Blades of Fire

Blades of Fire has definitely won us over: MercurySteam's work easily holds its own against more renowned teams and graphics engines, offering a pleasant and exciting gaming experience - except for the occasional flaw - in what is not "the usual souls-like" but a game with interesting and exclusive ideas and at the same time a vast and intriguing development. A real surprise in a gaming landscape increasingly full of sequels and "more of the same".

Blades of Fire doesn't try to reinvent the Souls-like wheel, but it does add some new aspects to it. With a unique weapon crafting mechanic and varied combat system, it's only let down is the unfairness of combat itself. Still, it tells a good story through its leads, one that does entertain throughout.

Blades of Fire is a well-made package focusing more on crafting creativity than physical battles. It forces players to take a more thoughtful approach instead of prioritizing fast-paced action.

Blades of Fire left us with a bittersweet taste in our mouths. It's a title that does many things right and has some interesting ideas, but it also stumbles with each of its successes. We loved its weapon forging system and it's by far the best part of the game. The combat system can be a bit clunky, but it works well, is challenging and well-designed, and the scenarios are full of secrets that encourage exploration. However, its story and characters aren't engaging in the slightest, there are certain situations that can be somewhat frustrating for the wrong reasons, the backtracking isn't very well balanced, and there are too many moments that make us go around in circles that don't add anything. All in all, if you're looking for a demanding action-adventure with its own ideas and you don't think its flaws will dampen your enjoyment too much, here you'll find an entertaining and very complete production that might be worth checking out.

Blades of Fire offers some compelling and exciting ideas, particularly with its reverence for weaponcrafting and rewarding forge mechanics. But its love of steel and violence can only take it so far; its combat is enjoyable at first, but wears out its welcome across a lengthy campaign that is filled with too-chatty characters and a world that’s very frustrating to get lost in. Even with those caveats, its eye-catching fantasy world and weapons that pack a punch still have enough charm to see it through. Not every one of its big swings lands, but as they say, “you miss all the shots you don’t take”, and Blades of Fire at least gives the action RPG genre a solid crack with a unique point of view.