Highlights

  • Stellar Blade draws inspiration from Nier: Automata and Soulslike games, with elements of the Bayonetta series as well.
  • The game's combat mechanics are a middle ground between Soulslike and Bayonetta, lacking features like corpse runs or Witch Time.
  • By incorporating Bayonetta's Witch Time mechanic for perfect dodges, Stellar Blade could have added depth and satisfaction to its gameplay.

As the latest addition to the action RPG genre, Stellar Blade draws a lot of inspiration from titles that have come before it. While Stellar Blade takes most of its cues from the likes of Nier: Automata and the Soulslike genre, there are elements of the Bayonetta series that can be found in the game as well. However, Stellar Blade could have leaned harder into its Bayonetta similarities by borrowing one of the game's most iconic combat features and adapting it to fit within the framework of Stellar Blade's specific mechanics.

Stellar Blade's gameplay will feel most familiar to Soulslike fans, despite not being a true Soulslike experience itself, since it lacks elements like a corpse run. On the other end of the spectrum, Stellar Blade doesn't go all the way into hack-and-slash territory like Bayonetta, but does still feature attack combos to a lesser degree. Despite finding this middle ground between action RPG styles, Stellar Blade could have really upped its fluid gameplay by stealing the Witch Time mechanic from Bayonetta to give players a more satisfying feeling when performing a perfect dodge.

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Stellar Blade Should Have Included a Time Slow-Down Mechanic like Bayonetta’s Witch Time

One of the core features of the Bayonetta series is its signature Witch Time mechanic, which slows down time and allows players to execute a barrage of blows on an enemy after performing a perfect dodge. As a game that rewards players for utilizing intricate attack combos, having Witch Time give them a free open window of opportunity to unleash their most powerful combos is a satisfying experience. Although Stellar Blade takes a more methodical approach to its combat, the game could still benefit from adding a window of slowed time for players to pummel their opponents after a perfect dodge.

Stellar Blade already has a version of this mechanic, offering players a very brief moment of slowed time following a perfect dodge wherein players can use the Reflection skill to perform a follow-up attack by pressing the triangle button. Players can also unlock the Chain Reflection skill to further increase this combo, but these skills occur after the window of slowed time is over. Even with the addition of these skills, this combat maneuver is far more limited than what Bayonetta's Witch Time offers players and could have been expanded upon to give players a greater reward for hitting such a precise dodging window.

How Stellar Blade Could Have Benefited from Witch Time

EVE posing after a fight in Stellar Blade

The main purpose of Witch Time in the Bayonetta series is to reward players for performing a difficult perfect dodge with a few seconds of free hits on their opponent. While Stellar Blade has some limited opportunities to reward players for performing difficult maneuvers, leaning into them and fleshing them out could have helped give the game more punch and a greater sense of satisfaction for action RPG fans. As it stands, Stellar Blade plays it fairly safe with both its traditional action RPG mechanics and its Soulslike mechanics, which leaves the game feeling like it's missing an identity.

To help solve this identity crisis, Stellar Blade could have toned up the traditional action RPG mechanics to make them fit alongside the core Soulslike combat. For example, the inclusion of a more substantial period of slowed time after a perfect dodge would have allowed Stellar Blade players a chance to quickly shred an enemy's shield and gain an advantage in battle. While this seems like it would have made the game too easy, the trade-off could have been a smaller window for performing a perfect dodge, dialing up the risk alongside the reward for the ultimate power fantasy feeling that would cater to hardcore fans of both styles of gameplay.