This is the game that Code Vein wishes it was.

Obviously I'm joking, because they don't have similar combat in the slightest. Code Vein sticks much closer to the Souls style combat. Whereas Stellar Blade is more like a fighting game/souls game hybrid. You have combos. You have counters. You have dodges and finisher move cancellations. There's also a hair of ranged combat although that's really only used sparingly except for one specific section of the game.

The combat is exceedingly satisfying if you enjoy messing around with some combos. Its not as deep as an actual fighting game of course. You have maybe 6-7 combos. In addition you have 4 special moves that can be upgraded with followup attacks to chain after the special move. You can parry into a special move, you can dodge into a combo. Its just deep enough to keep you interested in playing more without becoming overwhelming. I spent a moment to look at the combos in the skill screen. I did not do any of the optional training whatsoever, and after a couple of hours I was feeling pretty comfortable with the combos. I'm sure I haven't even used all of them, cause I've settled into my favorites. Some combos are faster, some are slow but deal heavy damage. Naturally you would find the groove of which combos are appropriate for which enemies. Its simple but satisfying.

The story is about what you'd expect. Its derivative, its cliche, its stupid, and yet it takes itself a little too serious sometimes. I find the characters likeable, and there are some entertaining moments, but the story is not really why we're here. We're here for combat and teet. The story is miles ahead of Resident Evil 5 if that makes you feel better (it shouldn't.)

Tons of unlockables. This is a breath of fresh air in a world where Capcom charges you $5 for the Classic RE3 Jill skin. I pre-ordered the special edition just for that. Even if the game had turned out to be trash, it would have been worth it just for spite. I didn't buy RE3 remake for 5 years after release cause of what Capcom has done to me. What they've done to my family. I couldn't allow it any longer. Fortunately, the game is actually really fun.

The only aspect that truly sticks out to me is some of the areas. The game starts off really strong, after the prologue you're thrown into a fun and exciting environment to explore and fight in. After you finish the first section and reach the hub area, You're in for a whole lot of sand. TBH, you can get through this area pretty quickly if you want to. But I'm a completionist to a fault and a willful curmudgeon. I spent hours completing every side quest, trying to find every secret in that area for *hours*. Against my will. If that's contradictory I don't know what to tell you.

The following areas are much much more fun to explore and fight in. IDK what it is. I think FF XII ruined me for areas like these. I just can't do it anymore. Luckily the secrets were challenging and satisfying to discover, so to me it was worth it. Upon replay I will most certainly be speedrunning that section of the game however.

I don't do ratings, as they're impossible. I'll just say this. I enjoyed this game at least half as much as I did Resident Evil 2 remake, and that's in my top 10 OAT. This game is better than several Castlevanias. It's better than Silent HIll: The Room. It's better than.. you know what let me just give it a rating. Its a 74. Its not mind blowing, It's not particularly special. But it is addicting and fun. The unfortunate fact is, I can't think of anything I could compare this to that would communicate how good it is. God of War 3 is a 100. Dante's Inferno is a 56. Did that help?

This is the game that Code Vein wishes it was. Obviously I'm joking, because they don't have similar combat in the slightest. Code Vein sticks much closer to the Souls style combat. Whereas Stellar Blade is more like a fighting game/souls game hybrid. You have combos. You have counters. You have dodges and finisher move cancellations. There's also a hair of ranged combat although that's really only used sparingly except for one specific section of the game. The combat is exceedingly satisfying if you enjoy messing around with some combos. Its not as deep as an actual fighting game of course. You have maybe 6-7 combos. In addition you have 4 special moves that can be upgraded with followup attacks to chain after the special move. You can parry into a special move, you can dodge into a combo. Its just deep enough to keep you interested in playing more without becoming overwhelming. I spent a moment to look at the combos in the skill screen. I did not do any of the optional training whatsoever, and after a couple of hours I was feeling pretty comfortable with the combos. I'm sure I haven't even used all of them, cause I've settled into my favorites. Some combos are faster, some are slow but deal heavy damage. Naturally you would find the groove of which combos are appropriate for which enemies. Its simple but satisfying. The story is about what you'd expect. Its derivative, its cliche, its stupid, and yet it takes itself a little too serious sometimes. I find the characters likeable, and there are some entertaining moments, but the story is not really why we're here. We're here for combat and teet. The story is miles ahead of Resident Evil 5 if that makes you feel better (it shouldn't.) Tons of unlockables. This is a breath of fresh air in a world where Capcom charges you $5 for the Classic RE3 Jill skin. I pre-ordered the special edition just for that. Even if the game had turned out to be trash, it would have been worth it just for spite. I didn't buy RE3 remake for 5 years after release cause of what Capcom has done to me. What they've done to my family. I couldn't allow it any longer. Fortunately, the game is actually really fun. The only aspect that truly sticks out to me is some of the areas. The game starts off really strong, after the prologue you're thrown into a fun and exciting environment to explore and fight in. After you finish the first section and reach the hub area, You're in for a whole lot of sand. TBH, you can get through this area pretty quickly if you want to. But I'm a completionist to a fault and a willful curmudgeon. I spent hours completing every side quest, trying to find every secret in that area for *hours*. Against my will. If that's contradictory I don't know what to tell you. The following areas are much much more fun to explore and fight in. IDK what it is. I think FF XII ruined me for areas like these. I just can't do it anymore. Luckily the secrets were challenging and satisfying to discover, so to me it was worth it. Upon replay I will most certainly be speedrunning that section of the game however. I don't do ratings, as they're impossible. I'll just say this. I enjoyed this game at least half as much as I did Resident Evil 2 remake, and that's in my top 10 OAT. This game is better than several Castlevanias. It's better than Silent HIll: The Room. It's better than.. you know what let me just give it a rating. Its a 74. Its not mind blowing, It's not particularly special. But it is addicting and fun. The unfortunate fact is, I can't think of anything I could compare this to that would communicate how good it is. God of War 3 is a 100. Dante's Inferno is a 56. Did that help?