Hyung-Tae Kim, the director of the game Stellar Blade, once mentioned in an interview that he drew inspiration from the game NieR: Automata, set in a post-apocalyptic future world, and utilized female anime-style characters wielding swords to fight against enemies.
In an exclusive interview with IGN Japan, Yoko Taro, the director of NieR: Automata, traveled to the offices of Studio Shift Up in South Korea to have a joint interview with Hyung-Tae Kim. Yoko Taro expressed familiarity with Hyung-Tae Kim’s work from the game Magna Carta: Tears of Blood during the PS2 era, where Kim was involved as an illustrator. This game preceded Drakengard, the first game directed by Yoko Taro, making Taro view Kim as a senior figure in the gaming industry, despite Taro being older in age.
Regarding the comparison between Stellar Blade and NieR: Automata, Yoko Taro praised Stellar Blade as an outstanding game, even suggesting that it surpasses NieR: Automata in terms of graphic quality and character design, with both female and male characters being exceptionally well-designed. Taro even mentioned that the NPC shop owner in the game received compliments for being cuter than the main female protagonist.
Furthermore, Taro noted that Eve, the female lead in Stellar Blade, appeared more “Japanese-style” than 2B, the female lead in NieR: Automata, due to 2B’s design of pure white hair deviating significantly from the typical Japanese character norms. Taro explained that he intentionally designed 2B to break away from the generic sci-fi character archetype of male soldiers in uniform carrying guns by featuring a white-haired female character in black attire and a blindfold, creating a distinct contrast.
Taro elaborated that his influence in creating NieR: Automata stemmed from Neon Genesis Evangelion, where the narrative of NieR is a reinterpretation of Evangelion’s storyline. Similarly, Kim admitted his admiration for Evangelion, drawing inspiration for his work, along with influences from Battle Angel Alita and Blade Runner.
TLDR: Hyung-Tae Kim drew inspiration from NieR: Automata for Stellar Blade, with Yoko Taro praising the game’s graphics and character design. Taro explained the influences behind NieR: Automata, highlighting the departure from traditional character archetypes and the narrative inspiration from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
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