Summary
Stellar Blade, the upcoming PS5-exclusive action-RPG from developer Shift Up, is shaping up to be one of the console’s most unique upcoming titles. During PlayStation’s January State of Play, Shift Up gave fans their best glimpse yet at the game’s story, combat, and world. Fans were introduced to Eve,Stellar Blade’s protagonist, who seeks to restore a post-apocalyptic Earth, after ferocious monsters called the Naytiba or NA:tive drove much of humanity off-world. The Naytiba are a mysterious foe, and their grasp on Earth will no doubt be explored throughout the title’s campaign. However, the title’s various trailers help to explainStellar Blade’s Naytiba antagonists.
Stellar Bladewas first revealed under a different title,Project Eve, back in 2019. However, fans' first true glimpse at what the title would truly become debuted during the September 2021 State of Play presentation. Here, fans were shown the game’s combat, characters, and world, as well as a few shots of its monstrous enemies. Soon after, the title’s change was announced, and now, in 2024, fans have been given a thorough overview ofStellar Blade’s core concepts, with the central conflict between Eve and the Naytiba thrust into the spotlight.
Stellar Blade and Its Enemies Are Seemingly Inspired by Biblical Events
Stellar Bladeappears, on the surface, to be a highly stylized action-RPG, akin toDevil May Cryand other modern hack-and-slash titles. However, many of its central elements appear to be inspired by Biblical creation and end-time narratives. The title’s central characters, as revealed thus far, are Eve, the player character, and Adam, the lead human character. Eve, part of an off-world squadron tasked with defeating the Elder Naytiba, descends from the “heavens” to aid Adam, and the colony of Xion, in their fight against the Naytiba. By looking back onprevious trailers for bothProject EveandStellar Blade, fans can discover even more ties to Biblical characters, including a rather compelling connection to the Naytiba.
Stellar Blade’s Naytiba have appeared in many of its trailers and promotional materials. However, they used to go by a different name, NA:tives. NA:tives are seemingly alluding to their status as creatures that existed before humanity, possibly the original inhabitants of the title’s “Earth”. Early speculation had many fans believing that the Naytiba were angelic figures, thanks in large part to their design. One particularly large enemy, from a 2021 trailer, seemingly adapts one Biblical description of a Seraph, boasting four feathers, a large central eye, and various smaller eyes littered throughout its design. While these central concepts all seemingly allude to Biblical creation,the Naytiba’s rolewithin the title’s narrative seems more connected to Revelation, in which the Biblical “end times” take place.
The Naytiba’s Seemingly Biblical Nature May Allude to Their True Purpose
Stellar Blade’s lead characters may be Eve and Adam, but the title’s plot appears heavily inspired bythe book of Revelation. Earth is being ravaged by monsters after much of humanity, referred to as the “greater ones” have fled to the heavens, while the rest of humanity have taken refuge in the city of Xion. This mirrors some elements of the Biblical end-times which see the “faithful” taken to heaven, while those left behind are believed to face unimaginable horrors, as “the gates of hell” open and monsters ravage the Earth. Likewise, Xion, a parallel to the Biblical Zion, is a place of refuge and safety.
Just how directlyStellar Bladeis inspired by the Bible’s overarching creation and end-time narrativesremains to be seen. However, every glimpse that fans have been given so far points to the religious text being a major influence onStellar Blade’s most significant elements, the Naytiba included. If the Naytiba are parallels to Biblical angels or Revelation’s monsters, that raises a significant question about the Elder Naytiba, whose singular defeat is thought to end the monsters’ “invasion” of Earth. Luckily, fans don’t have long to wait before their questions are answered.Stellar Blade’s most recent trailer revealed that the title will be released on June 25, 2025, leaving just two months for fans to speculate on the Naytiba and their origins.
Stellar Blade
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RECLAIM EARTH FOR HUMANKIND The future of humanity hangs in the balance in Stellar Blade, an all-new story-driven action adventure. Ravaged by strange, powerful creatures, Earth has been abandoned, and what is left of the decimated human race has fled to a Colony in outer space. After travelling from the Colony, 7th Airborne Squad member EVE arrives on the desolate remains of our planet with a clear-cut mission: to save humankind by reclaiming Earth from the Naytiba – the malevolent force that has devastated it. But as EVE tackles the Naytiba one-by-one, piecing together the mysteries of the past in the ruins of human civilization, she realizes that her mission is far from straightforward. In fact, almost nothing is as it seems…
