Wulverblade Reviews
Despite its modest hack-and-slash origins, Wulverblade manages to pack in a lot of content, depth and unlockable elements, and these allow it to transcend the usual limitations of the genre. The action rarely becomes too repetitive because there are always multiple ways of dealing with the hordes of enemies which present a genuinely stern test, even for seasoned players who fondly recall pumping coins into the likes of Golden Axe and Final Fight all those years ago. Simply finishing the game's epic story is the kind of challenge that will keep you glued to your Switch for a considerable length of time, but the Arcade mode – which goes truly old-school – awaits those who feel cocky (or foolish) enough to take it on. Wulverblade's lack of hand-holding reminds us of a time when games really did push the player in order to maximise their enjoyment, but it could prove too taxing for those who are entering their genre cold; with this in mind an easier "casual" mode might have been a wise choice as we fear some will give up when they encounter one of the game's many painful spikes in difficulty. Like the games that inspired it, Wulverblade is best played with a friend – not just because it's more enjoyable, but because it blunts the almost sadistic difficulty level. Wulverblade therefore might not be to everybody's tastes, but if you have even a passing interest in genre then we can confidently predict you'll get along with this famously – and you may even learn something about the history of Roman Britain in the process, which isn't something you can say about every video game.
Overall Wulverblade is an absolute masterpiece of a game and for people who have been bemoaning the lack of quality beat-em-ups available it should provide many hours of meaty combat and carnage. To enjoy it you’ll need to overcome falling into old and sloppy habits and learn to work with all of the moves and nuance made available to you. Your reward will be a very viscerally satisfying and overall bloody good time, with some crazy surprises you won’t want to miss out on!
Overall, Wulverblade is an absolute masterpiece and for people who have been bemoaning the lack of quality beat-em-ups it should provide many hours of meaty combat and carnage. To really enjoy it you'll need to overcome falling into old habits and committing to learning all of the moves and nuance made available to you. Your reward will be a very viscerally satisfying and overall bloody good time, with some crazy surprises you won't want to miss out on.
While certainly inspired by the cult-classics of the 90s, Wulverblade lacks their natural class and their inherent appeal: it's still a game that will entertain you, but one that eventually won't leave you with much more.
Review in Italian | Read full review
WulverBlade is the piece project, which in any case should not miss, especially if You are close to the theme of the Vikings and the genre is Beat'em up, a gorgeous art style, mixed with great music will not leave indifferent players is far from the genre, fans will be delighted with the attention to detail and multifaceted, the game's combat system.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Despite the setbacks, I enjoyed romping through Wulverblade's long levels with hordes of Romans and converted natives to slay in the name of freedom. I appreciated the historical edge the game had to it, even learning a few things without ever being pressured that I was being educated. Even though the controls and balance need refining a fair bit, I still recommend this ultraviolent take on British history.
Wulverblade is a fun side scrolling beat'em-up which might feel out of time, but remains a passionate creation from a team that clearly was influenced by the 1990s classics. A great start from Fully Illustrated, and we can't wait to see more of their upcoming work in the future.
Seth recently tackled the hardcore sidescroller, Wulverblade, available on Nintendo Switch at this link.
Wulverblade is a blast to play, it looks and runs well, and it has rolling heads and slow motion death kills. It's colorful yet dark, it's a game yet it offers an educational aspect. It can feel hard at times, but the checkpoint system helped elevate that most moments. Grab a friend, a joycon, and do some split screen skull bashing because Wulverblade is a fun nostalgia romp and worth the price of admission.
Wulverblade is a welcomed addition to an already impressively broad catalogue of titles on Nintendo Switch. It's exactly these types of games that make the Switch so appealing, giving it a varied selection of superb smaller titles on top of the big blockbusters. Challenging, nostalgia-filled, brutal, and fun - it is an arcade classic in a brand new form for all the '80s and '90s gamers out there.
An adult and awesome experience, full of action, violence and an extremely addictive gameplay based on a 2D side-scroll system.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
There are times when Wulverblade can be very difficult, especially with some gameplay mechanics that work against players. However, the experience became more enjoyable as I became master over them. The finale is also one of my favorite gaming experiences of the year.
Wulverblade is an enjoyable update to the classic brawler genre that works well as a quick play game while also offering depth and challenge. If you don't like brawlers, this won't change that, but if you're looking to satisfy an old school craving, Wulverblade will more than settle that while delivering stunning environments and rich animations to boot.
Wulverblade brings the old school beat'em up gameplay to the Nintendo Switch, this time with a proper plot and a unique art style. If this is enough to make the game stand out, its merciless and absolutely ruthless difficulty level will most certainly filter the vast majority of players and leave only the most determined (and fanatical) left.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
That makes your quest for freedom in Wulverblade a memorable one, and while some balancing is needed to make it less of a frustrating experience and more one to be wholly savoured, it’s hard not to come to appreciate everything that this brutal, historical retelling has to offer.
Run to the Eshop and purchase this game. Sit down, draw your weapon, and fight alongside three powerful warriors in a stunning adventure that begs to be played.
[W]hile the controls and general mechanics take a little getting used to at first and lend themselves to moments so frustrating that the thought of throwing a controller through a window suddenly doesn’t seem so crazy anymore, it doesn’t take long before your muscle memory adapts. Wulverblade is a gem, then, though one occasionally marred by some questionable design decisions that seem to prioritize style at the expense of the gameplay.
It is hugely obvious that a whole load of love has been thrown into this game over the course of development, and whilst that alone shouldn’t be the single reason you buy it, when you combine that commitment, that passion and that love with brilliant gameplay mechanics, fantastic visuals and a story that just keeps on unfolding, you’ll get a great outcome.
Horrendously entertaining, boundlessly violent and with one eye on ancient history, Wulverblade provides an exceptionally thoughtful and enticing roadmap for the growth of the side-scrolling brawler. Pick up your controller and prepare for war; the North beckons.
If you're a fan of the side-scrolling beat 'em up genre then Wulverblade certainly does enough for you to consider checking it out, but it just doesn't feel mechanically sound enough to truly impress. It's a shame, given the game's strong art direction, historic bent and variety of gameplay modes.