Blades of Time

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 128 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 69 out of 128
  2. Mixed: 42 out of 128
  3. Negative: 17 out of 128

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  1. EggManStudio
    Dec 14, 2014
    8
    At present, these are only my first impressions, but I have to say that from what I've seen so far, this game is really quite enjoyable. I'd describe it as a cross between Bayonetta and Tomb Raider - it's a hack-n-slash by nature but it also has a third-person shooter element, and you can switch between these modes on the fly, which I find to be a really interesting addition - it allowsAt present, these are only my first impressions, but I have to say that from what I've seen so far, this game is really quite enjoyable. I'd describe it as a cross between Bayonetta and Tomb Raider - it's a hack-n-slash by nature but it also has a third-person shooter element, and you can switch between these modes on the fly, which I find to be a really interesting addition - it allows for a unique take on both genre's formulas, and contrary to what you might think, in the midst of a fight flicking between the modes feels rather natural - it almost feels as if the game encourages you to use both in tandem to achieve your goal.

    In hack and slashes of this game's type, combos tend to be both essential and, for a gamer like me, rather hard to pull off. Blades of Time remedies this a little - whereas in a game like Bayonetta the combos would be a ridiculous string of button presses, Blades of Time has relatively simple button combos, press one button to ready, press another to attack. In that sense I found myself enjoyng the game a lot more, because I didn't really need to worry about all the ridiculous combos I'd have to pull off - While a more hardcore hack-n'-slash fan might not find this appealing, I personally think it's a nice touch, making the game easy to jump in and out of without needing pinpoint-precise button presses.

    I have but two criticisms of this game: First, the english voice acting is pretty bad, though this is remedied by simply switching the voice language to Japanese, and second, the story makes absolutely no sense - the game goes straight from the title screen into the opening cutscene without a shred of explanation as to what is going on. However, when you're in the thick of it, hacking and slashing and shooting and macgiking enemies like there's no tomorrow, you honestly forget about these errors, because you're just having too much fun to really care.

    Overall, despite its shortcomings, Blades of Time is a lot of fun, and an interesting fusion of the hack & slash and third-person shooter genres, and I'd reccommend this game if you were a fan of either genre. An underrated gem, this game has enough action to keep you entertained for a long time.    … Expand
  2. ibitato
    Jun 22, 2013
    9
    i cant believe whats up with ou people, awesome fighting awesome gameplau runs smoooth like butter, what the hell its a awesome and fun game, giving a 9
  3. leifina
    Nov 2, 2013
    10
    A very good game with stunning graphics interesting world and a beautiful heroine. The music is epic! The fighting system is unique! I love this game!
  4. Lythom
    Feb 16, 2014
    8
    A game without a fail : decent story, reactive and fun gameplay, good art, respect of the current "standards" of game design good practises. A few points are really great, others are not bad when not good.
    What's very good : balancing with action/redundancy. You never get bored because you feel it repetitive, neither you get bored from inaction, and this all along the game which is in my    A game without a fail : decent story, reactive and fun gameplay, good art, respect of the current "standards" of game design good practises. A few points are really great, others are not bad when not good.
    What's very good : balancing with action/redundancy. You never get bored because you feel it repetitive, neither you get bored from inaction, and this all along the game which is in my mind a remarkable performance for this kind of games.
    What could be improve : the game lack the charisma of great and memorable games.
    What makes me mad in "professional" reviews : "The game only play the sexy card". Yeah the marketing is too much about it. The good point is the people who make the game are not the same who sell it : You get a real "normal" character without insisting fan service around her. The scenarist/developers did not fall into easy sexist stereotypical "woman as object" and this is appreciated.
    The game still deserve, 2 years later, a good mark. If you want to kick some asses, get this and have fun =)    … Expand
  5. t0nytzu
    Oct 27, 2012
    10
    This is a great game....I can't believe how underrated this could be....The controls are great,the graphics are good and colorful and the gameplay is entertaining...I totally recommend this game !!!
  6. vagabond142
    Jan 1, 2013
    8
    Blades of Time (for the PC at least) is a fun, if sometimes less than sensible, action hack and slash that fits neatly into the center of the genre. You have outlandish characters, some good, some bad (some horrendous) voice acting, big, exciting on screen action for every button press, and a little eye candy here and there. Being honest, this isn't anywhere as good as the very first DMCBlades of Time (for the PC at least) is a fun, if sometimes less than sensible, action hack and slash that fits neatly into the center of the genre. You have outlandish characters, some good, some bad (some horrendous) voice acting, big, exciting on screen action for every button press, and a little eye candy here and there. Being honest, this isn't anywhere as good as the very first DMC for PS2, nor is it anything like the abomination that is Hunted: Demon's Forge. It's a little better than the average hack n slash, and I found it very enjoyable for 1-3 hour blasts of mindless fun. As such, I will give it a little better than average score: If i could adjust, I would give it 7.5, so I will round up and give it 8 instead.… Expand
  7. re-critic
    May 26, 2012
    8
    Pros: colorful graphics, battle soundtrack, balanced enemies, interesting use of time, horrible bosses.

    Cons: repetitive battles, predictable plot, a small selection of weapons

    In general, a good slasher, in which pros outweigh cons.
  8. Dark_half-Elf
    Feb 13, 2013
    8
    Excellent slasher, good combat system, rewinding time, various magic and equipment, but most importantly it is a pure-blooded action game in otlchie of clumsy, dull and frankly boring God of War, this game will not let you get bored and you'll have a great time. One of the best slashers, but not the best graphics.
  9. kache
    Jun 11, 2012
    9
    Nice story, awesome fighting system (the use of the time rewind is a first, I think), nice japanese dub (as always, even if the english translation on subtitles is quite ... disappointing), very good graphics (and amazing art), lots of different enemies, lots of powers, good longevity (15-20 hours). Why didn't I hear about this sooner? At the beginning it felt like a xBlades ripoff, rightNice story, awesome fighting system (the use of the time rewind is a first, I think), nice japanese dub (as always, even if the english translation on subtitles is quite ... disappointing), very good graphics (and amazing art), lots of different enemies, lots of powers, good longevity (15-20 hours). Why didn't I hear about this sooner? At the beginning it felt like a xBlades ripoff, right down to the name (Ayumi...), but as the game continued it created it's own personality (xblades was more dreamy, BoT is far more down to earth). I didn't really like the ending, but that's my issue. The game itself was also very polished. Encountered very few bugs, mainly in the DLC. This is pretty much it. Quite awesome game, well done, well thought. There is only one thing bothered me for the first half of the game: the skimpy outfit of the protagonist, same issue I had with xBlades. Luckily better outfits appeared along the way, so problem solved. Next step is an RPG version of this, with the possibility to choose, especially in the end. :D
    Last but not least: the combi of firearms and swords is absolutely perfect on PC. Can switch seamlessly between them, and make a perfect use of both. This is one of the reasons (coupled with the far better graphics) to play it on PC, instead of console.    … Expand
  10. Vunk
    Apr 26, 2012
    8
    Blades of Time is a really good, underrated game. Of course it's not like DMC, GoW or other AAA Hack'n'Slashes, it's simple and easy to play, but challenging. The Rewind Clone Feature in the middle of combat is just fantastic, this makes the combat much more exciting and fun.
  11. teckchris
    Apr 28, 2012
    10
    Blades of Time is an excellent game that is highly underrated. It seems like a good combo of Devil May Cry and Prince of Persia. Not just a button masher, and very fun to play. The level design is very unique and fantastic compared to other games. It's graphics are modern but not the best quality around however it plays well and is extremely fun.
  12. Salis
    May 8, 2012
    9
    Blades of Time was recently ported from console to PC and as usual I did facepalm at the thought of another terrible console port... HOWEVER I soon discovered that the port was not as atrocious as first thought, while the game does support a 360 pad on PC the keyboard and mouse controls are fairly tight and responsive. The game looks absolutely stellar in terms of its graphical fidelity,Blades of Time was recently ported from console to PC and as usual I did facepalm at the thought of another terrible console port... HOWEVER I soon discovered that the port was not as atrocious as first thought, while the game does support a 360 pad on PC the keyboard and mouse controls are fairly tight and responsive. The game looks absolutely stellar in terms of its graphical fidelity, no doubt helped in a major way by the added power a PC can deliver, the animation quality in Blades of Time is spot on and the sword's motion blur is absolutely beautiful enemy design is top notch and the world has some truly epic design work done on it. The style of this game's artwork has taken a serious left turn compared to its "spiritual" predecessor X-Blades, where X-blades had its amime inspired cell shaded art style Blades of Time throws this to one side and goes down the "realistic" high resolution graphical style.

    The voice acting and storytelling in this game is well handled but i cant help but point out a few flaws here and there, for instance Ayumi is a female "treasure hunter" naturally this means she sounds like Lara Croft's non-identical twin sister, again another departure from her former American accent. In this incarnation Ayumi is joined by her partner Zero and he also has a thick British accent which sadly seems out of date because his voice is the stereotypical all purpose British accent which is only used because it is easily recognisable worldwide. A positive choice for the voice acting in this game however, so you don't just think i'm ripping on the voice cast, would be the voice of the spirit who you the player encounter at the various shrines the voice used sounds ancient and wise as it should, while at the same time sounding both sinister and soothing at the same time thereby creating a mysterious atmosphere surrounding the character.

    And speaking of the various shrines spread throughout the game the ability for the player to CHOSE what new abilities Ayumi learns at these shrines is a great break from the natural linearity that comes with a story driven Tomb Raider like game.

    OF course if you are not a fan of Tomb Raider there is something I have neglected to cover... the combat I know I have described it as "like Tomb Raider" but the combat is where things get shaken up Ayumi handles like she is the daughter of Lara Croft and Dante (Devil May Cry) in that despite her "treasure hunter" job description she has all the attitude and fighting ability of the son of Spada himself the combat feels like it was taken straight from any spectacle fighter and transplanted into a relic hunting adventure. Weapon choices in this game are somewhat obvious given the title Ayumi has two massive swords which she can use to hack up and slash apart her enemies these can be replaced with bigger deadlier swords as you discover them (infact your Katanas are replaced in the first room) For those of you out there who don't like to get up close and personal with the denizens of the Dragonland there are guns in this game BUT given the stellar swordplay and spectacle of the melee combat the guns do seem tacked on at the last minute they are only used to solve the occasional puzzle and or shoot down floating enemies which on the default difficulty setting (as far as I could see there is only one) die with just 2 bullets. the majority of enemies are grounded and ideally suited to being stabbed sliced and slashed repeatedly in such glorious combat effects that its almost like a dance.

    Speaking of things hinted at by the title there is some time control going on in this game, while it takes some time to build up to using it the time rewind ability allows you to create a second Ayumi who repeats any and all actions performed prior to time rewind this allows you to team up with yourself to solve puzzles and gang up on your foes which adds a whole new element to the game you can allow your past self to take on the frontal assault while you slide in behind your enemy and stab them in the back..

    So I know some of you just skim read these so here are some bullet points ad to what's good and bad about this game:

    Why buy?
    1) fantastic game play and controls are tight 2) High quality voice acting
    3) player DECISIONS in an on rails adventure game
    4) Time Travel
    5) interesting storyline Why avoid?
    1) stereotyping 2) poor gun-play and under use of firearms
    3) no difficulty options (possible new game+ ill let you know)
    4) awkward compass mechanic (you'll see) for more reviews spotlights and videos including Blades of Time you can check out my website www.tepidteagaming.com

    or my youtube channel www.youtube.com/tepidbrew    … Expand
  13. SchizoTyler
    Jul 15, 2012
    9
    I don't usually like these sorts of games. I hate God of War for example. Ninja Blade I thought was ok for a level or two but I lost interest quickly. Darksiders I enjoyed but the sections between story progression felt too long at times and so I drifted away from it. The only other game in the... I guess "brawler?" category I've liked was Enslaved, which is one of my favorite games of allI don't usually like these sorts of games. I hate God of War for example. Ninja Blade I thought was ok for a level or two but I lost interest quickly. Darksiders I enjoyed but the sections between story progression felt too long at times and so I drifted away from it. The only other game in the... I guess "brawler?" category I've liked was Enslaved, which is one of my favorite games of all time (though that game I liked for different reasons than why I like this one). The combat is incredibly fun and stylish. One of the main things that separates Blades of Time from other games is the time aspect. You can rewind time and then resume and fight alongside your past self. The meter recharges fairly quickly and if you do it right you can have a whole swarm of yous attacking a single enemy. I had probably 8 versions of me attacking an enemy once early in the game and it was hysterical and entertaining. There are guns in this game but they are handled pretty well, if you have played Enslaved, the guns are handled pretty similar in Blades of Time if I am remembering correctly. The boss fights are interesting, some of them are straight forward and others you have to figure out. A few bosses I have died once or twice confused as to what I was supposed to do, but then once I figured it out I felt really satisfied. Its the same feeling I get when I solve a difficult Portal chamber. lol. Hint: Don't forget about your rewind time ability, you can get pretty creative with it sometimes. The voice acting is excellent. There are journal pages you find throughout the game from people who came before you and they are voiced and the voice acting in those is excellent and their storylines are pretty interesting and give a little more insight into the world. The music is great.

    The visuals are great for the most part. Textures are usually pretty good. The main characters, the environments, art style, and the animations look gorgeous.

    I'm probably 3/4 of the way through the game, if not further by now, and the storyline is good. Its not going to blow anyone away, but its a good storyline so far with interesting characters. There is also a constant sense of progression. You are constantly gaining new abilities to use and some levels will have a specific thing that makes them unique (for example on the desert planet level you can't step into the sunlight for very long else you die. Also there is a floating islands level in which you temporarily gain the ability to fly which was amazing and I wish would have been in more of the game.)

    I'd say this game is a definite hidden gem. I hadn't heard of it at all before I stumbled across it on the steam store for pretty cheap. Its an awesome game and I am having a blast playing it. Its definitely one of the funnest games I've played in a while and I am very happy I found it. This is my first Metacritic review and I'm doing it because of the weirdly low scores this game got. I'm having a blast playing this game and for me personally I give it a 9/10. If you want to get all technical and scrutinize every detail then I guess a "professional" reviewer would give it something like an 8/10. But when a game just strikes that chord and its just addicting and an absolute blast, its worth an extra point.    … Expand
  14. Thexder
    Jul 22, 2022
    9
    Blades of Time is primarily a hack-and-slash game (attack, block, slide out of the way, jump for different attacks), but there are many interesting mechanics which add tons of variety to the game:

    * Once you get enough "rage" by hitting enemies, you can unleash a variety of spell-like abilities (fire spells, freezing spells, heavy strikes, sliding attacks); all of these are satisfying    Blades of Time is primarily a hack-and-slash game (attack, block, slide out of the way, jump for different attacks), but there are many interesting mechanics which add tons of variety to the game:

    * Once you get enough "rage" by hitting enemies, you can unleash a variety of spell-like abilities (fire spells, freezing spells, heavy strikes, sliding attacks); all of these are satisfying to unleash and the interface with the controller is well thought out and easy to remember.
    * There is a "Time Rewind" skill. This can be used to solve a few light puzzles, but, more importantly, it can be used in combat as well. This makes for some exciting fights, where multiples copies of you are casting, shooting and hacking at an enemy (and some enemies must be attacked from multiple angles at the same time);
    * Yes, shooting, because the game also has a few rifles, and their mechanics is surprisingly smooth and satisfying, meshing well with the other game systems, even with a controller.
    * And there is a little bit of other stuff which is better left to be discovered (use of light and shadows in a particularly interesting level, a few uses of an "order" spell, some other cool movement options).

    The plot is not groundbreaking, but it is interesting enough, and it adds to the gameplay -- in the second half of the game, there are rivaling factions, and you often see your enemies fighting each other, which adds more chaos and action to the scenes. The dialogues aren't Shakespearean, but are well written enough, and the voice acting is also good enough.

    Also, the graphics aren't exactly technically groundbreaking, even for a 2012 game -- models are blocky, textures aren't too sharp... But artistically, I found them very appealing; the surroundings evoke mysterious and alien architectures and are very pleasant to look at. The bigger spell effects feel particularly "punchy"; when many of your copies perform a big spell simultaneously, it is even hard to see what is going on... but it still looks super cool. And the animations are well done, the whole game feels very responsive and smooth as a consequence.

    Finally, there is this "Outbreak" mode, which is a very light MOBA mode (think "simplified League of Legends") but with the mechanics of the single player game (except Time Rewind). I played a few single-player rounds with it and had fun, but did not really dabble in any MP with it.

    All in all, this is an awesome underrated gem. Score: 86/100.    … Expand
  15. VanFanel1980mx
    Oct 18, 2017
    8
    An entertaining action game whose only downside may be the lack of replayability (only for the treasures) and the stupid shooter mechanics that break the pacing of the combat, it is no DMC for sure but it is still pretty solid and has some nice combo potential.
  16. Madmoon
    Jun 11, 2015
    10
    - Successor of X-Blades
    - Nice Graphics
    - Very Hot Babe - DmC styled Sword Combat - Easy to Master third-person Rifle Combat ... headshot does matter now - Awesome massive launcher Weaponry - Gears are able to Mix-n-Match ... equip and fit to player's own playstyle - Magic Skills - Flying Ability - Dragon Form - Great Storyline - Time Rewind Ability ... more awesome than "Prince    - Successor of X-Blades
    - Nice Graphics
    - Very Hot Babe
    - DmC styled Sword Combat
    - Easy to Master third-person Rifle Combat ... headshot does matter now
    - Awesome massive launcher Weaponry
    - Gears are able to Mix-n-Match ... equip and fit to player's own playstyle
    - Magic Skills
    - Flying Ability
    - Dragon Form
    - Great Storyline
    - Time Rewind Ability ... more awesome than "Prince of Persia"    … Expand
  17. ferbe
    Aug 30, 2015
    9
    A fantastic old-school hack'n slash game, and a great improvement over X-Blades.

    I can't believe it is too underrated only because it isn't an AAA title and doesn't have press support.
  18. samwillis416
    Apr 17, 2016
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Blades of Time is generally fun and a great game overall, however it still has some flaws that may or may not put off the average gamer. Because of this, I will rate it out of several different categories; art style, gameplay components, plot/story, accessibility.

    The art style deserves a solid 9.7/10. The art in this game is undeniably beautiful. The environment is very vibrant and colorful, dark and menacing and expansive when appropriate. This doesn't come as spoilers but as Ayumi, you will be fighting hordes of enemies in environments ranging from beautiful island jungles to harsh deserts to cold winter castles, all of which, Gaijin as absolutely nailed on point. The enemies also fit perfectly, with no matter what enemy suiting each environment, and then some more artwork. I would rate the art an 11/10 if not for one thing, and that is the overall general appearance of Ayumi. Perhaps this is a personal bias, but her hair color is perhaps too clean and blonde, maybe a slightly darker dirty blonde color as she progresses throughout the game would've helped. Also, the idea of having pigtails in a game is stereotypically leaning towards a fun playful character, whereas Ayumi is quite serious and determined. Its not bad to go against the norm, but sometimes it might not really work either.

    The gameplay components I rate an 8/10, the gameplay controls are fluid and the combat system is quite easy to grasp onto. As a result, Blades of Time presents a slick combat feel and never does the player feel like they're playing repetitive fights as we often fight bosses far away and later up close. You gain access to swords and guns which you cannot really rely on one single weapon the whole game which is good in its own sense that it allows you to learn both forms of combat. The enemy AI isn't perfect, but is surprisingly (for such a cheap game) bugless for such a cheap game (there is one major bug I remember in the winter area, but that isn't gamechanging). Unfortunately there is one single game component that put me off, and that was the semi-cheesy voice acting. Perhaps its because I recently played BioShock Infinite (which has 10/10 voice acting) that put such a contrast. In fact, everyone's voice overs were fine, the only problem was the semi-cheesy voice of Ayumi herself.

    Here is Blades of Time's downfall. The plot I rate a 6/10, as the story is somewhat convoluted and meaningless. Although I do understand Gaijin wanting to build interest and wonder upon this 'Path' it keeps mentioning, just stating it again and again doesn't really add to any suspense or wonder, and appears more as a bad effort to try keep the 'Path' relevant. (SPOILER ALERT) The plot is somewhat predictable, but had a ton of potential, as the art style of the enemies did make it convincing that these enemies were downright bad. Later on to find that these enemies were actually 'neutral' and fighting for their own survival does make for a nice twist, but the ending is all too rushed and fast, with no real substance to it and leaves more opened questions than answers. Overall a nice plot that could've been carried out better.

    Lastly I would rate the accessibility a solid 9/10 since the actual game's accessibility is quite nice as the game is both available on Windows and OS X, and whats even better, is that you can almost customize any control to your desired keys and customize mouse sensibility. Overall a game which allows you to play your way.

    Overall a solid 8/10. A game that has its ups and downs, but the ups, they nailed whereas the downs, eh they could do a bit more work on. Regardless, the ups are executed perfectly and make the overall gameplay experience fantastic, and the downs don't affect the general gameplay, with no aspect of it which makes the game unplayable.    … Expand
  19. catcratz
    May 7, 2020
    10
    A very good game with stunning graphics interesting world and a beautiful heroine. The music is epic! The fighting system is unique! I love this game!
  20. Hihihahahoho
    Jan 17, 2021
    10
    Amazing game! Love it so much! I think there's probably has to be a TV show based on this game, the story and locations are very beautiful and interesting
  21. sageallfields
    Feb 8, 2021
    10
    Gaijin Entertainment stepped up their game and vision with this release. It's obvious that this is X-Blades but it is executed a million times better. The original is from 2007 whereas this is a 2012 game. The optimization is amazing, zero slowdowns (slowdowns, seriously?). I could run it at 4k and get 100+ fps with my R9 290 4gb. The gameplay is very well done, you can upgrade skills, IGaijin Entertainment stepped up their game and vision with this release. It's obvious that this is X-Blades but it is executed a million times better. The original is from 2007 whereas this is a 2012 game. The optimization is amazing, zero slowdowns (slowdowns, seriously?). I could run it at 4k and get 100+ fps with my R9 290 4gb. The gameplay is very well done, you can upgrade skills, I really enjoyed finishing this game. I wish we had more games like this. It has a 9/10 on steam so i have no idea what kind of crack these reviewers are smoking.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 29, 2012
    60
    Nice boss battles and time-related features cannot compensate for the lack of fresh ideas, absence of story and or useless shooting. [July 2012]
  2. Absolute Games
    Jul 28, 2012
    69
    Blades of Time is a step forward compared to X-Blades, Gaijin Entertainment's previous offering. Alas, the hack and slash action is too monotonous to enjoy, and there is nothing else to draw you in.
    Read full review
  3. 4P.de
    Jul 19, 2012
    57
    The core with linear exploration and fighting works surprisingly well. And even though you can notice slight visual improvements compared to the console versions, Ayumi is hindered by technical faults and lackluster design decisions.
    Read full review
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