Blades of Fire from 505 Games and MercurySteam, right? Another action-adventure game. Feels like this mythical land thing has been done a million times, but here we are. Thought I’d dive in, see what’s what. Yeah, these developers, MercurySteam, I think I once played Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 — wow, was that forever ago on PS3? Oh, and Metroid Dread on the Switch, which was kinda cool. So this Blades of Fire thing had me curious.
Okay, picture this: a world once ruled by these giant dudes, The Forgers. Everything was chill until — bam! — apocalyptic chaos in comes ruining the vibe. The Forgers thought, “Hey, let’s make humans and give them the key to mastering The Steel.” And then they peaced out. Fast forward a few thousand years, and here we are.
You’re Aran de Lira. Yeah, firstborn of some big shot King’s Ward Commander. New queen on the block, Queen Nerea, cast this spell. Boom! All steel? Turned to stone. Nasty tactic so her army of monstrosities controls the steel. So it’s not your usual mash-the-button hack ‘n’ slash, unless you wanna be toast in seconds. Lucky for you, Adso de Zelk, a young brainiac from Abbey of Egion, tags along. Dude’s full of tips and can even crack those pesky puzzles.
Right, weapon crafting is a thing here. Find these Forge Scrolls, and you’re a blacksmith prodigy. Different stats for each weapon, like length and penetration — sounds awkward, right? Anyway, seven weapon families, 30+ Forge Scrolls. Mix ’em, match ’em. Fun stuff.
About difficulties, there’s Bronze for rookies, Iron for thrill-seekers, and Steel — the “I like pain” version. Changing difficulty mid-game? Totally a thing.
Controls? Alright, thumbstick magic for movement. Face buttons for smashing baddies. X for body blows, Square and Circle for punches left and right, Triangle for head bops. Tactical strikes! Healing on the down D-Pad — if you’ve got enough charges. Sharpening on the left D-Pad.
And this is nifty — combat styles switching with R2! Defensive stance with L2 to block — timing’s everything. Get the L1 button for fancy dodges. Oh, and Adso? Summon via right D-Pad. Chat with R1.
Weapons wear out with hits — bummer! You better watch durability stats at the bottom of the screen. Reforge and repair, but resources? Super limited. Save the big guns for big battles.
Enemies? Tons. Over 50 types with unique quirks. Enemy color matters — green’s a bullseye, yellow absorbs a bit, and red? Forget it — no damage. Pay attention, especially with skeletons. Hammer, anyone? Piercing with spears ain’t your friend against bone. Slashing, piercing, blunt — those are your damage options. Know your targets!
Trophy hunters, perk up! There’s a Platinum with 42 others to nab. Forge weapons, slay trolls, parry your way through 10 attacks, craft a super shield — challenges aplenty. Complete Steel difficulty for ultimate bragging rights.
Catch all that? Blades of Fire drops May 22 on PS5. Pre-order bonuses — 10% off. Noteworthy? Maybe.
So there it is. A rundown full of twists and turns, much like this land of flaming blades. Sounds like your cup of tea? Better grab a controller and dive in!
Disclaimer: Checked it out on PS5, thanks to 505 Games.
