Sekiro, Bayonetta, and especially Nier Automata all inspired stylish PS5 action RPG Stellar Blade

Manga series Battle Angel Alita and Blade Runner also played a part

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The director of upcomingPS5game Stellar Blade has revealed what games influenced him during development - and we’re not surprised in the slightest.

In an interview withIGN Japan(as highlighted by @Genki_JPN) Stellar Blade’s director Kim Hyung Tae says he was inspired by the likes of Nier: Automata, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Bayonetta when developing the gorgeous action RPG. As well as these games, the developer also revealed he took a lot of inspiration from the post-apocalyptic manga Battle Angel Alita and sci-fi films like Blade Runner.

One game that helped steer Stellar Blade in particular was PlatinumGames' Nier: Automata. The first time Kim played theSquare Enixtitle [it] “was shocking,” the developer reveals. “It was a big discovery for me that I could make this kind of game, and it led me to rediscover what kind of game I wanted to make myself.”

When asked if the team at Shift Up was inspired by its hometown of South Korea, as well as other East Asian countries when designing the characters and setting of Stellar Blade, Kim replied: “The world of Stellar Blade is designed with a mix of Hong Kong, Japanese, Chinese and Korean cultures. […] I have enjoyed many different cultures in my life, and I am definitely influenced by science fiction works from the 80s and 90s and other dystopian worlds.”

We recently got anin-depth look at Stellar Bladeduring January’sPlayStation State of Playshowcase. The upcoming PS5 exclusive looks absolutely stunning, and thankfully we don’t have to wait long to explore protagonist Eve’s beautiful world as Stellar Blade is set to launch on April 26, 2024 - almost five years after it was first unveiled.

Find out what else is on the horizon with ourupcoming PS5 gameslist.

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After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I’m also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.

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