Is Stellar Blade a Souls-like? How it compares to Sekiro, Stars Wars Jedi & more

Despite numerous similarities to a Souls-like game, is Stellar Blade truly just a surface-level imitation? Let’s explore how much it truly embodies the essence of a Souls-like title.

After exploring the stunning Stellar Blade demo for some time, it became evident that Shift Up’s new action-adventure game draws inspiration from the Souls series.

It is not surprising that certain Souls-like games, including Elden Ring and Sekiro, are developed by FromSoftware themselves. Other titles in this genre, such as Lies of P and Nioh, are more obvious in their similarities. However, games like God of War and Star Wars Jedi have also been compared to Souls-likes, making it less clear where Stellar Blade falls in this category.

What genre is Stellar Blade?

Stellar Blade shares many similarities with FromSoftware’s titles, specifically Sekiro, making it a Souls-like in terms of its methodical combat, mechanics, and challenging boss difficulty.

Similarly to Star Wars Jedi and God of War, two games known for their Souls-lite gameplay, Stellar Blade falls under the genre of Souls-like.

Based on my personal experience, the combat in Stellar Blade is highly methodical, the bosses are challenging, and the world is semi-open, with rest points available for healing and resetting the enemies. These aspects of the game are reminiscent of the Souls genre, solidifying its place within the subgenre.

eve facing boss in stellar blade demo boss challenge — Shift Up

Stellar Blade’s bosses are certainly a learning curve.

The combat in Stellar Blade is similar to that of Sekiro, focusing heavily on parrying and utilizing special abilities to defeat your foes. Rather than mindlessly hacking and slashing, strategic thinking is required to effectively attack and block during battles. This is particularly important when facing bosses, as their challenging learning curve is reminiscent of the difficulty found in Souls games.

Despite this, Souls games are known to be significantly more challenging than the demo of Stellar Blade that I played. While both games have limited healing items, Shift Up’s action-adventure title is more forgiving when it comes to taking damage, similar to the healing mechanic found in Souls games known as Estus Flasks.

Additionally, Stellar Blade offers a more straightforward and directed gameplay compared to FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series. In Dark Souls games, players are often left to their own devices and must use critical thinking to progress. However, Stellar Blade provides clear objectives and a mission list in the menu to keep players on the right path.