Even to casual fans of Yoko Taro's esoteric NieR franchise, the similarities to the upcoming and eagerly anticipated Stellar Blade are apparent—both feature flashy, action-based gameplay and buxom, blade-wielding protagonists, for starters. Rather than shy away from these comparisons, director Hyung-Tae Kim of Seoul-based developer Shift Up is refreshingly forthright, proclaiming it a "great honour" to be compared to such a storied developer as Taro himself.
Word comes to us by way of GamesRadar+ (via translator), who conducted an interview with Kim on the subject of Stellar Blade's influences and inspiration. NieR is first and foremost among those, which the director readily acknowledges: "NieR was very important for inspiration when it came to developing our games. It's a wonderful title that we've been inspired by... I'm a big fan of Yoko Taro."
Kim stresses that while the comparison is appreciated, he wouldn't want prospective players to get the wrong idea. When players get their hands on the game (releasing 26th April exclusively on PS5), he warned: "You'll see that the gameplay is not too similar. They're pretty different. You will see a few differences there. But to be called 'Korean NieR' and influenced by such a title is a great honour."