Accused of sexism by some, Stellar Blade is debated. So much so that a Korean magazine enjoys giving lessons on female beauty.
Polemic Stellar Blade is taking on a magnitude that is astonishing to say the least. The Korean action game, to be released on April 26, 2024 on PlayStation 5, is divisive due to the hypersexualization of its heroine. On the one hand, there are those who do not see the problem, attacking good thinking. On the other hand, there is the camp which condemns this sexist representation of women, via a heroine whose shapes are highlighted by sexy outfits and/or camera shots.
The developers are 100% responsible for the design of Eve, the main character of Stellar Bladearguing that it is an ideal intended “ to an adult audience “. It’s hard not to see an obsession with perverse overtones, as Asian productions know how to offer so well (look at the images from the Dead or Alive games). The debate is so lively that it has crossed borders to end up on a Korean YouTube channel: the magazine Maxim Korea, which has more than 1.1 million subscribers, has fun publishing videos in which it explains to us what a beautiful woman is, defending then Stellar Blade and the image it conveys.
It’s not the physique of the heroine of Stellar Blade that poses a problem
Will Stellar Blade be a good action game?
A playable demo of Stellar Blade is available on PS5. It allows you to discover the incredible graphics of the game and highlights successful gameplay. In short, the first impression is good.
It all started with an article from our colleagues at IGN France. In its preview published on March 27 (and since edited), the media condemned Eve’s physique, initially described as “ a doll sexualized by someone who has never seen a woman. » A clumsy and slightly provocative sentence, which goes badly when Eve was modeled from a mannequin. Erwan Lafleurieleditor-in-chief of IGN France, justified himself in the forums: “ The problem is not the sexy design itself (…), but the percentage of males who will only want this fictitious body type in reality. Obviously, we understand that this does not shock people who think that women are objects who must obey and be beaten. »
IGN France was massively quoted – even mocked – after this article for which it later apologized. “ IGN France produced and published a preview of Stellar Blade containing an offensive passage that should never have been kept. The text has now been edited and here is our official apology to the staff of the Shift Up Corporation studio. », We can read in an insert. The sentence was replaced by: “ Eve from Stellar Blade is just bland “.
Maxim Korea targets IGN France directly in a video titled “ Who has a realistic body here? » and published on April 6. In which the Korean company, which necessarily preaches for the artistic and cultural values of its country (a country where beauty is important and where cosmetic surgery is popular), gives us a short course on what a realistic physique is. “ Can a character created from the body of a real person be considered unrealistic? », asks the presenter. It is clearly IGN’s wording that is causing concern, even though that is not really the subject.
Model Shin Jae-eun
Eve in Stellar Blade
Basically, the main problem of Stellar Blade is not the physique of its heroine, although we could accuse the developers of forcing the line compared to the basic model. If we look at some motion capture clips of Shin Jae-eun, we can see that his physique is not quite that of Eve. His face is replaced (he is more youthful), while his measurements seem to have been exaggerated (the buttocks, in particular). There is a notion of falsified perfection, which gives a bad representation.
The main problem of Stellar Blade lies in the way in which the Shift Up studio highlights the heroine’s perfect physique and the communication levers it uses. Thus, you can dress Eve as you wish, with dozens of more or less seductive outfits (example: the schoolgirl costume). This is where we can agree with IGN France’s initial argument: Eve will be a doll capable of satisfying certain fantasies. Shift Up even goes so far as to integrate a skin-colored outfit (“Skin Suit”), giving the impression of playing a naked woman – it removes the shield, which increases the difficulty. On February 8, a tweet shows the outfit that will be included in the Deluxe Edition. Result ? A close-up of the chest, with the animation of the breasts looking good. Without forgetting the staging of the game which loves to emphasize the physical attributes of the female protagonists.
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