Stellar Blade is out this week and our review, You can read right here, is positive. We loved the game and were impressed with its depth of action and world building. Ahead of its release, but after spending some time with the game, we had a chance to reconnect with Shift Up CEO and Stellar Blade director Hyung-Tae Kim. After speaking with him earlier this year. This time we spoke with him (through a translator) about inspirations for the game beyond Nier Automata (such as Bible And matrix), the approach to costumes and how they fit in theory and why the game doesn’t have minimaps was a deliberate decision.
Game Informer: Are there multiple endings?
Hyung-tae Kim: There are multiple endings and actually, if you complete certain quests, there’s even a post-credits clip.
Is there an ending you like?
It depends on what choices and decisions the player makes throughout the game. There is no particular ending that I like. But then there’s this hidden level so I think players will discover it and play it. If you want, I guess, a little happy ending you have to find the post credit clip.
There is no in-game reward for unlocking costumes, but they are a major incentive for the player. Why are costumes important?
I definitely believe that the iconic character is very attractive to have this iconic costume. But my strength lies in character concept design. There was so much that I wanted to show the world and convey that to the players. I decided that adding different costumes would be a good way to show what I wanted to show. And I want players to be able to travel with the character in whatever style they like. That’s why.
What was the process of choosing and creating a costume?
It is not a method of deciding when creating costumes. For example, the body suit – I designed it myself and then a 3D modeler; When they finish modeling the costume, I go back to it and then add more details and design and typography and finish it off for the game. Or for other costumes, we buy real clothes in real life and then scan them, take the scan data, modify it so it looks more futuristic, and then finish it. So, it’s very different. In this way, you will meet a variety of costumes in the game.
And on top of that, sometimes, when you play the game, you will see some costumes that look like swimming suits. And for those costumes, it’s important to depict how the texture of the skin changes with pressure and how it pushes up, or how it folds, how it bends like a body and flesh and skin. It is very important when we are trying to detail. So, for this, we cast a real-life model and then wore the costumes and scanned the model to use the data.
Is there a mythological reason why Eve wore so many costumes? Is she interested in fashion?
There is some kind of mythology behind Eve showing great interest in the vestments left behind on the surface of the earth. We had that concept and it was part of her character, but then we decided that we didn’t really need to show it in the game. We didn’t really have to make it known in the game, so it was removed, but that knowledge still exists.
Have you ever considered tying costumes to character upgrades?
When making games in the past, I took character stats and costumes so seriously that I didn’t connect them. It was important to me not to do that because if that happens, users will only choose certain outfits because they have better stats than other outfits. I didn’t want that to happen. I want everyone to enjoy all the different costumes provided in the game, regardless of stats.
But of course, if you don’t wear anything, it’s dangerous on the surface of the desolate earth. So we’ve put you at a slight disadvantage if you’re not wearing anything.
Does the team see Eve as a Bayonetta-type person who embraces her sexuality and uses it as a weapon?
I don’t think Eve is aware of the charms she has, so she doesn’t have that kind of character. Therefore, she is unable to combine the central attraction that Bayonetta’s character has and combine it with their battles. But how Eve will evolve in the future and what kind of realization she will get in the future is not fully decided, so I think it depends on the users and what they like and what kind of interest they show. the game Maybe Eve will go through some sort of… more socializing and adjusting, and maybe she will have new realizations and become someone else.
Cans are an important collectible. Why cans?
That may be personal taste. I personally like the different can designs. And, I thought it would be more realistic to use earth-damaged cans. As one of the protected goods, cans make more sense than other elements.
Are they based on real Korean brands?
We tried, but none of the brands would partner with us to do collaborations, so we basically had to create everything in-house. We consulted someone who is an expert in can packaging design. We hired that guy to come up with realistic looking designs. In the future, hopefully we will be able to collaborate with a real life brand. Especially Pepsi, we are very interested.
Ever considered a minimap? I really want one in Xi’an.
If you slide on the touchpad, you have access to the map on the Xion.
Oh, but I’d like a little map always available in the bottom corner of the screen.
I want to show as little UI design as possible on the screen. That’s why I didn’t add a minimap to the screen. But yes, it is very necessary in open world area. When it’s a linear area, of course, there are other hidden paths, but if you use the map, it’s much easier in this linear part of the game. That’s why I want to avoid players having a map to use constantly. But yes, of course, in Xion, you’ll want to consult the map more because things are constantly changing, you’re constantly given new quests, so the map becomes handy. I really recommend using the map there.
In the picture matrix, there is a heavenly city called Zion. In the Stellar Blade lies a heavenly city called Xi’an. The Stellar Blade has a location called Matrix 11. matrix Lily Wachowski co-directed. Stellar Blade has a character named Lily. Are these all coincidences, or matrix The biggest inspiration for Stellar Blade?
matrix Of course, one of my favorite movies, but then rather than any direct inspiration or references we get from the movie, you have to watch Bible As a source of those inspirations. But that doesn’t mean this whole story is based on it Bible, heavily. They seem to share similar stories.
TBecause the hat makes sense matrix Looking at Christians Bible, and. And of course, Adam and Eve are both characters in Stellar Blade. is Bible Primary source of inspiration?
In terms of what we got for the plot, yes, the BibleAnd yes it also has to do with plot themes, but ultimately, at the end of the day, this is an action-adventure game so when players play this game, they can take it for granted and just enjoy the game.
When people think, “Oh, it’s based Bible,” then they take it more seriously and perhaps expect a heavier, more serious story. And of course, we’re very grateful for that commentary, but we wanted to focus more on the game itself.
Why is there a setting to change the length of Eve’s ponytail?
I personally love the long ponytail that Eve has because it adds more movement and action and I see it as a highlight, but I realize it’s not for everyone. For some it might be annoying or interfere with a certain dress or curtain while moving, and I thought it might be distracting or bothersome for some people, so I wanted to add a short ponytail. But after that, there are demands for medium-length ponytails or the option of being able to control the length of the ponytail.
Stellar Blade came out this year. There’s another big game from the South Korean developer, The First Descendant, coming out later this year. Does the shift up to Korean representation in video games feel like this will be a big year?
Starting with Stellar Blade this year, we expect it to be a breakout year for South Korean developers. In the past, until recently, in fact, Korean games were isolated from the rest of the world because the gaming market in Korea was largely mobile-centric. As for console games, it was difficult to get any attention for them and there was not much point for other global users to access these games. There were not many overlapping elements.
But then, starting with Stellar Blade, hopefully, many global users will discover more Korean games and say, “Oh, these are really great games!” And I’m starting with that; Hopefully, other Korean developers will become more famous. This year will be that year. And in that way, we also have a certain sense of duty there.
Are you hoping to do a Stellar Blade sequel next or something else before Shift Up?
Right now, we’re focusing more on Stellar Blade – the game itself. We’re focusing more on what users like, what they want to see more of, and what kind of additional content we’re going to bring out. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy the soon-to-be-released game.
For more on Stellar Blade you can read our previous feature on the game here and Game Informer’s Stellar Blade review here.