Bleak Sword DX Reviews
Whether you were a fan of the original game or a newcomer to this twisted world of dioramas, Bleak Sword DX provides a perfectly action-packed experience that's sure not to disappoint.
A surprisingly solid Soulslike, Bleak Sword DX does exactly what it sets out to do and nothing else, which makes it hard to fault. Once you get the timing down on the limited actions at your disposal, you’ll find the monsters full of character even as they try to beat you to death. You’ll die often but the game does a great job of making each death feel like a learning experience rather than a punishment. Short and sweet.
Bleak Sword DX is a simple action game, but its combat is simply sublime and it had a whole lot of enemy and level variety to keep things interesting.
Bleak Sword DX is all about sword fighting, dodging, suffering and advancing. It is perfect for your Switch or your Steam Deck.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Bleak Sword DX could be deceiving with its "mobile game" air, but underestimating the merits of the experience it offers would be a mistake. Frustration is real and there are some limits, but when the essential is so clearly visible to the eye and fascinating, it becomes easy to accept them and enjoy what is there.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Bleak Sword DX is a tough sword-slashing adventure that stands out thanks to its interesting visuals and standalone levels. Although this exciting outing feels fresh and looks great, the difficulty level may be too high for some players.
Bleak Sword DX is a pocket-sized roguelike adventure that has you battling horrifying creatures across an oppressive lofi world, wielding fierce weaponry and powerful magic.
Bleak Sword DX is a gorgeous, nostalgic, and clever game for something built in a simplified structural way. More8Bit did a superb job of creating a fast gameplay environment while also maintaining creativity with its enemies and maps. While it may not seem like much, it has some moxie to it. Be forewarned, though, it also contains a heavy amount of frustration.
Bleak Sword DX falls short of greatness due to its questionable adherence to minimalism. It comes close to being interesting, but the lack of variety keeps it boring. Bleak Sword DX‘s strengths are its low barrier to entry and how it pushes the player forward with its casual design.
Bleak Sword DX is a fun game to play 10 minutes before your online meeting, right before class, or while waiting for a friend to play with. Despite its flaws, you should give Bleak Sword DX a chance.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
However, for all the good, the reality is that Bleak Sword is in serious need of substance, and the novelty of a “lo-fi Soulslike” on mobile is lost a little on a proper console.
Fun minimalist bite-sized Soulslike journey on Nintendo’s console
Bleak Sword DX is dedicated to anyone who wants a Dark Souls-like experience in 2D, delivered in small chunks, with good mechanics, hard difficulty, and a grimdark setting and presentation. Fights are very quick, which means it’s easy to play a few in a session just to decompress, without the pressure to make progress or explore some complicated narrative thread.
Bleak Sword DX is an excellent game with its easy-to-learn but hard-to-master gameplay. While things may look bleak, it is never hopeless.
more8bit deconstruction of the Soulslike genre is a welcome experiment regarding gameplay and even from a narrative standpoint Bleak Sword DX is pretty interesting but, there's a lot of QoL from the genre that the game could have implemented in this deconstruction without affecting the game greatly, that makes it hard to recommend even to Soulslike die hard fans.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A minimalist souls-like game that adds more content and polishes even more of its sidequests in the DX version for Switch and PC. A game partly short, but that can be extended as long as everyone is willing to challenge the numerous enemies that appear in the diorama-like levels.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Bleak Sword DX was a genuine surprise. A game that is well-polished, challenging yet accessible, and a gameplay-focused experience that only indies seem to achieve these days.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Bleak Sword is quick and to the point. Sometimes that’s all you need.
Bleak Sword DX thrives on its bosses, its laser-focused design for the classic campaign and its moody atmosphere. Sadly, the DX version adds three new chapters that overstay their welcome and some of the “visual improvements” end up cluttering and creating unnecessary visual noise. Still a solid game overall.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
So, what do we take away from Bleak Sword DX? We're not going to lie, this game probably won't make the end-of-year lists as the best game of the year. With titles like Resident Evil 4 Remake, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and even Spider-Man 2 due out at the end of the year, how could it be otherwise? Despite this, I can tell you that Bleak Sword DX will probably be the game I mention the most. And why is that? Because, first and foremost, it's original in its presentation, offers a very good challenge and excellent value for money, despite its length. Unless you don't like games that require perseverance to complete, I strongly advise everyone to give it a try. They'll be pleasantly surprised, I'm sure.
Review in French | Read full review