Stellar Blade - Previews & Demo Thread [Staff Post Threadmarked]

[Kyuuji]

Did it late last night so didn't realise the video export got messed up. Oops! Redid them for peeps who were interested in either doing the skip or seeing the cutscenes from after the demo.

Breaking out:

View: https://streamable.com/1kspbv

Post-demo cutscenes:

View: https://streamable.com/g62qvk

View: https://streamable.com/vj9c6m

Note again that the fade to black is where the break is. Just stays that way with the music playing. I assume it's because it's taking us to a different location, which makes me think of the wasteland as it's an area we've seen a lot of in trailers so I figure it's early on. Would make sense following the first cutscene above that we'd be looking to meet those other survivors as well.

Placing my bet on Adam suggesting we change out of our battle angel outfit to avoid attention and giving us a new one (potentially the wasteland adventurer?) 🤞

Post-demo image dump for anyone who missed it on the last page too. I recommend just doing the skip though, it almost doubles the size of the demo so there's more to judge and get a feel for. New enemies, more levels, cutscenes etc.

Spoiler: image heavy

I didn't mind the level design on the post-demo like others did, it feels like more of the same which is fine. I'm still not a fan of fighting multiple enemies though. When you have a larger enemy with all the small Droideka looking ones around you it feels annoying. Skill issue I know, but the systems don't seem as built around fighting multiple enemies imo. Did like the quadruped enemy tho, they were cool. Eve continues to doll face during cutscenes which is more disconcerting than anything else lol.

This explains why you wanted me to get the game!

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To be fair you have been enjoying bad Souls games of late so you know 💅

Finally some real fucking food! This outfit is amazing!

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Literally lol. Was happy to see it was an actual outfit and not another latex bodysuit.

 

[EarlGreyHot]

Finally got around to trying this. There is a lot here I like but it's just too difficult for me. Maybe I'll try again on easy.

 

[Majin Boo]

I'm still not a fan of fighting multiple enemies though. When you have a larger enemy with all the small Droideka looking ones around you it feels annoying. Skill issue I know, but the systems don't seem as built around fighting multiple enemies imo. Did like the quadruped enemy tho, they were cool. Eve continues to doll face during cutscenes which is becoming more unnerving than anything else lol.

Click to shrink...

Yeah fighting several enemies at once does not feel great, the game is just too sluggish for that. It's the reason that the first beta skill I upgraded was the horizontal slash, it just kills the critters immediately. I assume the double dodge will help with such encounters too.
The bull thingy was a nice surprise, I am really curious about the remaining enemy types and how encounter design will evolve over the course of the game.

 

[gentlelight8758]

Wanted to share this because I often see everyone everywhere just holding down the R2 to use their gun. More dmg if you can knock them down with no shield on.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg6SbQ0BXhs

 

[Yappa]

I usually miss that purple prompt due to beta skill comboing the enemy when he's about to do it.

 

[Kyuuji]

General awareness but don't summon the monorail in the post-demo bit. It locks you out from going back and exploring and the demo ends in the next cutscene (last video in my post above). So unless you're desperate to see it and don't mind running the whole demo and skip through again (as I will now have to – pain!), do the puzzle and then just wander back without summoning.

Yeah fighting several enemies at once does not feel great, the game is just too sluggish for that. It's the reason that the first beta skill I upgraded was the horizontal slash, it just kills the critters immediately. I assume the double dodge will help with such encounters too.
The bull thingy was a nice surprise, I am really curious about the remaining enemy types and how encounter design will evolve over the course of the game.

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Glad it isn't just me! The combat does seem designed mostly for 1v1 encounters. Hopefully we get a stun move or something later that helps with crowd control. Same on the enemy variety and encounter designs. Imagine it'll get pretty intense later into it as more skills unlock.

 

[GwyndolinCinder]

Is there more mob fights in the glitch area? Eves got a few moves to do wide sweeps, but nothing really to test them against in the demo

 

[Kyuuji]

Thought I was just being dumb for a second and that there was an obvious way out of it…

…but when you die it just spawns you by the monorail 😩😪

Is there more mob fights in the glitch area? Eves got a few moves to do wide sweeps, but nothing really to test them against in the demo

Click to shrink...

Yeh there's one or two. Nothing massive just a couple of normal enemies and then a handful of the small annoying ones. Honestly recommend the glitch, you see a couple of new enemy types too. Gives a decent chunk more to look around and see, several new rest stops. Just don't call the monorail.

 

[Loud Wrong]

Damn, thanks for checking. Does it break on the monorail trip for you as well?

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Yep, shows Eve sitting down, music plays and screen goes black. The game saved at a point where the monorail is always there, so there's no way to go back and explore. So of course I'm going to have to go glitch it again this week. Interesting part of the demo is if you approach the roof of the parking deck from within the parking deck, it doesn't spawn the boss. I guess just a sign we broke the game.

 

[Kyuuji]

Yep, shows Eve sitting down, music plays and screen goes black. The game saved at a point where the monorail is always there, so there's no way to go back and explore. So of course I'm going to have to go glitch it again this week. Interesting part of the demo is if you approach the roof of the parking deck from within the parking deck, it doesn't spawn the boss. I guess just a sign we broke the game.

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I have tried every way to jump on the railings and the sign to get over and out but to no avail. So yup lol, shades of new game coming on. That's good to know on the car park roof. I saw the camp sign but didn't want to risk it triggering the boss and causing a problem. Will have to explore up there next time. Definitely want to look around the new areas more, I wasn't sure if it was going to properly save so I just made sure I'd looked everywhere and done pickups/chests and moved on. Honestly thought it wasn't going to end for a second lol.

 

[Loud Wrong]

I have tried every way to jump on the railings and the sign to get over and out but to no avail. So yup lol, shades of new game coming on. That's good to know on the car park roof. I saw the camp sign but didn't want to risk it triggering the boss and causing a problem. Will have to explore up there next time. Definitely want to look around the new areas more, I wasn't sure if it was going to properly save so I just made sure I'd looked everywhere and done pickups/chests and moved on. Honestly thought it wasn't going to end for a second lol.

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I'm just left wondering why they have you open up two ways back to the parking deck stairs. I didn't see much of a reason to go back after beating the boss. I'm assuming the normal progression is beat the boss, then descend through the parking deck. There's a small camp on top of the deck, so the only reason to need to go back to the other area would be to use the upgrade terminal since the camp before the boss is a larger dreamcatcher camp. I don't know, but the more I explored it, the less worried I am about it feeling boring since it appears the monorail is taking us somewhere totally new.

 

[ScionN7]

So question for those who glitched further into the demo. I've seen a couple of you mention the level design isn't good. Can you clarify? Is it fine/serviceable/okayish, or is it legit bad? Because people keep bringing up comparisons to FromSoftware's level design, which is the best in the genre imo.

I mean I'm a decent cook, but I don't want anyone to criticize my cooking in comparison to Marco Pierre White.

 

[Majin Boo]

So question for those who glitched further into the demo. I've seen a couple of you mention the level design isn't good. Can you clarify? Is it fine/serviceable/okayish, or is it legit bad? Because people keep bringing up comparisons to FromSoftware's level design, which is the best in the genre imo.

I mean I'm a decent cook, but I don't want anyone to criticize my cooking in comparison to Marco Pierre White.

Click to shrink...

It's fine imo, comparable to Lies of P so far (or conceptually to Dark Souls 3). It's very linear, there's one path that leads to progression and branching paths that lead to dead ends with loot and enemies. Shortcut doors are used to reconnect to areas you've been to previously. VIusally it all looks pretty samey in the intro level, but I don't really want to use that level to judge their level design since intro levels are rarely impressive. The fact that Eve can climb and swim/dive adds some possibilties not available to most other soulslikes.

 

[gentlelight8758]

I usually miss that purple prompt due to beta skill comboing the enemy when he's about to do it.

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Then you both end up hitting each other right? This guy will always purple prompt if you lock-on, then triangle rush at the very start followed up by spamming circle which will do a perfect dodge (can't miss this dodge if you lock on and rush as fast as you can)..... It will be his next attack or the attack after that. This is assuming you don't have some crazy unorthodox fighting style.

 

[WardFail]

Did it late last night so didn't realise the video export got messed up. Oops! Redid them for peeps who were interested in either doing the skip or seeing the cutscenes from after the demo.

Breaking out:

View: https://streamable.com/1kspbv

Click to shrink...

Nice! I had a feeling Blink was involved in the glitch.

 

[Loud Wrong]

So question for those who glitched further into the demo. I've seen a couple of you mention the level design isn't good. Can you clarify? Is it fine/serviceable/okayish, or is it legit bad? Because people keep bringing up comparisons to FromSoftware's level design, which is the best in the genre imo.

I mean I'm a decent cook, but I don't want anyone to criticize my cooking in comparison to Marco Pierre White.

Click to shrink...

I was the who complained. The section I explored felt very samey with a bunch of narrow corridors leading to dead ends with a slightly more difficult enemy. But then I saw Kyuuji pics and realized there was a direction I didn't go, and it had some cooler locations. I still don't see the need for the shortcuts that open up, because there's so many camps already and the game doesn't even send you all the way back when you die, so the Souls shortcut run isn't even a necessity in this game. I'm still waiting to preorder because this game could easily be great or mediocre, but right now I'm leaning towards very good.

 

[ScionN7]

I was the who complained. The section I explored felt very samey with a bunch of narrow corridors leading to dead ends with a slightly more difficult enemy. But then I saw Kyuuji pics and realized there was a direction I didn't go, and it had some cooler locations. I still don't see the need for the shortcuts that open up, because there's so many camps already and the game doesn't even send you all the way back when you die, so the Souls shortcut run isn't even a necessity in this game. I'm still waiting to preorder because this game could easily be great or mediocre, but right now I'm leaning towards very good.

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It's fine imo, comparable to Lies of P so far (or conceptually to Dark Souls 3). It's very linear, there's one path that leads to progression and branching paths that lead to dead ends with loot and enemies. Shortcut doors are used to reconnect to areas you've been to previously. VIusally it all looks pretty samey in the intro level, but I don't really want to use that level to judge their level design since intro levels are rarely impressive. The fact that Eve can climb and swim/dive adds some possibilties not available to most other soulslikes.

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Thank you for clarifying.

 

[Gwynn]

I managed to glitch into the parking garage at the end of the demo using the method shown here:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng919D4BB74

No idea what this will do to your save file though, so maybe back it up if you want to transfer it over to the full game.

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Oh, hello plans for today (•̀⌄•́)

 

[gentlelight8758]

Yes, I managed to glitch my way through, but I didn't explore too much. I want to wait for the game release.

 

[Kyuuji]

It's funny how you can play something a number of times and miss things still. Had always missed this rest point and the blue loot goblin around the corner right at the very start of Eidos 7. I'd always dived down in the water to the chest and moved on lol.

Got back to the post-demo and started going through it more slowly, had missed this the first time. Made me jump lol 😭

Spoiler: post-demo area

Noticed these two on the balcony and then the yellow paint:

View: https://streamable.com/rnjp2n

 

[NediarPT88]

It's funny how you can play something a number of times and miss things still. Had always missed this rest point and the blue loot goblin around the corner right at the very start of Eidos 7. I'd always dived down in the water to the chest and moved on lol.

Got back to the post-demo and started going through it more slowly, had missed this the first time. Made me jump lol 😭

Spoiler: post-demo area

Noticed these two on the balcony and then the yellow paint:

View: https://streamable.com/rnjp2n

Click to shrink...

Holy shit I wasn't expecting that lol

It's hard to fall for enemies around corners nowadays because games like Nioh (and more recently Lies of P) did that a lot to the point where I now always check that stuff with the camera before going in. But that one was pretty well hidden, at least based on that footage I couldn't tell it was behind the glass.

 

[riverfr0zen]

I just started the demo and saw this:

What am I missing, or did something happen to the humans of Earth that they needed these kind of instructions?

 

[Loud Wrong]

It's funny how you can play something a number of times and miss things still. Had always missed this rest point and the blue loot goblin around the corner right at the very start of Eidos 7. I'd always dived down in the water to the chest and moved on lol.

Got back to the post-demo and started going through it more slowly, had missed this the first time. Made me jump lol 😭

Spoiler: post-demo area

Noticed these two on the balcony and then the yellow paint:

View: https://streamable.com/rnjp2n

Click to shrink...

That guy scared me too.

 

[Kyuuji]

Had 3 skill points spare so dumped them into rush. Maxed out rush goes a decent distance:

Also, this was satisfying:

Spoiler: post-demo enemy type

View: https://streamable.com/z9hdib

Holy shit I wasn't expecting that lol

It's hard to fall for enemies around corners nowadays because games like Nioh (and more recently Lies of P) did that a lot to the point where I now always check that stuff with the camera before going in. But that one was pretty well hidden, at least based on that footage I couldn't tell it was behind the glass.

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That guy scared me too.

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Right?? Genuinely had no idea and it made me jump lol

 

[Temtastic Muns]

Stellar Blade X NieR: Automata: Yoko Taro and Hyung-Tae Kim on How Their Blockbusters Inspire One Another - IGN

We talk to Yoko Taro and Hyung-Tae Kim about the ways that Stellar Blade is inspired by NieR: Automata, comparisons between EVE and 2B, and much more.

www.ign.com

 

[PhillyPaw]

Stellar Blade X NieR: Automata: Yoko Taro and Hyung-Tae Kim on How Their Blockbusters Inspire One Another - IGN

We talk to Yoko Taro and Hyung-Tae Kim about the ways that Stellar Blade is inspired by NieR: Automata, comparisons between EVE and 2B, and much more.

www.ign.com

Click to shrink...

Great interview!

 

[Yappa]

Meh, I might just buy both the japanese Digital Deluxe and a japanese phyical copy. Damn you, Shift Up/Sony for forcing my hand. :(

Then you both end up hitting each other right? This guy will always purple prompt if you lock-on, then triangle rush at the very start followed up by spamming circle which will do a perfect dodge (can't miss this dodge if you lock on and rush as fast as you can)..... It will be his next attack or the attack after that. This is assuming you don't have some crazy unorthodox fighting style.

Click to shrink...

I'll have to give that a try, though is triangle rushing right at the start even possible due to the debris thrown at you?

 

[gentlelight8758]

Meh, I might just buy both the japanese Digital Deluxe and a japanese phyical copy. Damn you, Shift Up/Sony for forcing my hand. :(


I'll have to give that a try, though is triangle rushing right at the start even possible due to the debris thrown at you?

Click to shrink...

It is. Its how I always open up.


View: https://youtu.be/PO5BZAMcUsE?si=hle8PDFf6yqjU_Ea

 

[SolidSnakex]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRHwFNlSIOM&

 

[Yappa]

Nice trailer. Gotta play this with Asami Seto voice, for sure.
Nothing really new story wise though. Hopefully, there's a lot of cinematics that they're not showing us.

Heh, did they lower the brightness at the 19s mark? We know that from anime series, but also doing that for video game trailers is a new one to me.

It is. Its how I always open up.


View: https://youtu.be/PO5BZAMcUsE?si=hle8PDFf6yqjU_Ea

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Oh, you managed to do it without taking any damage huh. Gotta try this, thanks.
Welcome to the forum btw.

 

[gentlelight8758]

Nice trailer. Gotta play this with Asami Seto voice, for sure.
Nothing really new story wise though. Hopefully, there's a lot of cinematics that they're not showing us.

Heh, did they lower the brightness at the 19s mark? We know that from anime series, but also doing that for video game trailers is a new one to me.


Oh, you managed to do it without taking any damage huh. Gotta try this, thanks.
Welcome to the forum btw.

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No, without getting hit. I mis-timed a parry so I took block damage. If it wasn't for that, I would have called it a no hit no damage run. Thanks for the welcome. :)

edit - Oh, don't forget to lock on first at the start.

 

[Kyuuji]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRHwFNlSIOM&

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More footage/angles of the black and white cybernetic suit. Closest we'll probably get to PN03.

Also hadn't spotted this machine/naytiba/samurai boss before:

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

That's one of the weirder interviews ive read in a good while. The most interesting part is how enduringly inspirational Eva was.

 

[Deluxera]

Stellar Blade X NieR: Automata: Yoko Taro and Hyung-Tae Kim on How Their Blockbusters Inspire One Another - IGN

We talk to Yoko Taro and Hyung-Tae Kim about the ways that Stellar Blade is inspired by NieR: Automata, comparisons between EVE and 2B, and much more.

www.ign.com

Click to shrink...

Very interesting read.

 

[Mr.Fletcher]

Asami Seto always does an amazing job. Whenever she's involved I sit up and take notice. Love her as Mai and Reina (and everything else!).

 

[Kudo]

Stellar Blade X NieR: Automata: Yoko Taro and Hyung-Tae Kim on How Their Blockbusters Inspire One Another - IGN

We talk to Yoko Taro and Hyung-Tae Kim about the ways that Stellar Blade is inspired by NieR: Automata, comparisons between EVE and 2B, and much more.

www.ign.com

Click to shrink...

Great interview and they both had good insight.
Miyazaki invented stress as product, too real!

 

[OnanieBomb]

I thought the style of the game is cool enough that I hope it turns out good, but the demo did not make a great impression, especially in terms of gameplay.

The combat (and the game overall) doesn't feel like it has a strong identity. I can't help but compare it to existing action games that already do whatever Stellar Blade is trying to do much better. I hope the game some sort of unique hook/gimmick that I didn't really pick up on.

The game has launch game vibes, which is a weird feeling several years into a generation.

Anyways, I'll keep an eye on reviews and community impressions. I hope it's good! The demo did not convince me it is.

 

[Yappa]

From reading the interview, I'm definitely more of a Nier person with a heavy focus on story and simplistic gameplay.
Kim is saying that he can't compete with Taro storywise and wants to make it up by having great gameplay. Sounds a bit disappointing to me, but, still, I hope that the story won't be too generic and surprise us...

 

[gentlelight8758]

I thought the style of the game is cool enough that I hope it turns out good, but the demo did not make a great impression, especially in terms of gameplay.

The combat (and the game overall) doesn't feel like it has a strong identity. I can't help but compare it to existing action games that already do whatever Stellar Blade is trying to do much better. I hope the game some sort of unique hook/gimmick that I didn't really pick up on.

The game has launch game vibes, which is a weird feeling several years into a generation.

Anyways, I'll keep an eye on reviews and community impressions. I hope it's good! The demo did not convince me it is.

Click to shrink...

In case you are not aware of the insane mechanics the game has: check that link.

edit - also, I don't think the above article covers This info. I'm trying to practice this but I have so much trouble. Its like tricking the system into doing one combo into another while canceling the first hit of the follow up combo.... if that makes sense.
In the video on twitter, the first combo starts with Triangle trangle, yet the follow up combo after that is triangle square squre (without the triangle).
And for some reason, no one is using beta chains which I found surprising (and I watched a ton of streamers/videos). That will probably change soon.

 

[Yappa]

Yep, that's an excellent guide. Definitely gotta keep in mind the "STST" combo.

 

[Chrono]

Asami Seto always does an amazing job. Whenever she's involved I sit up and take notice. Love her as Mai and Reina (and everything else!).

Click to shrink...

I agree, she's great.

Too bad the JP VA is locked to Japanese copies, though. :(

 

[NediarPT88]

In case you are not aware of the insane mechanics the game has: check that link.

Click to shrink...

They definitely put some time into this, good stuff.

 

[SoneaB]

They definitely put some time into this, good stuff.

Click to shrink...

I tried to explain something similar to someone when I tried to politely suggest they stop mashing buttons as the game would punish them for it but I'm just going to link them that. They did a far better job of articulating that than I ever could.

 

[Kyuuji]

Was curious so while I went through the demo/post-demo again I made a note to screenshot the Russian text and translate it. Nothing remarkable, but figured I'd share if anyone else has been curious.

Anyway, think I've scoured everywhere I can in the post/demo. I'd only missed one place (fans of the number 8 rejoice) but other than that I think it's all picked apart.

I'd bet like 70% of people who ran through the demo missed something though, higher if we're talking post-demo too. The level design isn't anything spectacular but it does reward exploring and poking around. Also, at least in the demo, skill points come real easy. I've not been grinding for the sake of it and I've been unlocking 2-3 skills each time I dip in. Becomes a nice progression with picking something up, using it and getting used to it and then 20m later having another SP to use.

 

[Mr.Fletcher]

I agree, she's great.

Too bad the JP VA is locked to Japanese copies, though. :(

Click to shrink...

Seems like a pain to get too. I have a soft spot for English dubs, even the cheesy ones, but it's a shame more people can't get hold of the JP VA, as I imagine a lot of people would choose it.

 

[OnanieBomb]

In case you are not aware of the insane mechanics the game has: check that link.

edit - also, I don't think the above article covers This info. I'm trying to practice this but I have so much trouble. Its like tricking the system into doing one combo into another while canceling the first hit of the follow up combo.... if that makes sense.
In the video on twitter, the first combo starts with Triangle trangle, yet the follow up combo after that is triangle square squre (without the triangle).
And for some reason, no one is using beta chains which I found surprising (and I watched a ton of streamers/videos). That will probably change soon.

Click to shrink...

Interesting seems promising

 

[Loud Wrong]

Was curious so while I went through the demo/post-demo again I made a note to screenshot the Russian text and translate it. Nothing remarkable, but figured I'd share if anyone else has been curious.

Anyway, think I've scoured everywhere I can in the post/demo. I'd only missed one place (fans of the number 8 rejoice) but other than that I think it's all picked apart.

I'd bet like 70% of people who ran through the demo missed something though, higher if we're talking post-demo too. The level design isn't anything spectacular but it does reward exploring and poking around. Also, at least in the demo, skill points come real easy. I've not been grinding for the sake of it and I've been unlocking 2-3 skills each time I dip in. Becomes a nice progression with picking something up, using it and getting used to it and then 20m later having another SP to use.

Click to shrink...

You missed the giant Russian Pepsi sign (to right if you're facing it of the first camp when you exit the parking deck). I assume that's a bottling plant and not a hotel. There's an interesting mix of languages on display in this "colossal city".

Also that jump scare enemy inside the windowed room is really disguised well, but if you know to look, you can see it all folded up to look like furniture….furniture that's creepily twitching a bit.

 

[NediarPT88]

edit - also, I don't think the above article covers This info.

Click to shrink...

Interesting, at the end they are using beta skills without interrupting the combos, wasn't aware you could do that. GwyndolinCinder tagging you in case you missed this.

 

[Chrono]

Seems like a pain to get too. I have a soft spot for English dubs, even the cheesy ones, but it's a shame more people can't get hold of the JP VA, as I imagine a lot of people would choose it.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, it's irritating. I'm beginning to think that there's a regional block on it or something. Amazon Japan still won't ship it outside of Japan, and the other two import websites I use (AmiAmi and CDJapan) aren't even carrying it. Super strange.

I'm going to keep holding out hope that Amazon Japan eventually lets me order it there, if not I'll have no choice but to use Play-Asia. Unless VGP or PNP manage to get some copies in.

Edit:

I found Stellar Blade on the Japanese version of AmiAmi's website so they're offering it, just not to people outside Japan. Frustrating. And now Play-Asia is sold out too.

https://www.amiami.jp/top/detail/detail?scode=GAME-0030216&rank=ctg

Oh well.

 

[Modest_Modsoul]

View: https://x.com/StellarBlade/status/1780234057625858233