We personally loved Stellar Blade when it was released earlier this year, and based on our review, still stand by the fact that it’s one of the better action games we’ve played this year. I’m also personally a huge fan of NieR: Automata, and it’s one of the first reviews I had ever written for this site back in 2017.
While we don’t normally review DLC, I thought this might be a fitting occasion to try something different, and unpack Stellar Blade’s latest additional offering and see if it’s worth returning to.
Suit Up
While this crossover does provide you primarily with cosmetic DLC, it’s not without its NieR-inspired charm. My initial understanding was that you would be able to don these outfits on each of these characters from the get-go, but I was surprisingly proven wrong.
Before we get into it, let’s break down what you’re getting across the board, across the game’s three main characters:
Eve:
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2B Outfit
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A2 Outfit
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YoRHa Uniform 1
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YoRHA Unnoficial Ceremonial Uniform
Adam:
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Emil’s Head
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Pod 045 Pack
Lily:
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YoRHa No.9 Type S Uniform
The point of the DLC is to track down Emil, a recurring companion character from the NieR franchise, as he spawns at a random area on the map. It can feel like a challenge to track him down as he can escape your grasp several times, but I found him popping up rather frequently near the Junkyard Area.
Once you get your sights on him, you’ll need to attack him to stop him, in which he’ll open his shop to you, to buy these outfits as you please.
Keep in mind though, you will need to stash the game’s Stellar Tears to purchase each of these outfits, so make sure you’ve got some ready to go. That being said, you can only find the Stellar Tears out in the Wastelands and The Great Desert, so it’s not a huge deal if you have to track back and save more.
Look the Part
As far as the outfits go, it’s hard to argue with the results and the unique influence of NieR: Automata. While Eve’s costumes have always been a little revealing as far as the overall fit goes, you’ll pretty much feel like you’re playing as 2B or even A2 once those outfits are equipped.
The only real downside is that the DLC doesn’t provide much else. Given how much Stellar Blade has added over 6 months since its release, from the Boss Challenge to the Photo Mode, I feel as though there was a real opportunity to add a little more substance to the surrounding world and its inhabitants with a smaller-scale story that centred around either character from either franchise, possibly leaning further into the lore of NieR: Automata.
Final Thoughts
But at just A$14.95, it’s not going to create a massive hole in any fan’s pocket, even if I would only really recommend it to fans of either franchise. While it’s worth taking these incredibly detailed and accurate outfits for a spin across some of the newer modes, there’s simply not much else to chew on after you’ve found Emil.
Finding Emil admittedly seemed like a cool idea in terms of adding a unique challenge to the game while encouraging exploration, but it’s just a shame that portion is over a little too soon.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Detailed suits that make you feel like you’re playing a NieR game; Finding Emil is fun at first
Lowlights: Finding Emil is over way too soon; Not much more to this DLC
Developer: Shift Up
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Available: Now via the PlayStation Store
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with a pre-release code provided by the publisher.
