By Sagar V. Mankar Why is the Back of Stellar Blade’s Lead Character Eve So Hot from Backside?
When it comes to character designs in video games, developers often strive to create idealized and visually appealing avatars that captivate players’ imaginations.
In the case of the upcoming action RPG Stellar Blade, the game’s director at Shift Up, Hyung-Tae Kim, believes that the deliberate glamorization of the lead character, Eve, is a brave and intentional choice.
In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Kim said that they paid special attention to the design of Eve’s backside because players will spend most of their time facing her from behind during gameplay.
This design, which was created based on the body scan of Korean model Shin Jae-eun, has faced criticism from the global media due to the over-sexualization of the main character.
Especially IGN France which stated that the character is “a doll sexualized by someone who has never seen a woman.” [Though they apologized later for their biased opinion]
The Pursuit of Idealized Beauty in Games
Kim acknowledges that while the pursuit of unrealistically beautiful characters in games is sometimes met with criticism, he believes that entertainment media should offer an escape from the ordinary.
“Honestly, when I play a game I would like to see someone who is better-looking than myself. That’s what I want. I don’t want to see something normal; I want to see something more ideal. I think that is very important in a form of entertainment. This is, after all, entertainment targeted for adults.“
If you are aware of the high beauty standards and plastic surgery trends among Korean youngsters, then his opinion feels no surprise.
Before Stellar Blade, Shift Up was best known for the gacha game Goddess of Victory: Nikke, which is also well known for focusing on the backs of its anime characters.
He personally thinks that when it comes to games, people are “especially strict” towards “unrealistically beautiful characters.”
But for Kim, that’s exactly what he wants to see in a game – “someone that can show their own charms and attractiveness without damaging the narrative or the setting of the game.“
Eve’s Character Journey
As for the protagonist Eve herself, Kim discusses her personality and backstory, noting that she starts off as more “soldier-like” and emotionless, but becomes more human as the game progresses.
This journey towards humanity does remind me of Nier: Automata’s 2B, which Kim says he’s honored to see the game compared to, as he’s a big fan of Yoko Taro (Creator of Nier).
Stellar Blade is set to be released on April 26, 2024, for PlayStation 5.