Oh wow, MercurySteam, right? So, they’re like this Spanish studio, been kicking around since 2002. Maybe you’ve heard of them? Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Metroid stuff—those are their babies. But hey, it’s been like ages since they brought out a new IP. Enter Blades of Fire. Yeah, it’s a bit of a mouthful, but bear with me.
Blades of Fire, what a ride, huh? It’s supposed to be this wicked cool fantasy action-adventure game. Third-person, mind you. Got this take on the Soulslike genre that’s kinda out there. The combat? Chef’s kiss. But man, there’s just a bunch of stuff holding it back from being all-time great.
So, Aran de Lira—that’s our main dude—picks up one of these ancient Fo… Forgers’ Hammers. It’s a big deal, go figure. He’s got this pal, Adso, tagging along. They’re on a mission, see, to take out this mad queen. Story’s alright-ish. Twists and turns pop up after a bit, and those emotional moments—wow. Some hit you outta nowhere. But sometimes, like, the writing? It goes a tad sideways. Voice stuff too, like they couldn’t nail the tone. Jokes when you just need straight drama. Happens.
Now, the combat… Let’s go! You lock onto baddies and bam—colored outlines. Green, orange, red. Green’s your friend, red’s a no-go. Enemies show off new resistances, so you gotta think on your feet. Armor? Aim for the weak spots. The whole thing keeps you on edge. And not to mention the “Breath of the Defender” bit. Blocking to regain stamina—so fresh. Really keeps Soulslike fans on their toes. But wait, I’m rambling, where was I?
Oh, right, the Forge thing. You get to whip up weapons from nada. Seriously, you pick blueprints, mix materials… Even some goofy heating minigame. It’s detailed, honestly. Adjust parries, blocks, reach—you name it. Imagine a game where, if a new threat pops up, you just whip up a weapon tailored to nuke it. That’s the loop, and it’s addictive.
But uh, onto the world. The pacing is… eh, mixed. Exploration’s rewarding but sometimes misleads, like, hard. The first area makes sense, sets the bar high. Then the third one waltzes in with paths upon paths, going up and down and all around. Makes your head spin. Especially when backtracking becomes a thing. It kinda messes the flow up.
And the difficulty? Oh boy. Regular enemies, decent. They hit hard, yeah, but not unfair. Bosses, though—they bring you to tears. Like, one-hit KOs. And you can’t just power-level your way out. Nope, they leave you scratching your head. Small ones hit fast and hard, big ones hit even harder. Feels off. Maybe they thought it added tension, but it grinds your gears to the core.
Blades of Fire’s got the spark—nice combat, neat exploration, fun weapon crafting. But the stumbles, like boss fights and level chaos? They sort of smudge the experience. All their tools were right there, yet somehow, they forged this seriously uneven blade. Thrilling yet frustrating—I suppose that’s the takeaway.
Playing on “Steel” difficulty, by the way. That’s what they suggested.
