Player vs. Player: EVE & the Fallen Angels

Thanks to Cart Boy for help with edits, and AShadowLink for the header. Oh, and spoilers for Stellar Blade.

For the first time in years, I’m looking more toward developers that aren’t Nintendo for new games to play. This comes as no surprise, what with the Switch’s successor on the horizon, but I’m still happy to see my PS5 picking up the slack. FFVII Rebirth was the first in this trend, followed by PS2-era favorite Jak X: Combat Racing, and now Stellar Blade. Shift Up’s debut game was one I was interested in following its showcase in a recent State of Play, and although discourse surrounding it quickly went south for dumb reasons, good word convinced me to give it a shot. After a hundred hours and five playthroughs, I’m glad to say it’s more than worth the hype and a “Player vs. Player” entry. It borrows a lot from Soulsborne and hack-and-slash games to make something familiar, but clean and flashy. As expected of this series of mine, we’ll be discussing the main character and a notable boss she faces. Except, there are two standout enemies our lead contends with throughout the story, both of which are tied to her and deserve our attention.

Stellar Blade sees EVE and the rest of the 7th Airborne Squad descending to Earth with a simple goal: defeat the Elder of the monstrous Naytibas and reclaim the planet for all of humankind. They’re doing this under the guidance of Mother Sphere, an artificial intelligence their society worships as a god. But within the first few minutes, this legion of badass cyber women is completely wiped out. Most of them didn’t even reach the ground. The only ones left are EVE and her commanding officer Tachy, but they’re still dedicated to the mission and ready to smite that Elder! If anyone’s got this, it’s the latter, equipped with her leadership skills, speed so renowned she’s named after it, and mechanical katana as long as Sephiroth’s. Enter a Naytiba higher-up with black wings and a sickle in each hand, and Tachy dies saving EVE. Wow, who could’ve guessed the A.I.’s seventh attempt at the same battle plan would backfire this badly?

EVE proceeds to team up with Adam—an independent scavenger with the least subtle name of all time—on a new effort to defeat four Alpha Naytibas and use their cores to reach the Elder. Concurrently, she works to restore the city of Xion and learn the truth behind the Naytiba threat. Now’s a good time to admit that Stellar Blade’s story isn’t quite a highlight. I enjoy its world and major players, but there are a few missteps. For one, Tachy’s an absolute speedrun of the deceased mentor trope (admittedly, Zack Fair set a high bar). They introduce her, imply she taught EVE how to fight, then impale her before the title screen even drops. While I’m not expecting this action game to put too much emphasis on how cool and powerful a character we can’t play as is, surely it could’ve fleshed her out a bit more (they actually did, courtesy of a webcomic, but it’s short and out of the way).

Before we get to Tachy’s inevitable comeback, we’d better talk EVE. As far as unstoppable heroes go, I’m a fan of hers. She’s as stoic and capable as you’d hope from a super soldier, but far from the submissive drones the rest of Mother Sphere’s forces are. She begins her adventure pitying Earth’s residents and hoping to reunite them with the utopia she came from, then learns to take matters into her own hands, bring this world back from the brink, and form believable bonds with all of them (on second thought, some of these quest givers suck, so let’s go with “most of them”). Alongside the aforementioned Adam, our most important companion is the engineer Lily, who forms a wholesome sisterly dynamic with the heroine. But the best part about EVE is that she’s really fun to play as! Multiple lists of special moves, numerous combos, a multi-purpose (albeit situational) gun, and the most satisfying perfect parry I’ve ever landed are all hers to enjoy during gameplay. When all these tools culminate in her finishing off a boss via a jaw-dropping cutscene, the game really clicks.

About halfway through EVE’s journey, the devs make good on the boss fight promised by Tachy’s execution. Subjugated by the Naytiba that stabbed her and missing most of her limbs, she duels her student for possession of the second Alpha Core. The fantastic soundtrack ramps up, the arena gets all foggy, she draws her massive weapon and dons some sort of cool X-ray helmet; it’s all you could want from this scenario. But nothing could’ve prepared me for what happens partway through the battle: compensating for her lost arm, she sprouts a metallic wing and starts bludgeoning EVE with it. You know, Airborne Squad members are often called “Angels” on Earth, meaning we’re fighting a literal One-Winged Angel. As great as this moment is, her resulting death is only as impactful as you’d expect from a character with such little screen time. That being said, all is forgiven upon Lily giving us our Devil Trigger stand-in: Tachy’s sword and wing. It’s weird that something so raw was handed over so casually, but I’m having too much fun with it to complain. Ultimately, despite not living up to her full potential, Tachy makes for a worthwhile addition to the game and an important part of EVE’s arc.

If that was the extent of Stellar Blade’s rival-like battles, I’d probably not have enough material to write about. Fortunately, EVE and Tachy weren’t the only Angels to survive on Earth for more than a few moments. Throughout the game, we find a few log entries from Raven, a member of the 2nd Airborne Squad. She seems like a perfectly reasonable and good-natured predecessor to EVE, so maybe we’ll meet her later on and befriend her? Oh, who am I kidding, of course we’re gonna fight her to the death…can’t wait! But before that, Raven’s diary gives us some backstory too important to relegate to optional collectibles. The most important tidbit is that all the humans in the game are cyborgs for good reason: they’re just imitations of mankind created by Mother Sphere and designed to be better in every way. The real humans, meanwhile, mutated themselves into the Naytibas to fight back, eventually ending up as the mindless abominations we see today. Raven’s (rightfully) enraged by Mother Sphere’s conspiracy, but the party’s skeptical of her account and undeterred.

Now that we’ve encountered our Angels, let’s discuss their designs. The steps taken to make them all attractive are obvious, but EVE’s look is easily the most memorable. Although there’s less to write home about regarding those of her comrades, a few things help them stand out. For instance, Tachy’s outfit is mainly black and the most covered up of the three, conveying her no-nonsense nature. Moreover, like I brought up in my last article, katanas make for clear-cut signs that a character’s skilled in combat. Whenever EVE enters Tachy Mode and swaps her broadsword out for her commander’s Tachyon Blade, you can feel its harsher learning curve. Couple this with the boss form’s ghastly add-ons, and you’ve got a threatening foe. Raven, on the other hand, sports a bright color scheme and taller build, possibly leading you to assume she’s the most benevolent and mature of the bunch. In reality, she directly opposes the uniform and visage Mother Sphere gave her, going to terrible lengths to dissociate herself from the deceitful deity. By the way, her rapier-like Cryo Blade rounds out our unofficial weapon triangle. There’s not much to say about it, but it’s cool that all three Angels favor different sword types.

Anyway, that brings us back to EVE. As previously alluded to, Stellar Blade caught a lot of controversy for her curvy appearance and the more outrageous Nano Suits she can equip, but I’m not bothered by the uglier options since you can simply ignore them. Besides, Shift Up stuffed the game with so many costumes that you’re sure to find a few favorites. In that sense, EVE’s beauty (based on South Korean model Shin Jae-eun) is integral to the game loop, helping new Nano Suits feel like valuable rewards for exploration and side questing. While EVE’s customization goes deeper than that, extending to her hair, eyewear, earrings, and accompanying drone, it’s too bad her Blood Edge sword is left out. However, the way it morphs and wraps around her ponytail is a signature part of her aesthetic, evoking a halo and further distinguishing this world’s tech. I might not know why the Airborne Squads need their fighters to look like supermodels, but their designs aren’t any weaker for it.

These are my favorites of EVE’s wardrobe. From left to right, we’ve got Sporty Energy, Punk Style, Red Passion, Black Kunoichi, and Daily Knitted Dress.

All right, that’s enough sidestepping Raven’s role in the plot. After scaling an awesome space elevator and slaying the third Alpha (the Xenoblade fan in me loved this level), we return to find Xion in flames and that sickle-carrying, Tachy-enslaving Naytiba at its center. Unexpectedly, it’s the first one to speak, a bit rude, and the hardest opponent so far. Expectedly, EVE does her thing and clips its wings, revealing a bloody and unhinged Raven underneath. Before fleeing, her glare makes it clear that she wasn’t under any spell or influence. She was fully in control when she committed all those heinous acts. Looking back on her recordings, it’s now plain to see that her discoveries drove her off the deep end. She hates everything affiliated with Mother Sphere and found a new purpose alongside the Elder Naytiba, but it’s her leader’s interest in EVE that makes her really loathe our protagonist.

Although we hadn’t seen Raven in the flesh (or feathers) since the prologue, she spent the whole game sabotaging EVE and her allies from the shadows. Tachy’s torture and brainwashing go without saying, but it’s also worth mentioning the side quest involving some dubious killings. A rotting cultist’s documented memories recount him spying on a meeting between “@a*en” (Raven, of course) and “thetruegod” (the Elder?!) before being spotted, and an unknown Angel’s damaged log warns that “There is a traitor.” That second one opens up a whole new can of worms. Does EVE never encounter any Airborne Squad members (beyond Lily) because Raven always finds them first? Was she also the one to ascend that space elevator and plant its monolithic Alpha? If all these corpses and monsters really are her handiwork, gotta say, I can’t help but respect the professional-level hating.

Once you’ve dealt with any unfinished business and progressed past the point of no return, it’s time to pursue our tormentor and her beloved Elder. Although the latter’s hoping to finally meet EVE, Raven goes against his orders and stands in our way. She just lost the Naytiba form she vastly preferred to her Angel one, so she takes up her old sword and fights with no gimmicks or distractions. For the first and only time, we’re pitted against a straight-up evil character. There are no Naytibas in sight, just an Angel-on-Angel grudge match. Fittingly, Stellar Blade’s music and difficulty reach their peaks as Raven overwhelms us with the same abilities EVE’s been using all game. If Tachy was a sampling of how strong these soldiers can be, then this is what happens when they’re actually trying.

With enough dedication, our star overcomes her twisted reflection and tears her limb from limb. She would’ve killed her, but Raven’s bound to suffer more in a state that’s powerless to save the Elder. We last see the villain armless and lying on the ground, practically begging her nemesis to come back and finish her. On a side note, EVE seemed to contemplate Raven’s saber for a moment (as she’d just used it to end the fight), only to toss it near its owner’s face and move on. I briefly thought we were about to snag a third sword, but I get the heroine not wanting to bring a reminder of the mass murderer with her. It’s a bit late for us to earn yet another addition to our moveset, after all. Even so, despite what’s become of her, I hope we haven’t seen the last of Raven. If Vergil and Meta Knight have taught me anything, it’s that getting to play as the overpowered rival is the most satisfying thing a game can do. Whether that would manifest as a DLC campaign exploring her downward spiral or a standalone entry, Shift Up’s got an opportunity on their hands…

So, despite having nothing but praise for Raven and plenty of complaints for Tachy, I still spotlighted both of them. While that makes the title and premise of this “PvP” a bit busier than usual, it helps capture Stellar Blade’s full scope. Rather than having EVE deal with just one polished enemy all game, the devs went bigger and gave us both a tragic colleague and bitter asshole. That means we get the benefits of both, like seeing EVE’s mournful and vindictive sides, but also some pitfalls. Given action games’ shorter runtimes, Tachy and Raven were doomed to have less development than they would’ve had alone. Fortunately, the game does a great job with Raven in this role, as her mystique and time spent offscreen only elevate her. Tachy, sadly, doesn’t thrive like the villain does. Honestly, I doubt any fictional mentor could’ve made do with the table scraps she got. On the bright side, underutilized characters tend to be unobtrusive ones, and I’m still satisfied by the boss fight and super form she gives us.

Players are given an important choice upon finding the Elder, ultimately leading to one of three endings. Although the first one I went for features a great boss, the “good ending” teases a more enticing future for EVE: she cuts all ties with Mother Sphere and comes into her own as Earth’s savior. She’s carrying a lot of people’s hopes on her back, but seems more than up to the task. Thankfully, we know her future’s bright, as Stellar Blade’s sales have surpassed Shift Up’s expectations. They’ve already expressed interest in porting it to other platforms and making a sequel, both of which I’m hopeful for. With any luck, that follow-up will see someone recovering the seething pile of parts that is Raven and setting her loose on the world again. And while they’re at it, exploring Tachy’s character via flashbacks would also be welcome. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll be back to covering Nintendo stuff soon enough, but for the time being, it’s been interesting covering exclusives from a different console. With how dire the industry’s been lately, they’ve reminded me that there’s more to look forward to than just a new Switch. Until then, let’s hope more studios are able to follow EVE’s example and find success in these uncertain times.