A core feature of Stellar Blade's gameplay is the tight combat mechanics players must master to be successful in the game. Although the Soulslike mechanics of Stellar Blade are more forgiving than other games in the genre, the combat itself can be difficult to grasp, as it requires players to nail the timing for both offensive and defensive maneuvers. One of the most important combat mechanics players will need to learn is the timing for parrying enemy attacks, and looking toward FromSoftware's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice might offer some guidance for players learning to master this technique.

Despite being generally more forgiving than FromSoftware Soulslike games, Stellar Blade doesn't pull any punches with its combat and delivers a challenging experience that might take some time for players to get used to. The key to improving at Stellar Blade is learning to read enemy attack patterns and learn the window for timing attacks, parries, and dodges, depending on what is appropriate for the situation. Out of all the titles in the Soulslike genre, this style of combat resembles that of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice in the way that it emphasizes precision defense as much as it does precision offense.

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Parrying in Stellar Blade is a Must

While players can defend against enemy attacks by holding down the L1 button, Stellar Blade also allows them to parry certain enemy attacks by pressing L1 just before an attack hits EVE. Players can even perform a perfect parry if they parry the incoming attack at the precise moment before it makes contact with EVE. While it can be difficult to learn the timing of these maneuvers, they are crucial to combat in Stellar Blade given the benefits they provide players, much like the way precise parrying aids players in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Unlike other Soulslikes, Sekiro has less of an emphasis on build types and more of an emphasis on mastering its core combat mechanics, such as parrying. This gameplay design becomes obvious when players face bosses like Genichiro Ashina and Lady Butterfly, who are nearly impossible to be without the use of the game's parry mechanic. Stellar Blade goes a similar route as Sekiro, with build variety being largely sidelined in favor of the game's core mechanics and skills being the primary source of success for players, meaning mastering these mechanics is essential.

Why Stellar Blade Players Should Practice Parrying as Soon as Possible

Stellar Blade players should dedicate a good portion of the game's opening hours to learning the timing for parries and perfect parries, as they will provide indispensable benefits throughout the game. Both parries and perfect parries will increase the generation of the Beta Energy necessary for EVE to perform Stellar Blade's Beta Skills, which can be the difference between life and death when players find themselves in a tricky situation. However, performing a perfect parry also has the added benefit of briefly stunning enemies and generating a higher amount of Beta Energy than usual, leaving enemies open for a follow-up attack.

Parrying might not be as crucial to Stellar Blade as it is to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but it can still be an incredibly useful mechanic that will likely separate successful Stellar Blade players from unsuccessful ones. Stellar Blade gives a lot of leniency with its Soulslike mechanics, removing frustrating features like hidden enemies thanks to the scanner mechanic, and doing away with the usual Soulslike corpse run. Even with these more frustrating mechanics absent from Stellar Blade, the game still challenges players' skills with its focus on precision combat and will require players to practice their parry timing to have the best chance of success in-game.

Stellar Blade

Platform(s)

PS5

Released

April 26, 2024

Developer(s)

Shift Up

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Genre(s)

Action RPG