Shift Up is finally starting to lift the curtains on Stellar Blade, the highly anticipated action-adventure game coming exclusively to PlayStation 5. The upcoming hack-and-slash title was originally announced in 2019 under a different name, Project Eve. But in 2021, the developers confirmed two things: its new name and its exclusivity to the PS5. Fast forward to today, and the game’s director is starting to let us in on many details surrounding the game, including the official confirmation of the identity of the protagonist’s body model.
A little over a month ago, it was speculated that Shift Up had scanned the Korean model Shin Jae-eun and used her body’s likeness for better and more realistic in-game models.
Now, Kim Hyung Tae is revealing the reason why Shift Up specifically chose Shin Jae-eun.
According to an interview with Pushsquare, Shift Up chose Shin Jae-eun because the studio “wanted to come up with the most attractive looking body for the user, so this is why we made the decision to work with her.”
It’s a refreshingly straightforward answer in today’s climate when most developers will try to find a clever reason to explain the curvaceous figure of their female characters.
While Kim Hyung Tae effectively confirmed that the model the studio chose is specifically for eye candy purposes, it isn’t merely about gratifying a specific userbase.
According to Kim Hyung Tae, Stellar Blade is a game that took inspiration from Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm), NieR: Automata, and Bayonetta. Other inspirations include Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, God of War, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
If Stellar Blade can atleast nail a narrative similar to NieR: Automata and marry it with the gameplay of Bayonetta, it’s safe to say that Shift Up has a clear winner on their hands.
Unfortunately, PS5 owners will have to wait a while to find out more about Stellar Blade. It isn’t scheduled to hit the PS5 until April 26.
