After 3 hours, I’m impressed by how Blades of Fire smelts Dark Souls and Monster Hunter together to forge high-impact action into twisted new shapes

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In a different world, I feel as passionate about something as Blades of Fire does for blacksmithing. Craft a weapon in MercurySteam’s upcoming soulslike game, and you’ll be rewarded with numerous captivating cutscenes showing the transformation of hot metal into a weapon. The game features intricate stat screens that offer various damage options based on the materials you choose to use, which would make any Monster Hunter enthusiast salivate. Moreover, there’s an unusual minigame where you shape your new weapon according to specific requirements. And best of all, you get to name your lethal creation! I can’t help but ponder if this studio might have preferred making Blacksmith Simulator 2025 instead…

Indeed, MercurySteam seems to have a penchant for intense combat sequences. Wielding a freshly crafted polearm is entertaining, yet nothing compares to the thrill of clashing it against an adversary’s head in Blades of Fire. Engaging in battle becomes more exhilarating when you can personalize your weapon, and each successful strike delivers a palpable sense of impact. It’s all about evading, shielding, parrying, and seizing the opportune moment. Does this scenario seem reminiscent to you? Perhaps it calls to mind an experience where survival is contingent on skillful maneuvering, strategic timing, and the occasional respawn of standard foes after a well-deserved rest at a secure checkpoint.

Indeed, thus far, the game resembles Dark Souls, yet Blades of Fire introduces unique combat aspects. Contrary to what one might assume for a shield user, there’s no safe haven here; instead, you can block with any weapon in hand, although its effectiveness varies. Flame-based attacks still inflict damage, and larger adversaries effortlessly breach your defense without much resistance.

Instead of wondering why we should block at all, remember that blocking serves as a way to recover stamina. It might feel strange and counterintuitive after years of training to avoid it, but finding enjoyment in learning to use the block button to regain precious stamina is part of the fun. MercurySteam has skillfully adapted a soulslike combat trope into an intriguing new form.

Instead of just distinguishing between light and heavy attacks, this game offers a more complex system. The various buttons on the controller determine not only the power of your attack but also its direction. This might seem insignificant at first, but when you’re battling soldiers in narrow corridors, choosing the wrong angle for your spear swings can lead to a lot of wasted effort as you bounce off the walls instead of hitting your targets. On the other hand, finding the right angle for a polearm strike can take out multiple enemies at once, providing a satisfying release of tension. The game also allows you to switch between slashing and stabbing styles, which is refreshing given that I rarely consider direction of attack in other hack-and-slash games.

A Game of Tones

Initially, the game seemed like another typical grimdark fantasy filled with misery. As Aran, a solitary figure on a mission to carry out regicide, you find yourself witnessing the brutal slitting of your friend’s throat in graphic detail at the start. The following minutes involve a gloomy walk back to Aran’s home, where he and his new ally, Adso, express their sorrow in a melancholic manner. However, this somber atmosphere doesn’t last long as the game surprisingly shifts gears quickly.

For the first time, I successfully overcame an enemy soldier, and Adso, my comrade, eagerly shared that he had jotted down some details about the foe. “Bravo, young one!” exclaimed Aran, who was still engaged in combat with multiple other knights. “I’ll go over them when I get a chance!” Adso, your ever-faithful scribe, diligently compiles an extensive encyclopedia of every creature we encounter, even as you continue to do all the fighting. The humor in this situation, where he documents our battles while you are still fighting, is a clever ongoing joke.

He declares with glee, ‘What a revolting beast!’ Yet, despite the fact that this colossal troll is attempting to squash us, he seems unfazed. Instead of scolding him, Aran only encourages his quirky sidekick. Their lively, jovial bond is contagious, and we’d be thrilled to embark on an action-RPG adventure with them for hours. A companion who proposes sandwich-making if you pause the game too long is definitely a treasure.

Tooling Up

“What a disgusting creature! Time to take some notes.”

In this game, there is no system for accumulating currency through leveling up. Instead, resources are collected from defeated enemies and utilized to craft more effective tools for combat. By defeating a specific number of enemies, you acquire the blueprint for the weapon they were using against you. If you die in battle, you will drop the weapon you were carrying at that moment, but you can always return to retrieve it, reducing some of the typical tension found in souls-like games.

In this game, there’s a strong resemblance to Monster Hunter, especially in aspects like the emphasis on collecting resources, the necessity of maintaining and upgrading weapons during battles, and the detailed scenes depicting weapon crafting that are reminiscent of the meticulous cooking scenes in Monster Hunter: World. It suits a game where you need to carefully choose your equipment for each task.

Focus on an adversary, and the interface will inform you if the gear you’re using is effective. If it’s green, feel free to attack. If it’s orange, the outcome won’t be optimal but you’ll still inflict less damage. If it’s red, you might as well attempt to fight with a damaged toothpick. Wading through an area with a broken weapon in your inventory can be frustrating, but it’s rewarding when you eventually craft a lethal spear that’s ideal for defeating those previously troublesome enemies.

It’s challenging to perfect the weapon degradation mechanism as it frequently causes annoyance. However, I appreciate how Blades of Fire motivates players to utilize a diverse array of weapons instead of relying on a single one throughout the journey. The task of defeating around sixty weaklings just to learn smithing doesn’t appeal to me due to its MMO-like grindiness, but the prospect of acquiring a formidable new claymore afterward softens the blow somewhat.

The weapon degradation system can be frustrating at times, but I like that Blades of Fire promotes using multiple weapons instead of just one. Having to fight and defeat around sixty weak opponents to learn smithing feels too much like an MMO grind, but getting a powerful new claymore as a reward makes it more bearable.

“I like how Blades of Fire encourages you to use a wide multitude of murder tools.”

Common adversaries in this game resemble typical fantasy-medieval characters such as foot soldiers, spearmen, and gigantic ones that seem to have been genetically modified with steroids and boast oversized health bars. However, the intriguing foes that appear later are far more engaging. The troll, for example, has a disgustingly amusing habit of flinging his fish-laden meals at you. Another interesting character is the War Axe, a soldier who appears to be composed of water and often resorts to cheating by sulking and disappearing into the ground. Bring on more of these unique opponents!

In this scenario, there are some smart maneuvers against the larger adversaries as well. Lower the troll’s initial vitality and it will momentarily be stunned. This is your opportunity to deal a substantial blow. The angle of attack matters greatly here – why sever its right arm when we could aim for the head instead? However, I found out the hard way that even after I beheaded it, the troll was far from defeated. The fight became chaotically thrilling as the headless troll charged blindly at me while I struggled to deliver the final, decisive blows.

My main complaint lies with the uninspired title, Blades of Fire, for a game as intriguing as this soulslike one. It seems like the kind of bland, easily forgettable name you’d choose for a game if you were secretly hiding it away. However, MercurySteam’s sequel to their crowning achievement, Metroid Dread, appears otherwise quite promising.

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2025-04-28 00:10