Blades of Fire: The First Preview

When I sat down to play developer MercurySteam’s latest project, Blades of Fire, I expected thing of a return to nan studio’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow games, updated pinch nan modern stylings of God of War. An hr later I thought I was playing a Soulslike, albeit 1 wherever each nan stats were successful my weapons alternatively than an RPG characteristic sheet. By nan extremity of nan three-hour hands-on session, I realised some of those observations were simultaneously existent and false: this is simply a crippled that is unmistakably built connected well-worn ground, but nan unsocial statement of some its borrowed components and caller ideas results successful a caller and absorbing attack to nan action-adventure genre.

While it’s not precisely a clone of Sony Santa Monica’s work, you’d beryllium forgiven for assuming arsenic overmuch astatine first glance. With its acheronian imagination world, heavy-hitting strikes, and third-person camera that stays adjacent to nan action, Blades of Fire has overmuch successful communal pinch nan Norse era of Kratos’ journey. There are surely moreover much parallels that I could talk of: crossed a demo that took spot during nan game’s opening hours, I explored a twisty, wealth chest-laden representation pinch nan assistance of a young companion who helped lick puzzles. Together we sought retired a female of nan wilds who lived successful a location mounted atop a elephantine creature. It tin sometimes consciousness a spot too familiar, particularly erstwhile you besides facet successful nan galore elements pilfered from FromSoftware’s library, including anvil-shaped checkpoints that, erstwhile rested at, some refill your constricted wellness potions and respawn enemies.

Blades of Fire features immoderate profoundly unusual enemies that consciousness for illustration acheronian cousins of Labyrinth's puppets. | Image credit: MercurySteam / 505 Games

All of this familiarity is filtered done a world that has an aerial of 1980s imagination astir it. You tin ideate Conan nan Barbarian easy blending successful among its incredibly buff soldiers, while a bunch of orangutan-like enemies bouncing astir connected bamboo pogo sticks wouldn’t look retired of spot successful Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. Even nan communicative has a retro vibe; an evil queen has turned alloy into stone, and it’s up to you – Aran de Lira, fundamentally a blacksmith demigod – to termination her and reconstruct nan world’s metal. Despite these old-school charms, though, astatine this shape I’m doubtful nan story, characters, aliases penning will beryllium that compelling – it’s each incredibly video game-y, akin to nan galore forgotten stories of nan Xbox 360 era.

Like galore of those games of yore, Blades of Fire’s champion accomplishments look to beryllium mechanical. It boasts a combat strategy rooted successful directional attacks that makes usage of each look fastener connected nan controller. On a PlayStation pad, tapping triangle intends for nan head, transverse goes for nan torso, while quadrate and circle swipe near and correct respectively. Through observant reference of an enemy’s stance you tin usage these attacks to break done defences. A worker holding up a leaf to protect their face, for instance, tin beryllium flooded by aiming debased and skewering done their gut. The effect is wonderfully squelchy, pinch heavy trails of humor erupting from nan wounds you inflict.

There are occasions erstwhile this strategy really shines. The demo’s first awesome boss, a slobbering troll, had a 2nd wellness barroom that could only beryllium chipped distant aft dismembering nan beast. The limb that’s lopped disconnected is dictated by your perspective of attack, truthful I could usage my right-hand onslaught to detach its club-swinging near arm, rather virtually disarming my foe. Even better: you tin trim nan troll’s full look off, leaving it unsighted and aimlessly flailing until it tin regrow its eyes and proceed nan fight.

Interesting wrinkles for illustration this tin beryllium recovered successful galore of nan combat staples. Rather than automatically regenerate, your onslaught and dodge-fuelling stamina gauge must beryllium manually restored by holding nan artifact button. But contempt these caller ideas providing Blades of Fire’s combat pinch a distinctly different edge, nan wide reside of conflict is undeniably Soulsian. Attack shape nickname and slender dodge/block/parry windows are very overmuch nan sanction of nan crippled here, and there’s nan aforesaid consciousness of consequence and reward – moreover if nan reward isn’t rather arsenic severe. It’s capable to instrumentality your encephalon into reaching for FromSoft musculus memory, but that sadly won’t prevention you here: nan directional onslaught strategy demands a very different power map, nan information of blocking repositioned to nan near trigger.

After rewiring my encephalon to retrieve that nary of nan look buttons tin beryllium utilized to dodge, things began to click. The unsocial approaches gradually took centre shape complete nan Souls of it all, and I soon recovered nan combat to beryllium refreshingly different. Core harm dealing is elevated by a smart limb strategy that allows you to wield your bladed armaments pinch different stances, either slashing pinch nan crisp separator aliases thrusting pinch nan pointed tip. As pinch nan directional system, you’ll request to measure your force (as good arsenic immoderate useful HUD prompts) to find which method is astir effective.

If nan title didn’t springiness it away, your weapons are nan very bosom of Blades of Fire. And compared to astir games, they request a immense magnitude of attention. Edged weapons dull pinch repeated use, meaning each successive onslaught deals a minuscule little harm than nan last. That each adds up complete time, truthful you’ll request to usage a sharpening chromatic to replenish your weapon’s blade. That, aliases move to a different stance; nan separator and nan extremity deterioration down independent of each other, which contributes to nan consciousness that these are tangible items affected by your fighting style.

As pinch Monster Hunter, you’ll study to make abstraction to sharpen your beard mid-fight. But each limb has a durability metre that continually depletes, nary matter really good you attraction for it. When your limb inevitably shatters, you tin repair it astatine an anvil checkpoint. Or you tin melt it down into its earthy materials to statesman crafting anew successful what is undoubtedly Blades of Fire’s astir important and distinguishing innovation: nan forge.

To opportunity MercurySteam has created an extended limb crafting strategy is an understatement. Rather than find caller armaments successful nan world, each weapon’s life originates present successful nan forge. It starts pinch nan prime of a basal limb template, which Aran sketches retired connected a chalkboard. From present you tweak and modify. For instance, erstwhile designing a spear, I adjusted some nan magnitude of nan rod and nan style of nan spearhead. Each determination is reflected successful nan weapon’s stats; a longer rod increases nan spear’s range, while nan style of nan caput dictates if it’s much proficient astatine slashing aliases piercing. Different materials impact weight and that successful move changes nan weapon’s demands connected your stamina pool. All this lends nan consciousness that you are genuinely crafting your weapon. You moreover get to sanction your creation.

Most crafting systems would extremity there. In Blades of Fire, this is only nan halfway point. With your creation complete, you must past physically hammer retired nan metallic connected an anvil. This is achieved via a remarkably progressive minigame successful which you power nan length, force, and perspective of each hammer strike. A curved statement crossed nan surface represents nan eventual ideal, and pinch each rustle of nan hammer you effort to put a bid of vertical bars, akin to a schematic equalizer, to lucifer nan style of that curved line. Overworking nan alloy will consequence successful a weaker weapon, truthful nan purpose is to recreate that statement successful arsenic fewer strikes arsenic possible. Your efforts are rewarded pinch a prima rating; nan much stars you attain, nan much often you tin repair your creation earlier it permanently breaks and is mislaid forever.

The forging minigame is simply a awesome thought that feels a small excessively obtuse. | Image credit: MercurySteam / 505 Games

I really emotion nan thought of nan forge and really it introduces a accomplishment constituent to what is typically a menu-driven system. But moreover aft respective sessions astatine nan anvil, I recovered nan minigame frustratingly obtuse. There didn’t look to beryllium a clear relationship betwixt nan areas that I struck and nan resulting style of nan metal. Hopefully immoderate improvements, aliases simply a amended tutorial, are implemented earlier motorboat – it would beryllium a shame for Blades of Fire’s astir absorbing characteristic to beryllium marred by irritation.

The thought astatine nan bosom of nan forge is thing that goes measurement beyond nan boundaries of a three-hour demo session. MercurySteam wants you to consciousness profoundly attached to nan weapons you create and transportation them pinch you for nan long of your travel – a travel nan developer claims will beryllium “no little than 60-70 hours.” As you research nan world and find caller metals, you’ll beryllium capable to reforge your trusted swords, axes, hammers, and spears to heighten their properties, ensuring they’re ever suitable for caller and much difficult challenges. This narration betwixt you and your armaments is emphasised by nan decease system; upon conclusion you driblet nan limb you were utilizing and respawn without it.

It’s different mechanic inspired by Dark Souls, but built connected a different, arguably much meaningful bond: mislaid souls tin ever beryllium replenished pinch much killing, but a superb beard you’ve built a relationship pinch is irreplaceable. Luckily your dropped weapons will stay successful nan world permanently, truthful your only situation is to find a measurement to retrieve what you lost. I look guardant to seeing really this plays retired complete nan full campaign, and if immoderate benignant of backtracking will reunite you pinch weapons from a twelve hours agone that you tin reforge and rekindle your narration with.

It’s unsurprising to spot MercurySteam adopt aggregate ideas from Dark Souls and its siblings. That’s partially owed to FromSoftware’s seemingly irreversible effect connected action games, but besides because Blades of Fire is thing of a belief successor to Blade of Darkness: a relic of nan early 2000s, it was developed by MercurySteam’s founding members and is considered (by its cult following, astatine least) to beryllium a precursor to nan Souls series. In galore ways, those developers are simply picking up from wherever they near off, implementing nan advancements made by different studios during their clip distant from nan genre.

Aran is joined by his young companion, Adso, who tin thief lick puzzles and remark connected nan world's lore. | Image credit: MercurySteam / 505 Games

As I played, I could consciousness nan gravitational propulsion of each of MercurySteam’s evident influences – nan sadis combat of this project’s decades-old predecessor, nan innovations of FromSoft, and nan world creation of God of War. But arsenic overmuch arsenic those ideas are clear to see, they autumn short of defining nan studio’s latest work. Rather than trade a Soulslike aliases a God of War-like, those firmly established systems person been reinterpreted arsenic portion of a larger canvas of ideas. Blades of Fire has a look of its ain that successfully distances it from immoderate of its evident gaming touchstones.

I do person immoderate misgivings – I’m unsure if this reasonably generic acheronian imagination world is up to nan situation of supporting a 60 hr adventure, and wrong 3 hours I’d fought nan aforesaid gatekeeping miniboss 3 times, which makes maine mobility nan assortment connected offer. But nan demonstrated extent of narration betwixt your forged blades and nan foes you look has maine wholly intrigued. In a clip erstwhile analyzable and, frankly, obtuse games for illustration Elden Ring and Monster Hunter person go mainstream hits, I deliberation Blades of Fire has nan imaginable to lend thing fascinating to nan scene.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Senior Features Editor.