Shift Up has responded to backlash surrounding the Stellar Blade new heroine design revealed in Blood Rain. According to the Korean studio, Evie is supposed to look younger, following criticism from some players that she looks like a child.
Shift Up Explains Stellar Blade New Heroine Design
Shift Up surprised many players when they revealed Stellar Blade Blood Rain would not feature Eve as a protagonist. Instead, the Stellar Blade sequel features an entirely new protagonist named Evie. However, Stellar Blade’s new heroine design kicked off a wave of backlash on social media after many players accused the model of looking like a “child.” Well, according to Shift Up, the character’s younger look was done on purpose.
In a recent interview, Shift Up CEO Kim Hyung Tae defended Stellar Blade’s new heroine design: “We intentionally set Evie to be shorter and look a bit younger, but we worked to ensure she fights in a very tough manner and exudes a cool, stylish character presence.” Interestingly, Kim then explained that Evie’s younger look was actually to help players more easily connect with her.
“When making the first game, I struggled with the character EVE — specifically, whether to leave the character as a blank slate for player empathy or to fill her with personality. Seeing the reactions of players who finished the first game, I realized that players can fully immerse themselves even in a character with a strong, distinct personality. So, this time, we are designing Evie to have an even more defined character.” Kim also explained that Evie would have a much more active personality as well.
Stellar Blade Blood Rain Backlash Explained
After Stellar Blade Blood Rain was revealed at Summer Game Fest, some viewers complained that Evie looked like a child. Given the game’s revealing outfits, this understandably became a major talking point on social media. For example, while watching SGF live, popular Twitch streamer Asmongold reacted: “Not going to lie. I think this character looks too young and I don’t think her voice actress matches her appearance either.”
Stellar Blade’s new heroine design sparked an intense debate online about Evie’s age. Khalief Adams, for example, wrote: “The new Stellar Blade gameplay looks cool. But also the new protagonist’s design feels like you’re looking at a child’s face on an adult body.” However, not everyone agreed with the criticism Shift Up was getting over Evie’s design.
In fact, many players from Korea and Japan argued that global players were just not used to her look. They pushed back on the criticism, saying she was being compared to Western standards. Regardless, Shift Up has now spoken up about why Evie appears so young, and it’s to give the character a more “defined” look and personality.
Shift Up also faced a little backlash from Stellar Blade fans, who were also bummed that EVE was not returning as the main character. Only time will tell whether the new Stellar Blade Blood Rain protagonist will win detractors over.
The post Shift Up Defends Stellar Blade New Heroine Design After Backlash appeared first on VICE.
