The upcoming Stellar Blade for PlayStation 5 has received an 18+ age rating in Korea.
Those who have seen the trailers for Shift Up’s upcoming action-adventure will agree that the developer has spent much time highlighting the character model of the game’s protagonist Eve. As a matter of fact, the team has recently confirmed that extra time has been spent on Eve’s backside due to the player’s perspective. “When it comes to the design, we put special attention on the back of the character because the player is always facing the back of the character when they’re playing,” game director Hyung-Tae Kim told GamesRader. “That’s what they see the most of, so we thought this was pretty important.”
Without going into details too much, it’s clear that certain parts of Eve’s back have been accentuated, and the Korean rating board has now said that the game is not appropriate for teenagers. According to the new rating, the game features “directly suggestive expressions” including “explicit body exposure, such as [Eve] appearing naked in her costume” (translated from Korean). This explicit nudity, however, isn’t the sole reason for the 18+ rating – Stellar Blade also features “excessive violence” such as mutilated bodies and red blood.
Although the game has yet to receive age ratings in other regions, including ratings from PEGI, USK, and ESRB, Stellar Blade will likely receive similar ratings in other regions as well. We’ll update you as soon as we learn more about this exciting title from South Korean developer Shift Up.
As covered earlier this month, Stellar Blade will feature a mix of linear environments and open-world zones. “The beginning of the game has a linear structure, but it still allows for a wide range of exploration”, Game Director Kim Hyung-tae said recently. “Once you enter the city of Zion, it becomes a semi-open world where you can freely explore. After that, you’ll go to another linear area, so we’re mixing linear scenes with open world. We believe that users will enjoy a seamless and smooth experience without any interruptions.”
Stellar Blade is slated for a release on April 26 for PlayStation 5. A PC version is also to be expected in the near future.
