As if there were any doubt that the eccentric creator’s silver-haired creation would be in good hands with Shift Up, players have discovered the existence of a very specific Yoko Taro-inspired Easter Egg in Stellar Blade‘s newly-released NieR Automata crossover DLC.
Released on November 19th and priced at $9.99, the Stellar Blade x NieR:Automata pack features new skins and accessories for Stellar Blade protagonist Eve based on various characters from NieR: Automata, including 2B, A2, and the generic troops who make up the latter game’s YoRHa organization.
However, more than just a visual feast, the DLC also serves as a medium for Shift Up to offer a tasteful nod to NieR series creator Yoko Taro and his signature brand of humor.
With the new DLC, if the player attempts to zoom in and angle the camera for a ‘cheeky view’ of Eve in any of her NieR-inspired outfits, they’ll be met with a swift kick to the face, with the protagonist reacting by literally booting the camera out of the way, causing the screen to shake and zoom out.
But far from just a fun way to break the fourth wall, there’s more to this reaction than some might know, as the entire idea of ‘a female character kicking the camera if the player tries to get a risqué view of her assets’ is a nod to the character of Kaine in NieR: Replicant, who would do the same thing if one tried to look up her skirt.
(And if the player tries to do the same thing ten times, Kaine will eventually kill them outright, in doing so earning them the ‘Daredevil’ trophy/achievement.)
LOL Eve kicks the camera now when you try some freak shit pic.twitter.com/0aOPFL2ClM
— zombie‼️ (@unlockedzombie) November 19, 2024
A clever Easter Egg that speaks volumes to Shift Up’s understanding of the source material, the meta-breaking camera shoo-away isn’t the only nod Stellar Blade makes to the NieR series. Eve’s 2B outfit also features the android’s iconic self-destruct mechanic, which when triggered upon a player’s death revives the heroine while also surrounding her in electrical energy and ‘exploding’ the outfit’s skirt.
While the effect doesn’t harm enemies, it’s a playful throwback to NieR: Automata’s unique design quirks.
Interestingly, even before the release of its NieR: Automata DLC, Stellar Blade was tied to Yoko Taro’s work by way of their thematic and aesthetic similarities.
Not only do Eve and 2B share their existences as ‘sexy’, sword-wielding androids dedicated to protecting the last remnants of humanity against an alien threat (the Naytiba in Stellar Blade and the Machines in NieR: Automata), but on a more granular story level, Stellar Blade also features an item that seems directly inspired by Yoko Taro’s popular title.
In Shift Up’s game, there exists the ‘Flower that Never Withers’, a white flower bathed in sunlight which appears on the map in a secret area.
While it doesn’t functionally do anything in Stellar Blade, the item is a direct reference to NieR: Automata‘s Lunar Tears, which in that universe is a rare plant whose cultivation evokes connections to plot lines and characters from previous games (like Drakengard 3 and the first NieR), all the while serving as a reminder of the beauty that can endure in a broken world.
To this end, DLC also brings with it a set of 15 ‘Stellar Tears’ – depicted in-game as a small Lunar Tear encased in a jar – which upon being collected can then be spent to purchase various accessories.
With players still making their way through the DLC and discovering more and more secrets everyday, it remains to be seen if Shift Up included even more Easter Eggs to Yoko Taro’s fan-favorite game.
But suffice to say, the current handful of nods absolutely shows both a level of reverence and respect to one of Stellar Blade‘s clear inspirations.