Blades of Fire Reviews
Blades of Fire manages to feel original, lovable, and born of genuine passion, despite the near overwhelming number of problems that could have extinguished it.
Blades of Fire can be great fun, but it definitely overstays its welcome.
Blades of Fire’s blacksmithing burns bright, but overly simplistic combat and a mediocre story mean it doesn’t forge a sharp enough edge to put its customizable weapons to good use.
It's got the Metroidvania chops of their Nintendo Switch high-point Metroid Dread, the fantasy-horror imagination of their Castlevania: Lords of Shadow games, and a fantastic combat system that smashes them both. A great adventure that'll make you want to try every weapon it hits you with. Outstanding.
Blades of Fire is one of the most ambitious Spanish games of recent times and an action-packed offering worthy of applause for bringing a sense of renewal to a crowded gaming genre. With a combat system directly tied to role-playing elements and exploration, this title will captivate the most discerning action RPG fans.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
It’s a kind of game that feels out of place in time, but benefits from its accidental time travel by doing things a PlayStation 2-era console simply can’t.
Blades of Fire is a very good game, blending tough action RPG combat with a fun and unique weapon forging. The story is a little by the numbers and exploration does have a lot of back and forth, but the different regions and enemies look great and the narrative is elevated by Aran and Adso's relationship.
Blades of Fire alternates very good mechanics (the forge and the combat system) with less successful ones (characterization, narrative and game world). It is well playable and fun, but it has the feeling of a wasted opportunity.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Like its title, Blades of Fire suffers from aspects that are kind of generic. The visual design and musical score emulate Hollywood fantasy to a fault, and the gameplay is excellent. Fans of action RPGs can safely ignore the Souslike label and enjoy this very accessible game.
can’t say I ever truly invested in Aran’s personal plight, but I very much enjoyed the way he goes about resolving it, all thanks to one of the most unique and thoughtful melee combat systems I’ve experienced in the past few years. Blades of Fire borrows from the past, but when it comes to combat and creativity it also forges its own way forward.
Blades of Fire is a welcome return to MercurySteam and I think it’s one that is going to be a sleeper hit. The way the story unfolds and pushes the player to explore the environment that is littered with hidden fights and upgrades that will help Aran become stronger.
Blades of Fire is a great return to the genre for MercurySteam. With great exploration and a unique combat system, Blades of Fire should have been a sure hit. Unfortunately, the situations you encounter feel completely unfair, and the mechanics sometimes work completely against you. Even still, Blades of Fire is a fun game that harkens back to the old school action-adventure titles, where exploring its world reaps the best rewards and game experience.
Blades of Fire is a well-made and lengthy action adventure romp that will test your combat skills, provided you can see it through. Taking inspiration from some of gaming's greatest hits, it never quite manages to reach those lofty heights itself, let down by a generic setting and lacklustre art direction. Still, it offers some interesting concepts, with combat and crafting mechanics that remain satisfying throughout.
With an excellent combat system and the ability to forge massive weapons, this is a fresh experience that's not your typical souls-like game. Blades of Fire stands out from the rest in its own way, allowing us to enjoy its diverse and expansive world. Whether you're a fan of this style of game or not, it's a pleasant surprise, coming from the talent of a Spanish studio.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Ultimately, there’s too much work involved for not nearly enough reward from the world or the narrative, despite the occasional interesting twist and turn.
With its weapon-building systems and deliberate, targeted combat, Blades of Fire has a lot of fresh-feeling ideas. Its control scheme is strange and will force you to press each button with care. Its granular forging system makes you consider every weapon in your arsenal. But however differently it approaches them, the game only offers the same thrills as other action games of its ilk. Blades of Fire feels unique, but just can't get weird enough.
The combat system and crafting mechanics thus come together in a unicum that makes the gameplay of Blades of Fire innovative and truly original. At the beginning, such an impressive amount of choices to make might seem overwhelming. But it still remains a much-needed breath of fresh air in a stagnant sector .
Review in Italian | Read full review
MercurySteam's latest project holds a lot of promise, but death by a thousand cuts holds it back from true greatness.
The new game from developer MercurySteam is Blades of Fire, which is not a good name. Blades of Fire. It sounds like a documentary about patriotic i...
Blades of Fire has two faces – at first the game irritates with nearly every little thing, but after a while the pieces seem to fit quite nicely. I wanted to discover new mechanics (that were extremely poorly explained) and really get to know the game. But that does not change the fact, that it is tiresome and demands frequent breaks.
Review in Polish | Read full review