Played on PC
MercurySteam has had its ups and downs in its creative path. It successfully modernized Castlevania with Lords of Shadow, and then failed to live up to its own ambitions in its sequel. It released Metroid Dread, which was acclaimed by both critics and players, right after the incomprehensible Raiders of the Broken Planet (now renamed Spacelords). So when Blades of Fire was announced, it was unclear what to expect. The release is several months away. Publisher 505 Games is not spending money on an advertising campaign, apparently having recouped its investment through exclusivity in the Epic Games Store. In short, it’s all alarm bells. As the release showed, it was worth betting on the game after all.
⇡#Kingdom of steel and stone
The introduction of Blades of Fire is hardly exciting – it paints a picture in broad strokes. In a fantasy state, the evil Queen Nerea has turned all metals into stone using magic. Only her army has steel armor and blades left, thanks to which no one can now encroach on the despot’s power.
The scenery in the game is especially good.
As if having abandoned all the problems of the world, the former blacksmith Aran de Lira lives near a forest village, somehow sharpening stone tools. Until suddenly an abbot with a student named Adso appears on his doorstep. And on their tail are soldiers. Aran also turns out to be a skilled fighter, so even with a stone pickaxe he easily deals with a couple of knights in armor (not without your skillful control, of course). It’s a pity that, despite all his skill, the monk cannot be saved. But before his death, he asks to take an ancient magic hammer, guardianship over a boy, and kill the evil queen. How can you refuse a dying old man? You’ll have to deal with the problems that have piled up.
The narrative is reminiscent of classic fantasy from the times when gloom and dirty earthiness had not yet come into fashion. The reign of evil is already a sufficient reason for the hero not to sit idly by when fate calls for exploits. But Blades of Fire cannot be called a fairy tale at all. It fully works out its adult rating, not shying away from showing bloody cruelty. At the same time, the artists did not skimp on bright colors for the mesmerizing landscapes.
At first, the world seems abstract, but the further you go, the more textured it becomes. Adso, the abbot’s apprentice, although he won’t help in battle, will become your guide into history. He tells us about the places where the road of adventure takes us, and about the creatures we encounter along the way. But he writes down all the most interesting things in a journal. It turns out that the scriptwriters have done a very extensive job of building the world. Its mythology is based on well-known tropes from Slavic, Scandinavian and European folklore. But for the most part, the world once created by the great Blacksmiths feels quite original.
Leaving already? But you haven’t even tried dessert yet!
Blades of Fire is a classic road trip adventure. Aran and Adso will meet various colorful characters along the way, like a gnome granny who lives in a house on the back of a huge flying beetle, or the ghost of a cowardly old man with memory lapses. Each of them adds a new piece to the picture of the world, and just turns out to be an interesting person. Ultimately, you believe in such an environment.
⇡#I see the goal, but I don’t see the way
Compelling settings are important, but they serve more as a frame for the gameplay. Blades of Fire alternates evenly between combat and exploration. Our duo will visit several spacious regions: picturesque mountain forests, an arid desert canyon, and a snowy outpost. Although they are not impressive in scale, it is easy to get lost. Still, MercurySteam is not just an expert in “Metroidvanias”, it is the only studio in the world that has had a hand in both the Metroid and Castlevania series. Well-developed locations with a bunch of forks and secrets are in its DNA.
Only with Blades of Fire the guys got too carried away. The game suggests finding the path to the goal yourself – no markers on the map. Some paths are blocked for the time being, others end only with useful bonuses like increased health. And the story path itself is sometimes not even visible. Forks are found at every step, and soon you get lost in where you have been and where to go next.
A mysterious ghost enhances your weapons with runes. They will be needed to open new roads
Formally, the “fog of war” gradually dissipates on the map. But given the verticality of the environment, this is of little help. Already at the beginning of the adventure, Aran and the boy find themselves in the Crimson Fortress – an interweaving of several multi-story towers, with a bunch of rooms, non-obvious paths and hiding places. It’s nice when the developers don’t take the player for a fool and offer to explore the world in order to move forward, but it is important to maintain a balance and provide tools for navigation. Blades of Fire takes you back to the times when it was not shameful to draw maps in a notebook with a pen. Sometimes it is difficult to understand – either you missed an inconspicuous path, or you need to go back, because somewhere a new opportunity has opened up. Oh yes, you will have to go back more than once.
The game’s combat is better, though. It also brings back memories of the previous console generation, but only in a good way. Nowadays, almost every melee action adventure turns into a variation on the Dark Souls theme, but Blades of Fire offers a unique experience. It doesn’t rely on the approaches that have become boring over the past five years and encourages you to study the mechanics. Yes, stamina is important here too, but this is different!
The idea is simple. Aran can hit in four directions, each with its own button. A simple press is a quick strike, while holding it down is a slow and powerful lunge. Enemies have different body parts protected differently, so it’s important to hit the most exposed areas. You can defend yourself by dodging or blocking. It’s vaguely reminiscent of The Surge, but feels completely different.
If you finish off an enemy with a powered up hit, you’re almost guaranteed to cut off a limb. No gameplay benefit, but it looks cool.
True, in some ways the idea was not fully implemented. The interface clearly highlights where it is best to hit: a green outline means that the blow will hit with all its force, a yellow zone will absorb part of the damage, and your weapon will simply bounce off a red one. A rare enemy, by its appearance alone, makes it clear where it is best to attack. I would like to rely more on your own judgment based on the enemy’s appearance, and not on the color of the marker.
However, it is not enough to simply hit in the direction of the right color – it is important to understand how the enemy behaves, because the attack cannot be canceled. While you swing the hammer carelessly, they will have time to hit you in the neck and send you to the nearest forge – the local analogue of the fires. Opponents will resurrect, but at least when you die, you will not lose experience – there is practically no role-playing part in the game. Aran improves health and endurance with the help of medallions scattered in caches on locations. And everything else depends on the weapon in your hands. Here we come to the last important pillar of Blades of Fire. And the most interesting.
⇡#The master’s work is afraid
It is not for nothing that the theme of the game revolves around blacksmithing. The very hammer that falls into Aran’s hands at the beginning of the adventure is not just any hammer, but one of the Hammers of the Universe, which created the world. With its help, you will forge your own weapons (which reminds us of Stray Blade, another project in the list of the 505 Games publishing house). The hero can move to the Forge of the Gods through anvils-fires and practice his craft.
In combat, proper positioning is important. Don’t let your enemies surround you!
First, you need to select the shape and materials for the future blade. Over time, you will open up to three dozen variants of piercing-cutting-crushing weapons – they are obtained exclusively through defeating a certain number of enemies of the desired type. All samples are divided into categories: dual blades and axes, sabers, swords, two-handed swords, hammers and spears. The available combinations of blows, that is, your set of techniques, depend on the category. Having decided on the type, you customize individual parts: the length and shape of the blade, the handle, the pommel, and so on. Finally, it remains to select the materials. The more valuable they are, the more powerful the weapon will be.
Every decision you make determines the characteristics of the weapon. The key to success is balance and experimentation. You can’t just pick the best consumables and get the ultimate cannon: a long shaft will increase the range, but the blows will be slower; a tapered tip will increase damage, but the blade will last less; a reinforced base will allow you to withstand more blows in a block, but the attack will consume more stamina. These are just a few examples from a much wider list of attributes. And you will have to experience their impact on battles first-hand.
Finally, you have to work with the Hammer itself. A schematic image of the blade is displayed on the screen, and your task is to distribute the metal so that it aligns with the line of the drawing. The blank changes shape depending on the force of the blow, the angle and the application of force, which you need to adjust manually. It sounds tricky, but once you understand the idea, you immediately get involved in the process. The better you complete the task, the longer the weapon will last. Any blade will sooner or later become unusable, but this is not annoying: firstly, you can store a dozen samples in the arsenal, secondly, most likely, you will find several new drawings and decide to reforge the sword you are tired of yourself.
The workpiece gradually takes the shape of a blade
You can assign four weapon options to the quick selection keys at once. It is useful to have something for different situations at hand. For example, enemies may be vulnerable to a certain type of damage, or covered in armor from head to toe – then only a high penetration rate will help you. Some are easy to catch with a powerful hammer blow, with other enemies it is better to dive under attacks, deliver a couple of stabs and retreat, with others – to wear them down in a block.
Stamina in Blades of Fire works differently than we are used to. The less of it, the slower the attacks become – this applies to both Aran and enemies. At the same time, in a defensive stance, it quickly recovers, and with an ideal parry, it becomes inexhaustible for ten seconds, allowing you to attack at full strength. It is important to seize the initiative in time, at the moment when the enemy has completed an exhausting series, but has not yet had time to go on the defensive to catch his breath. Although in this case there is a counter-move – a charged lunge with a heavy weapon quickly breaks through any block. And this, of course, also applies to Aran.
It’s interesting to understand battles, try new approaches and types of weapons. Notice little things. For example, with certain categories of weapons, strikes in different directions form unique combos, but only if you strike at the right time. For example, with a hammer, an attack from left to right ends with the heavy part ending up above the protagonist’s head – you can catch the momentum and bring down a powerful blow on the enemy’s skull from above much faster than if you had carried out such a lunge separately.
Unfortunately, there are only a few such cinematic inserts in the game.
Unfortunately, the game does not introduce any new rules or additional mechanics. Although the combat system turned out to be original, it is not enough for the entire passage time – and this is about thirty hours. Moreover, a good part of the time you will poke into every corner in the hope of finding a path to advance through the story. It is a shame that even some opponents have unique skills: someone pulls you up with telekinesis, another causes a shock wave. You watch and envy.
* * *
Blades of Fire turned out to be an original game. Yes, it evokes the feeling of an adventure from the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 era, but not by its technical state (the game looks very decent), but by its experiments with mechanics. It really has been a long time since a third-person action game has come out in which you would have to learn to play. And this is worth a lot, despite a number of shortcomings.
Advantages:
- An entertaining combat system that for once doesn’t copy FromSoftware’s ideas;
- Fantasy atmosphere with bright colors and a dark background;
- Chemistry between the main characters;
- Juicy pictures and “live” landscapes.
Disadvantages:
- Overly confusing architecture of some locations;
- Sometimes you don’t understand what the game requires of you;
- The battles are interesting, but they desperately lack additional mechanics.
Graphic arts
Blades of Fire runs on the studio’s own engine, boasting rich graphics, soft lighting, and detailed models.
Sound
The game sounds solid: the music feeds the overall atmosphere, the ambient brings the surroundings to life, and the actors diligently play their characters.
Single player game
A fun action game with an emphasis on close combat and sometimes overly tedious exploration.
Estimated time of completion
Three dozen hours, ten of which will be spent trying to figure out where to go next.
Collective game
Not foreseen.
General impression
Blades of Fire is unlikely to make it into the top lists of the year, but in a couple of years it will definitely find its place on the lists of “entertaining games you missed.”
Rating: 7.0 / 10
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