When I sat down to play developer MercurySteam's latest project, Blades of Fire, I expected a return to the studio's roots with the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow series, infused with modern touches reminiscent of God of War. An hour into the game, it felt more like a Soulslike, albeit with a unique twist where weapon stats took precedence over traditional RPG character development. By the end of my three-hour hands-on session, I realized that Blades of Fire masterfully blends both familiar and innovative elements, crafting a fresh and engaging take on the action-adventure genre.
At first glance, the game might seem like a clone of Sony Santa Monica's God of War, with its dark fantasy setting, impactful combat, and a third-person camera that keeps you close to the action. The game shares many similarities with Kratos' Norse saga, including exploring a map filled with twisty paths and treasure chests, accompanied by a young companion who aids in puzzle-solving. Together, we sought a woman of the wilds living in a house atop a giant creature. The influence of FromSoftware's Souls series is also evident, with anvil-shaped checkpoints that replenish health potions and respawn enemies, though the familiarity can sometimes feel a bit too pronounced.
Blades of Fire features some deeply strange enemies that feel like dark cousins of Labyrinth's puppets. | Image credit: MercurySteam / 505 Games
The game's world evokes a nostalgic 1980s fantasy vibe, reminiscent of Conan the Barbarian and Jim Henson's Labyrinth. From buff soldiers to orangutan-like enemies bouncing on bamboo pogo sticks, the setting feels delightfully retro. The narrative, too, carries an old-school charm with an evil queen turning steel into stone, and you, as Aran de Lira—a blacksmith demigod—must defeat her to restore the world's metal. While the story and characters may not stand out as particularly compelling, they echo the video game narratives of the Xbox 360 era.
Blades of Fire truly shines in its mechanics. The combat system, rooted in directional attacks, utilizes every face button on the controller. On a PlayStation pad, triangle aims for the head, cross targets the torso, while square and circle swipe left and right. Reading an enemy's stance is key to breaking their defenses. For instance, a soldier guarding their face can be defeated by aiming low for their gut, with satisfyingly squelchy impacts and vivid blood trails.
The system excels during boss fights, such as the demo's first major boss, a slobbering troll with a second health bar that only becomes vulnerable after dismembering the beast. The limb you sever depends on your attack angle, allowing strategic disarming tactics. Cutting off the troll's entire face leaves it blind and flailing, adding a unique layer of strategy to the combat.
Weapons in Blades of Fire demand significant attention. They dull with repeated use, reducing damage over time, necessitating the use of sharpening stones or switching stances. Each weapon has a durability meter that depletes, requiring repairs at anvil checkpoints or melting down for raw materials to forge anew. This leads to the game's most innovative feature: the forge.
MercurySteam's weapon crafting system is extensive. Instead of finding new weapons, you design them from scratch. Starting with a basic template, you sketch and modify your weapon on a chalkboard, adjusting elements like the length of a spear's pole or the shape of its head, which directly impact its stats and effectiveness. Different materials affect the weapon's weight and stamina demands, fostering a genuine sense of crafting.
The forging process itself is a detailed minigame where you control the length, force, and angle of hammer strikes to match an ideal curve. Overworking the steel weakens the weapon, so precision is key. Your performance earns a star rating, influencing how often you can repair the weapon before it breaks permanently.
The forging minigame is a great idea that feels a little too obtuse. | Image credit: MercurySteam / 505 Games
While the forge concept is intriguing, the minigame can feel frustratingly obtuse. I hope for improvements or a better tutorial before the game's launch to enhance this standout feature.
The forge system extends beyond the demo, promising a deep attachment to the weapons you create throughout a 60-70 hour journey. As you explore and find new metals, you can reforge your weapons to enhance their properties, ensuring they remain effective against new challenges. The death system further emphasizes this bond; upon defeat, you drop your weapon, which remains in the world for you to recover later, potentially rekindling your relationship with it.
MercurySteam's adoption of elements from Dark Souls and other action games is understandable, given FromSoftware's influence and the studio's connection to Blade of Darkness, a spiritual predecessor to the Souls series. Blades of Fire builds on these influences but creates its own distinct identity, reinterpreting established systems into a broader canvas of ideas.
Aran is joined by his young companion, Adso, who can help solve puzzles and comment on the world's lore. | Image credit: MercurySteam / 505 Games
Despite some concerns about the game's generic dark fantasy world and the repetition of certain encounters, the depth of the relationship between your forged blades and the challenges you face is genuinely captivating. In an era where complex games like Elden Ring and Monster Hunter have captured mainstream attention, Blades of Fire has the potential to offer a unique and fascinating contribution to the action-adventure genre.
