Alright, so, there I was, rummaging through this old game studio’s back catalog, MercurySteam, right? Weird name. Spanish crew, been around since 2002, tossing out hits like Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. They even took a swing at Metroid with Samus Returns and Dread. Busy bees. But now, after what feels like an eternity, they’re back with an original gig—Blades of Fire. Yeah, the first new idea in nearly ten years! Crazy how time flies, huh?
So, Blades of Fire, it’s a fantasy action-adventure thing. Third-person. Think Soulslike but with a quirky twist. Now, I’m not saying it’s perfect—far from it. It’s got muscle, especially in combat and creativity, but there’s this invisible drag pulling it back from the heavens of gaming greatness. Honestly, it’s kinda maddening.
And oh, I stumbled upon this little chat with the art director, Arturo. Dude’s apparently obsessed with 80s vibes. Reminded me of that time I binge-watched old neon sci-fi movies. Anyway—wait, where was I headed with this?
The story. Right, the story is a mixed bag of nuts. You dive in as Aran de Lira, this battle-scarred dude wielding a Forgers’ Hammer—sounds epic, right? Teaming up with Adso, a young scholar, to topple some wicked queen. Kinda standard fantasy fare but it gets twisty-turny a few hours in. Sometimes it grips you, other times it doesn’t.
Here’s this weird thing—voice acting. It’s just… off. Like, characters crack jokes when you least expect it. Makes you wonder if the writers were pranksters or what. Some lines feel like you’re going in circles. Aran and Adso have this Groundhog Day vibe—repeating lines all over the place. But you look past it because the gameplay is where it’s at. Really.
Combat’s the star of the show, by far. Imagine a system like traffic lights for enemies: green means go, orange means slow, red means nope, not today! You gotta be on your toes, switching tactics for every new creature. It’s like a dance—sometimes clumsy, sometimes graceful. Enemies are armored like tanks or they’re resistant to your slashes, so it’s a constant shuffle to find their Achilles heel. Keeps you on edge, but in a good way.
And then there’s the Forge system. Picture this—crafting weapons from scratch. You pick blueprints, mess with materials, and fiddle with a heating minigame until your weapon feels just right. It’s overwhelming at first, but then it clicks. Customizing everything from parry to damage—impressive. Encourages you to venture off the beaten path for better goodies. That’s the loop. Meet a beast, forge a killer weapon, fight like it’s your last dance.
But man, the pacing. It’s like running a marathon with hurdles popping up at random. The world’s sectioned into regions, and exploring feels rewarding at first. Find gems, unlock powers, get lost in the adventure—sounds nice, yeah? Until it doesn’t. The third area… it becomes a labyrinth. Paths weave in ways that just mess with your head. And backtracking—ugh. It wears thin fast and you kinda lose the thrill of exploration.
Speaking of getting sidetracked, the bosses, I mean, who thought these were a good idea? They repeat like that song stuck on a loop, and one-hit kills? Come on! Sure, Soulslikes are tough, but this feels like they cranked the dial to eleven and snapped it off. No chance to level up traditionally. Just you against this beast that swats you like a fly. Nerve-wracking doesn’t even cover it.
So, yeah, Blades of Fire dances on the edge of brilliance with its slick combat and immersive crafting. But every time you’re pulled in, something slaps you back to reality, like artificial difficulty spikes or those tangled level designs. The game’s got the material for a masterful blade but swings more like a clumsy blacksmith. Here’s hoping they hone it better next time. Anyway—who knows? Maybe there’s a rough gem hidden here, waiting for those brave enough to polish it.
