 6 and before the beginning of season 7, My Hero Academia: You’re Next introduces a mysterious new antagonist known as Dark Might who – both visually and metaphorically – seems to be the complete opposite of the world’s “Number 1 Hero”, All Might. Kohei Horikoshi is working as a supervisor on the new film, and has even provided brand-new character designs that will be prominently featured in the film. Until further updates are revealed regarding the film’s English release, My Hero fans can tide themselves over with My Hero Academia season 7, which is currently airing on Crunchyroll.

Seluvis’s Basement Location in Elden Ring

Seluvis’s secret room can be found beneath some illusory flooring in between Renna and Ranni’s Rise in the Three Sisters section of Caria Manor. Attacking the pavement in question will open up access to players, letting them travel downward into the basement.

Players will know they are at the correct location of Seluvis’s secret room if they’ve spotted aristocrats wielding staffs nearby. They are not exactly difficult enemies, and appearing in an area that is mostly void of enemies serves more as a tell as opposed to being obstacles in the player’s way. I found it easy to defeat these enemies with a few swings of my sword.

Check out the image below for the exact location of Seluvis’s basement.

Make sure to avoid the giant dragon in the area unless you dare to fight it. I made the mistake of getting too close and having to start over from the last Site of Grace after dying.

After venturing into Seluvis’s secret room, players should immediately be able to ascertain why exactly it is that Seluvis has entrusted them with the duties of delivering potions to other individuals and the potential consequence of such deeds. Littered about the grounds of Seluvis’s basement are motionless husks of test subjects Seluvis has conducted experimented upon. This matter is only made more apparent by the illusionary wall at the end of Seluvis’s secret room, depicting the outcome of the player’s decision regarding their potion delivery quest.

Questioning Seluvis

Now that players are made aware of the goings-on beneath the ground of the Three Sisters, they’re free to use that knowledge as leverage. Head into Seluvis’s Rise and converse with Seluvis; a new dialogue option should have opened up that would allow players to inquire why Seluvis’s secret room even exists. Seluvis, upon hearing such inquiries, will scold the player for their breach of personal privacy but will acquiesce to the player’s demands for a puppet if asked.

Seluvis will give players the option to pick from his collection freely. The choices available include Finger Maiden Therolina Puppet, Jarwight Puppet, and Dolores the Sleeping Arrow Puppet. I recommend picking Jarwight Puppet, which I found to be the strongest out of the options.

Players don’t have to contemplate their choices too much if they’ve collected starlight shards during their exploration of the Lands Between, since the remaining puppets will be made available to the player later down the line, with starlight shards being the trading currency.

Can You Miss The Seluvis Storyline?

It is important to note that this opportunity to confront Seluvis about his puppet room will become void after substantial progression is made through Ranni’s storyline. If the player’s already acquired the secret treasure of Nokron as Ranni desired, Seluvis will be found dead at his tower, with his corpse lootable for the Preceptor Set and his Bell Bearing containing the sorceries you’ve yet to purchase. After the fact, his corpse can still be interacted with as a way for players to obtain puppets, again, using starlight shards. Players should also check up on Pidia, as there’s some event that’s also occurred on his end.

What is in Seluvis’s Basement?

Aside from Seluvis’s shop and secret shop, players can also find the following items:

• Memory Stone
• Finger Maiden Therolina Puppet
• Jarwight Puppet
• Seluvis’s Potion
• Seluvis’s Bell Bearing
• Seluvis’s Introduction

What Can You Buy from Seluvis in Elden Ring?

Here are the tables with items you can buy from Seluvis’s shop and his secret shop:

Seluvis’s Shop

Puppet Ashes Shop

Who is Preceptor Seluvis in Elden Ring?

Preceptor Seluvis is a mysterious figure in Elden Ring, serving Ranni the Witch. Although this sorcerer will help you by providing Ashes and Sorceries, he is anything but thrilled by his mistress’s decision to enlist “a Tarnished like you”.

The Best Build in The Land Beneath Us

All the following weapons work with the best Overkill build in The Land Beneath Us, but I recommend you to try your best to get at least one with a healing property.

Weapons

You need at least Fork and Dish for this build to really come online. Try your best to visit event rooms to upgrade your Relics since this is what really makes this build come online.

Relics

The core idea of this build is to use at least one weapon that heals you when you trigger Overkill and to utilize only weapons with the Overkill property. A weapon’s Overkill is triggered every time you defeat an enemy with that weapon. However, the most crucial part of the build is the relics that make Overkill truly overpowered.

• Dish: Activates the Overkill effect twice.
• Fork: Adds 1 Shield to Sven every time Overkill is triggered.

The rest is flexible, but I recommend Guard Up since it always adds a shield when starting a room and can heal you when you take damage if enhanced. Shield is a cumulative resource that can stack up to 10. When you have Shield and are hit by an attack, you lose 1 Shield instead of taking damage.

The Blend Beneath Us

The visuals of The Land Beneath Us are not necessarily original, but they get the job done. The game has that same minimalist pixel art style without outlines that we’ve seen in many indie games lately, but combined with simple 3D platforms and a modern-looking UI. Other games pulled out the combination of retro and modern elements, but here I feel like it makes the game look like it’s struggling to find an identity. It doesn’t look bad, but it doesn’t look entirely cohesive either.

This is sad because mixing retro and modern visual elements often lead to very unique looking games, but the problem might be the lack of variation and personality in the floors you explore. I wish the game had more distinct scenarios and made more use of this pixel art and 3D blend to provide more distinct backgrounds and environmental storytelling instead of another red or blue room with random monsters.

Speaking of monsters, I didn’t really feel any sense of coherence or belonging to the creatures I was facing. More often than not, they seemed to be there only so I could kill them and move on. Although there’s nothing wrong with it, it does contrast with the game’s initial effort to provide so much lore and context to what you’re doing.

Generally speaking, the art is functional, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but for a game that spends so much of your time with a long lore exposition dump before it lets you play, I was expecting a bit more.

The Plot In Front of Us

In The Land Beneath Us, you play as Sven, a Soul Harvester summoned by an odd AI in a weird sci-fi lab. As Sven, you must rescue The Creator so the world can go back to harvesting Soul Energy, the ultimate solution to a very troubling energy crisis. As you advance, you will meet new characters, learn more about your past, and the AI’s true intentions.

Frankly, I didn’t care much about the plot. Sven is cool, and I love his design, but I felt like the quirky AI is trying too hard to be funny with references and tropes that are decades old by now. I get the idea of making a Claptrap-like character who can deliver some jokes from time to time, and I do believe it can work no matter how many times it has been done, but I still feel like it could have been toned down a bit. I also feel very disturbed by the one pixel in Sven’s helmet that makes it look crocked for some reason.

That said, it’s not like I hate the writing or the characters in this game. There’s a lot to be admired here. Whether you agree or not with the message that the game is trying to pass, or how it is ultimately delivered, it’s very clear that the team had a clear vision of what the game’s plot was meant to be.

The Land Beneath Us uses absurd fantasy and sci-fi concepts to make the player think about the consequences of going too far, the value of life, the sense of self, and other ethical dilemmas. As I said, there is a message that the developers were trying to pass, but although I severely dislike preaching in games, I feel like The Land Beneath Us presents its themes in a way that makes the players think critically about it more than hammering down a message into their heads, and I commend the writers for it.

Tactical Turn-Based Roguelite

The gameplay is by far the best and most original part of The Land Beneath Us and the main reason you will play this game. I was very impressed by the way that FairPlay Studios Co. was able to provide an experience that reminds me of Crown Trick while being its own thing.

This game is a turn-based tactical game on a square grid, but not in the way you think. The weird thing about turns in this game is that they all happen at the same time. Every time you take your turn, all the enemies on the map do too. So, how does it work? You can see where you can move, the range and reach of your weapons, and the enemies’ attack trajectory on the grid.

Enemies don’t necessarily attack every turn, but they will always telegraph their attacks, and if you move into one of those squares or stay there, you will take damage. Each weapon you find must be equipped in one of your four slots. Each slot represents a direction: up, down, left, or right. These weapons only attack in that direction. If you have a spear in your down slot and a gun in your left slot, neither weapon will ever attack enemies above you or to your right.

I know it sounds odd and complicated, but it is the core of the tactical aspect of The Land Beneath Us. To make it even better, the game doesn’t have any sort of timer. It won’t rush you, so you have all the time in the world to make the best decision. After a while, you will get used to the enemies and their attack patterns, making you speed through the first floors of the dungeon while always having the option of carefully considering the best next move when things get more complicated.

Weapons might have special properties, like reaching 3 squares afar, attacking two enemies in a 2-squares long line, or healing you when an enemy is defeated. There are many weapons, and you’ll most likely find some more interesting than others. Although I’m not a fan of the weapon allocation system, I won’t hold it against the game because it is a very creative, very unique tactical battle system, and I have nothing but good things to say about it.

As soon as the game started, I was hooked by the battle system, but the rest of the game made me wish that more care was put into the rest of it. Enemies feel a bit bland and over-simplistic at first. The game does have a slow start and waits too long before letting you use its more fun mechanics. Unlocking new weapons should be interesting, but it only makes upgrading them much harder since you need to get the same weapon from a chest to upgrade the ones you have.

There’s also the problem of overpowered abilities or builds that are significantly abusable. Don’t get me wrong, the game is good and worth trying, and I do love the battle system of The Land Beneath Us, but I believe that some minor tweaks could have made this game so, so much better.

The Verdict

Although I was never compelled to listen to the annoying AI and understand Sven’s true purpose, The Land Beneath Us does put good effort into providing a good plot and charismatic characters. As for the gameplay, I was shocked by how much better this game is than Fallen Knight, FairPlay Studios’s previous game released on Steam.

I find it undeniable that The Land Beneath Us is a fun game worthy of its price tag, but I can’t get rid of that feeling that this title is a few balance patches away from greatness. That said, I still recommend it to Roguelite fans and players who enjoy a slower, tactical game. If you like both, this game will feel like it was tailor-made for you.

The First Descendant Release Date Window

The First Descendant is scheduled for summer 2024. Sadly, the exact release date has not been announced yet. However, there’s a good chance that we will know more about the launch date on June 7, as Lee Beam-Jun, the game’s producer, recently teased us with that date in a blog post. What makes the announcement of a release date more likely is the fact that there will be no more beta access before the game is released.

This is not bad news, though, since Nexon doesn’t want to announce the game’s launch before they are sure it is ready to be played. Being such a high-profile third-person shooter aRPG, it’s probably a good idea to polish the game as much as possible before its release.

Fortunately, as far as we know, the game has not been delayed. The First Descendant is on track, and we should be able to play it this year before the summer is over.

On What Platforms Will The First Descendant Be Available?

The First Descendant will be available on many platforms. As far as we know, it has been confirmed for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S and X. Being such a good-looking game, it makes sense that it won’t be available on Switch.

On top of that, The First Descendant is going to be a free-to-play game, so almost all gamers will have access to it on their preferred platform. Although this may be good news, one can only hope that the monetization in this game is not predatory.

Stellar Blade is a decent enough action game, though, and its great combat system does a lot to carry the experience. It initially comes across as more of a Soulslike than it actually is, placing great emphasis on perfectly-timed dodges and parries that open up enemies for a barrage of strikes. As you level up and unlock new abilities for Eve, however, Stellar Blade’s action game roots start to rise to the surface.

You’ll start out afraid of most enemies that you encounter, but after just a few hours you’ll be dancing around crowds of enemies and making quick work of even the toughest boss battles. The game’s skill tree goes a long way in making the combat feel more fluid and responsive, widening parry and perfect dodge windows so you can focus more on flashy combos and high-damage skills. Stellar Blade exists in a strange middle ground between Dark Souls and Devil May Cry, and while I definitely started the game wishing it leaned much harder one way or the other, the combat finally clicked after a few hours of upgrades.

Upgrades are surprisingly one of the most satisfying things about Stellar Blade, too. The game’s levels aren’t as straightforward as they appear, and there are chests, combination codes, and challenging foes hidden around quite literally every corner. Exploring every nook and cranny of Stellar Blade’s world can easily add hours to your playthrough, and the developers know exactly how many rewards to place around every corner to keep you traveling along their tightly-designed trail of breadcrumbs.

There’s also a decent amount of flexibility when it comes to building Eve’s kit and abilities. The game hands you skill points so fast that you’ll be able to unlock one or two new skills every time you come across a safe zone, and the sheer variety of skills means that your Eve can look a lot different than someone else’s. Both perfect dodges and perfect parries are viable for combat, and you can focus on stringing long combo attacks together or barraging enemies with quick slashes to build up energy for your skills.

Equipment also plays a large role in this, with Eve able to equip various Nano Suits and other gear that have big stat boosts associated with them. I found myself focusing on raising Eve’s crit rate so I could spam light attacks and not get stuck in lengthy attack animations in case I needed to parry an incoming attack. Stellar Blade’s skill tree catered to this perfectly, letting me unlock passive abilities that increased my energy recharge rate with every successful strike. Others will play the game in completely different ways, which is why Stellar Blade’s progression system is so great.

Unfortunately, the other aspects of Stellar Blade fall short of the competition. The story is the biggest miss here, and a genuinely interesting premise and setup devolve into been-there-done-that sci-fi tropes that countless other series have handled much better. The excellent character designs and environmental work deserve a better storyline than what we got.

The world that you explore in Stellar Blade is interesting enough, at least, but the worldbuilding is paper-thin and leaves you wanting so much more. There are several corpses strewn about each zone with notes and letters attached to them, but they always contain just a few sentences of some of the most generic sci-fi stuff you’ve ever read. It’s usually a mixture of “do we really know what’s going on” or “these monsters are really scary,” neither of which is particularly compelling.

At the very least, Stellar Blade’s story and worldbuilding don’t get in the way of the action. Cutscenes are brief and most exposition happens while you’re exploring, so it’s easy to tune everything out if you want to. That won’t save you from the stilted voice performances, though. Outside of a select few cutscenes, you’ll get used to hearing bland line reads from Eve, her partner Adam, and the rest of the cast.

Despite those drawbacks, though, it’s surprisingly easy to lose hours to Stellar Blade before you’ve even realized it. I’ve already mentioned the breadcrumb trail of collectibles and upgrades, but every swing of the sword feels impactful and every special burst skill feels weightier than the last. Slicing through a crowd with a charged slice or smashing a shield with Eve’s shield breaker ability never gets old. It’s just one of those games that tries way too hard to put the fun in front of everything else, no matter what suffers as a result.

Even something as simple as the sound that items make when you pick them up just scratches my brain in the best way. Plus, Shift Up turns the DualSense’s haptic feedback to 11 with just about every possible action making the controller vibrate in a deeply satisfying manner. A lot of games hype up their DualSense integration, but Stellar Blade’s implementation reminds me of a great arcade machine where every input has a tactile feel and an addicting response.

That’s the main thing about Stellar Blade. At its core, Stellar Blade is a game obsessed with instant gratification and intense dopamine rushes. The flashy combat is one thing, but developer Shift Up really knows how to keep the hamster wheel spinning and suck you into the game until you don’t realize how much time has passed.

Ultimately, Stellar Blade is a solid action game that blends rewarding exploration and mesmerizing visuals to create an enjoyable experience, even if the story and world leave a lot to be desired. As long as you can put up with stilted dialogue and bland worldbuilding, the flashy combat system feels excellent in motion after getting a few upgrades under your belt. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, and a relatively brief, tightly designed action game is always welcome in my book.