Blades of Fire Review
There’s a strange sort of charm to a game that both frustrates and fascinates me, and “Blades of Fire” walks that line almost too well. It’s a third-person action-adventure full of original systems, ambitious worldbuilding, and just enough rough edges to leave scars. I went into it with tempered expectations and came out wrestling with admiration and aggravation in equal measure. You play as Aran de Lira, a noble warrior chosen to defy the curse of Queen Nerea, whose spell has turned steel into stone, except for the divine metal wielded by her twisted army. Armed with a sacred forging hammer and accompanied by Adso, a scholarly companion with a knack for deciphering enemy weaknesses, Aran embarks on a journey across a cursed kingdom in search of answers, vengeance, and ultimately, a path to the queen’s palace.
From the outset, I found myself simultaneously intrigued and frustrated. The opening hours are clunky and narratively hollow, offering little reason to care about Aran or the world around him. The environments, though sprawling and grand in scale, are hampered by repetitive visual motifs and a dreary color palette that rarely sparks the imagination. I kept thinking, This world should feel epic, but more often than not, it comes off as bland and uninspired. But then, the forging system kicked in, and suddenly, I was hooked. “Blades of Fire” revolves around crafting your own weapons from the ground up. There are seven weapon families, each with distinct styles and traits, and over thirty Forge Scrolls that let you tinker with everything from weight and balance to durability and sharpness. The moment I started experimenting, I realized this wasn’t your average action RPG. Every material and scroll combination subtly shifts your combat effectiveness, and finding a build that feels just right for your playstyle is as rewarding as it is necessary.
The combat itself, while not as fluid as genre leaders, offers a welcome amount of tactical depth. Enemies have armor on specific body parts, and figuring out which weapon type to use and where to strike becomes a game in itself. Stabbing a lightly armored leg with a quick dagger or bludgeoning a reinforced helmet with a heavy mace isn’t just encouraged, it’s essential. Adso, your ever-present AI companion, isn’t just there for flavor text either; he provides combat insights and tracks enemy data, adding some needed personality and utility to the journey. Unfortunately, the satisfaction of battle and crafting is often at odds with the game’s level design. Maze-like castles, palaces, and ruins are packed with secrets, but they’re also riddled with frustrating navigation issues, backtracking that feels unnecessary, and dead ends that add very little to the experience. I spent a lot of time circling through indistinguishable corridors trying to find one missing door or lever, an experience that wore thin quickly.
And yet, despite its obvious shortcomings, “Blades of Fire” kept pulling me back in. Part of it is the sheer potential of its systems; there’s something genuinely fresh about weapon customization actually mattering in combat. Part of it is the slow unraveling of a deeper lore that becomes more compelling the further you get from the game’s awkward opening. There’s also a quiet charm to how MercurySteam commits to the idea that knowledge, both in gameplay and narrative, is earned, not handed to you. Where the game stumbles hardest is in pacing. Difficulty spikes appear without warning, and not in a “fair but tough” kind of way, more like “hope you picked the exact right weapon combo or you’re toast.” Combine that with combat animations that occasionally betray your input timing, and you’ll understand why I sometimes wanted to chuck my controller out the window. These moments can sour the experience, especially when you’re otherwise enjoying the flow of exploration and improvement.
Having said all this, it’s hard to stay mad at a game that tries this hard to carve out its own identity. “Blades of Fire” doesn’t always hit the mark, but when it does, whether in a perfectly timed parry or crafting a new blade that finally slices through an enemy that’s been giving you grief, it’s genuinely satisfying. There’s a heart beneath the surface here, buried under layers of design decisions that don’t always work, but that heart beats strong. I wouldn’t call “Blades of Fire” a classic, but I also wouldn’t dismiss it. It’s messy, inconsistent, and occasionally maddening, but also bold, different, and full of potential. If you’re the kind of player who can overlook rough edges in search of new ideas, there’s something here worth experiencing. Just be prepared to forge your patience alongside your weapon.
7/10
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Related: Reviews by Nick Navarro
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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