Review of Blades of Fire

MercurySteam. Ever heard of them? Kinda big deal, actually. They’ve been in the game-making biz since 2002. Spanish roots, you know. Built a rep with the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow series. And not to mention Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread. Pretty big shoes, right? They’ve done their fair share of original stuff too, but this new one, Blades of Fire, is their first new IP in… what, almost ten years? Yeah, a long wait.

So, Blades of Fire. Fancy name, isn’t it? It’s a fantasy action-adventure thing, third-person view, and has this wild twist on the Soulslike genre. The combat? Top-notch, I’ll give it that. But man, there are a few bumps in the road that keep it from being all that it could be.

You start out as this burly warrior, Aran de Lira. Lucky guy just got a hold of one of these legendary Forgers’ Hammers. He’s got a sidekick, Adso – a scholar type. Together, they’re on a mission to dethrone a wicked queen. But here’s the thing: the storytelling’s a bit all over the place. Some cool twists here and there, sure, but something feels off. Maybe it’s the dialogue or the kind of awkward jokes they throw in during serious scenes. It just doesn’t always stick, you know?

Now, let’s talk about the gameplay – oh boy. Combat’s where it’s at! Ever seen a traffic light system in combat? Me neither, but it’s there. Enemies are like green, orange, or red outlined. It’s all about weapon types and weak spots. Keeps you on your toes.

Then there’s this Forge thing. You get to create weapons from scratch – I mean, really tailor-making them. It’s confusing at first, not gonna lie, but once you get it, oh man, it’s engrossing. You tweak parry times, adjust for blunt or slashing damage. A real hands-on approach, not something you see every day in games like this.

But here’s the catch – the world’s kind of a maze. Think huge, wandering paths you can easily get lost in. By the time you’re backtracking for keys and unlocking new routes, you might start losing patience. Oh, and don’t even get me started on those boss fights. They’re brutal, to the point of being almost unfair. I mean, some bosses just one-hit you, no matter how much you prepare. That doesn’t seem right, does it?

Overall, Blades of Fire does some things really well but trips over itself in spots. It’s fun, rewarding even, but sometimes the challenges feel forced. If they ironed out those kinks, this could be massive. Here’s hoping they get it right next time. Anyway, played on “Steel” difficulty – supposedly the best way to experience it.

It’s releasing on May 22, across PC, PS5, and the Xbox Series lineup. Didn’t think you’d need a weather update for a game, huh? Whatever – you might want to check this one out, just bring your patience along for the ride.