Discover the Unique Secrets of Blades of Fire: A Game-Changer in the Soulslike Genre!

FromSoftware consistently maintains a high bar in the Soulslike genre, exceeding its previous works with every new action-RPG release. Yet, over the past decade, numerous other games have emerged as contenders. Some of these Soulslikes have garnered attention by mimicking FromSoftware’s approach, while others have gained popularity by creating their distinct paths within the genre. MercurySteam’s Blades of Fire falls into the latter category.

The studio behind games like ‘Metroid Dread’ and the ‘Castlevania: Lords of Shadow’ series, MercurySteam, is returning to its origins with its latest project. This new game, titled ‘Blades of Fire’, is reminiscent of one of their earliest projects, ‘Severance: Blade of Darkness’. As a spiritual successor to this classic, ‘Blades of Fire’ is an upcoming third-person action game that shares similarities with the Soulslike genre. Recently, Game Rant had the chance to preview it for about four hours, and it appears that ‘Blades of Fire’ is promising to be a distinctive and exceptional addition to the Soulslike genre, although fans of ‘Souls’ might need some time to fully grasp its unique qualities.

Blades of Fire Has a “Less Drama, More Action” Approach to Story

In the opening scene of “Blades of Fire,” player-character Aran de Lira is seen honing his sword skills on a group of training targets. However, his practice is abruptly interrupted by distant screams, causing him to swiftly investigate their origin. Not far from where he stands, Aran discovers his friend lying lifeless at the hands of the Queen’s soldiers, with Adso, a young traveler, cradling the deceased body.

After slicing through the ranks of soldiers, Aran receives a colossal hammer reminiscent of Mjolnir. It’s soon disclosed that this hammer is thought to be one of seven instruments wielded by the gods during the formation of the world. Following a swift visit to a mystical forge, Aran picks up Adso and declares they are embarking on a mission to slay the Queen.

Blades of Fire‘s start is remarkably concise, and its narrative foundation is sparse, yet this isn’t necessarily a drawback. Players are plunged directly into a rich dark fantasy landscape teeming with oppressive soldiers, terrifying beasts, and an eclectic mix of seemingly improbable, quirky associates. Glinda, one of the few remaining “Master Forgers,” is among these peculiar allies.

When Aran initially encounters Glinda for the first time and starts narrating his past, he is abruptly halted by the phrase “More action, less talk.” This succinct statement mirrors the core essence of the storytelling style in Blades of Fire. Although there are captivating instances of world-creation and visually appealing cinematics, Blades of Fire prioritizes its gameplay over elaborate narratives.

Blades of Fire’s Gameplay Is Complex, But Rewarding

Blades of Fire’s Combat Looks Familiar But Feels Wholly Unique

From the onset, it appears that Blades of Fire offers a typical Soulslike journey, where I must skillfully dodge enemy assaults, counterattack, and conserve my stamina wisely. However, beneath this familiar Soulslike facade lies a trove of innovative mechanics waiting to be discovered.

In the game “Blades of Fire”, the battle mechanics are based on a flexible traffic light system. When players target an enemy, the enemy’s shape is encircled with one of three colors: green, orange, or red. A green border indicates that the player’s attacks will inflict the maximum damage, whereas an orange border means the damage will be lessened, and a red border suggests that the attacks will have minimal impact.

Of course, players aim to keep their target’s outline consistently green. To achieve this, they must ensure their weapon is adequately upgraded and select the appropriate stance for each task. Notably, many weapons offer multiple attack options, like a sword that can switch between stabbing and slashing techniques instantaneously by pressing the right trigger.

In some cases, certain adversaries will possess vulnerabilities that require precise strikes, which are highlighted by a distinct green section on their otherwise orange or red body. This is where the strategic directional attacks in Blades of Fire prove useful. The face buttons on your controller (Cross, Square, Triangle, Circle for PS5) each correspond to a directional strike. By pressing and holding one of these buttons, you unleash a potent “Mutilation” attack, significantly increasing the chance of dismembering the enemy.

Players should aim to exploit an enemy’s vulnerable areas using these strategic attacks, yet they should also keep a keen eye on their surroundings. For instance, if players are in a confined corridor, they won’t be able to execute wide sword swings effectively. Similarly, in the game Blades of Fire, combat strategy is crucial; unlike other Soulslikes where stamina recovers slowly over time, Blades of Fire‘s stamina regenerates when you block, which means players must focus on defense almost as much as offense, as it recharges.

The Forge Is Blades of Fire’s Defining Feature

In the gameplay of Blades of Fire, fighting is only one aspect. What truly sets Blades of Fire apart is its detailed Forge mechanism, enabling players to craft their unique weapons.

Initially, players pick a “Forge Scroll,” which serves as a blueprint for a particular weapon they wish to create. Once this chosen design is outlined on the anvil, the customization interface for the weapon appears. Even the most basic weapons in “Blades of Fire” offer various customization possibilities, allowing players to select the blade, hilt, pommel, guard, and sometimes additional parts based on the type of weapon. The selected components will affect both the weapon’s statistics (clearly displayed on the right side of the screen) and its appearance.

In this game, each separate part of the weapons can be customized even more. Players are asked to choose materials for each component. The game categorizes its metal materials in a tall pyramid, with Laceration at the peak and Durability and Defense at the bottom corners on either side. These materials also influence the weapon’s performance statistics.

After personalizing their weapon design completely, players confirm it and initiate the intricate forging procedure, which involves active participation. The screen then displays a setup of vertical white lines crossed by a single horizontal line. Players aim to align these vertical lines as closely as possible with the horizontal one. To accomplish this, they must tap the pattern; each strike modifies the height of the highlighted bars.

Players have the ability to modify their attack’s power, the span of its impact zone, and the direction of their attack. As the bars move towards a horizontal line, the weapon’s quality improves (as shown by a row of golden stars at the top of the screen that fill with each strike), and the player will find it easier to fix the weapon when playing in the field.

The crafting system in Blades of Fire, known as the Forge, may seem a bit daunting initially, and you might not understand its complexity or why it requires such active player involvement right away when starting the game. However, after spending some time with the combat in Blades of Fire, you’ll find that this system becomes an integral and rewarding aspect of the gameplay, as players are required to create new weapons to face tougher enemies as they progress.

In the game Blades of Fire, when a player dies, they lose their equipped weapon at the location where they fell. This requires them to accumulate a substantial collection of weapons as having just one could mean permanent loss. The fear of losing these customized weapons creates an intense bond between the player and each tool, making them indispensable. Moreover, naming these weapons adds a unique touch that deepens this personal connection significantly.

Blades of Fire’s World Has Plenty of Substance

In the gameplay structure of Blades of Fire, the third fundamental aspect is its versatile level layout, offering multiple interconnected paths that the player can choose from. These paths frequently lead to tough battles, valuable crafting resources for the Forge, potential equipment enhancements for Aran, and sometimes even unique upgrades. Additionally, the levels are filled with a variety of enemy types in Blades of Fire.

In a mere four hours of gameplay, we encountered more than ten diverse types of adversaries, such as humanoid soldiers in various forms, trolls, aquatic beasts, sentient trees, undead zombies, floating weapons, elusive ninjas cloaked in invisibility, and gnome-like creatures riding swords like deadly pogo sticks. Each enemy had unique visual characteristics, movement patterns, and special weak spots that demanded innovative tactics to defeat them.

In the game “Blades of Fire“, you acquire fresh weaponry by successfully vanquishing a specified group of foes. For instance, slaying 60 undead monsters earned us the Twin Axe Forge Scroll.

Once Blades of Fire’s Gameplay Clicks, It Really Clicks

As a seasoned Soulslike gamer, I’ve got to admit that diving into Blades of Fire was quite the challenge at first. The game’s intricate, interwoven systems had me spinning like a top for the initial two hours. To make things even more intriguing, the controls took some getting used to. Instead of traditional directional attacks with face buttons, Blades of Fire has you using them for something unexpected. Dodging, a staple in most games, is now assigned to L1. And instead of simply changing weapons with R2 like usual, Blades of Fire switches things up by having it modify both the weapon and its stance. This little twist made those first few hours feel like a whole new gaming language I was yet to master!

In a straightforward and readable manner: Blades of Fire effectively guides players through its intricate mechanics. The tutorial text screens are concise and helpful, but as with any quality Soulslike game, hands-on experience is the ultimate educator. Each fundamental system in Blades of Fire is introduced organically and engagingly.

To put it simply, mastering Blades of Fire might take some players a considerable amount of time, but once they get the hang of it, they’ll find themselves deeply engrossed, similar to the experience of playing one of FromSoft’s Souls games for the first time. When the mechanics of Blades of Fire align perfectly, the gameplay becomes incredibly addictive.

Over time, mastering the novel control system and battle tactics transforms into a delightful feeling of accomplishment, as every aspect of gameplay harmoniously strengthens one another, compelling players to explore all the game’s offerings. The reward for crafting unique weapons is evident when players vanquish opponents more swiftly than before, and combat evolves into an enjoyable sequence of dodges, parries, stance shifts, weapon exchanges, and tactically timed counterattacks.

Blades of Fire Is a Beautifully Bleak Game

In the intense scenes of the game “Blades of Fire“, its exceptional visuals strive tirelessly to maintain players’ immersion within the grim fantasy realm. The game is generously drenched in gore, as decapitations, dismemberments, and spills of blood are frequent occurrences. In addition, the character animations in “Blades of Fire” contribute significantly to the portrayal of the game’s brutality, making each powerful strike with a two-handed hammer or axe appear convincing as it sends an enemy crashing into destructible surroundings.

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The gripping scenes in “Blades of Fire” are consistently made captivating by its top-notch presentation, ensuring players remain engrossed in its dark fantasy setting. The game is filled with gruesome sights such as beheadings, dismemberments, and bloodshed. Moreover, the character animations in “Blades of Fire” add to its portrayal of violence, making each heavy blow with a two-handed hammer or axe look authentic as it knocks an enemy into destructible scenery.)

Visually speaking, the game titled “Blades of Fire” is breathtakingly beautiful. The meticulous combination of environmental design, particle effects, and illumination techniques creates an enchanting, somewhat sorrowful charm in what would otherwise be a barren fantasy landscape.

The sound design in Blades of Fire is exceptional, as each weapon produces a unique and gratifying metallic clang upon impact. The game’s music, masterfully crafted by Ãscar Araujo from Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, accentuates the emotional depth at every instance. Ethereal choirs and strings resonate when players venture into the enigmatic Forge, powerful horns and drums echo during battles, and solitary vocal melodies fill the air while exploring, giving players a sense of the game’s chilling atmosphere.

As a gamer diving into the world of Blades of Fire, I’ve got to say that the voice acting is a bit hit-or-miss for me. Characters like Aran and Adso have voices that fit perfectly with the game’s fantasy setting, but their constant chatter can get a bit tiresome at times. Thankfully, you can send Adso back to camp if it becomes too much, which is a lifesaver!

The sound mixing in the preview version of Blades of Fire felt a bit off at times. Sometimes voices sounded quite echoey, and the inconsistency of the audio was a tiny bit immersion-breaking. But hey, they’ve got a month or so before release to sort that out, so hopefully it’ll be smoother sailing when I finally get my hands on the game!

Final Thoughts

Blades of Fire follows the blueprints of the Soulslike genre, infusing it with unique elements to create a fresh experience in a competitive gaming market. The initial stages may prove challenging even for veteran Souls players, but persistence will lead to an addictive gameplay rhythm backed by impressive visuals and diverse enemy types.

Blades of Fire” seems destined to become a remarkable gem, and enthusiasts of the Soulslike genre should make sure they don’t miss out on its launch on May 22, 2025.

Game Rant was provided travel and lodging for the purposes of this preview.

2025-04-30 19:17