High octane action game Stellar Blade launches April 26 with New Game Plus mode, developer Shift Up Corp. has announced.
A PlayStation Blog post from director Kim Hyung Tae revealed the update adds New Game Plus and outlined what players can expect from the mode, which essentially allows Stellar Blade to be restarted without losing upgrades obtained in the first journey.
Shift Up is adding much more than that, however, as this New Game Plus mode also features 34 new outfits (including five accessories) for protagonist Eve to earn alongside two new cosmetics each for Adam, Lily, and the Drone.
Brand new skills not in the base game are also available, including four Beta skill moves, eight skills to enhance Beta and Burst skills, and five Drone skills. Eve's gear can also be expanded beyond normal levels, with Weapon going from 15 to 40, Body and Beta going from six to nine, and Tumbler going from five to 13.
Players can otherwise expect Eve's gears and Exospine to receive additional enhancements in New Game Plus, and to counter all of these improvements, enemy difficulty will be increased and their positions changed in some instances.
Stellar Blade brings its sci-fi action and adventure exclusively to PlayStation 5, with its inspirations including Alita: Battle Angel, 80s and 90s science fiction, and a taxi driver strike according to director Kim Hyung Tae.
In our 7/10 review, IGN said: "Stellar Blade is great in all of the most important ways for an action game, but dull characters, a lackluster story, and several frustrating elements of its role playing game mechanics prevent it from soaring along with the best of the genre."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
