Bladestorm: Nightmare Reviews
Bladestorm Nightmare is neither interesting to play nor good looking in any way, shape, or form. There are books that offer more visceral medieval combat than this. Seek those out and do anything else with your PS4.
It's a half-hearted attempt at bringing the series into the current generation, and is only barely recommended for the absolute die-hard fans of the original. This is a real shame and even if you can get past the bare-bones approach to remastering that Omega Force have taken, you probably won't get past all the bugs.
Bladestorm: Nightmare is a game that suffers from its fundamentals. The act of moving your troops around the battlefield, and engaging in combat, is too far removed from the player's input – leading to frustration rather than gratification. Adding dragons to the mix doesn't shake up the formula, and highlights that not all games can act as frameworks for other concepts.
Bladestorm: Nightmare is almost impossible to recommend to anyone but the most die-hard fans of musou games. While the game's story and setting does have some potential, it takes a backseat to the action and is left to a few throwaway cutscenes before battles. Gameplay becomes tedious far too early, and when combined with a combat system that requires little thought, it makes for a boring experience. When you throw all these monotonous elements into a game that also isn't very easy on the eye, then you get an example of a bad videogame. If you are a huge fan of these types of videogames then maybe you'll find something to enjoy, but anyone else should stay very far away.
A mediocre eight-year-old game judged by modern standards.
Rampaging through the French countryside is entertaining enough for a quick rental. Otherwise, it doesn't have much else going for it and squanders its fantastical setup with a lackluster plot, limited online options, restricted strategic choices, and neutered dragons.
Bladestorm Nightmare is an anachronism. It tries to do a lot of things, but does nothing terribly well. The opportunity porting the game offered was pretty much squandered, as it drags most of the original games shortcomings up with it. It's not a game for the uninitiated and it's probably better left as the cult title it always was.
The game doesn't even fulfill the bare minimum requirements to be considered a decent port. If you want to spend on your money a game with large scale combat during some obscure historical warring era then stick with Dynasty Warriors instead.
That is the problem with Bladestorm: Nightmare – it loses its appeal too quickly. Between the monotonous battles, boring story, and ugly visuals, there isn't much there to hold someone's attention. If you want to have some fun with it, rent it for a day or so. After that, Nightmare is pretty much worthless.
More than anything else, from a technical standpoint Bladestorm: Nightmare is a disappointingly subpar port of what is effectively a last-gen console game. With the tremendous amount of grunt available to them, the developer should have produced the definitive version of the game, instead of the poorest which really, is a position that no PC gamer should ever find themselves in.
One that only hardcore fans will enjoy
While at its core there is a great idea, Bladestorm: Nightmare has too much going on both during battle and off the field. The game tries so hard to juggle story, character levelling up, massive battles, and strategy that in the end, it doesn't do anything particularly well.
A mix of Musou, strategy, and pure insanity, Bladestorm ends up missing the mark with all three.
Even had Bladestorm: Nightmare came out several years ago on PS3 I don't think I would have enjoyed it much. But, for those who like Dynasty Warrior-esque games and want more unit control and strategy, Bladestorm is worth checking out.
There's lots to appreciate about Bladestorm: Nightmare, with only its drawn-out gameplay and technical issues holding it back. Until those are worked out, perhaps this series is destined to remain with simply cult appeal.
The best feature of Bladestorm: Nightmare is the fantasy campaign about Joan of Arc and her monster army, showcasing the fun to be had with changing history, while at the same time supplying a ton of content to get through, but sadly, this unique title from Omega Force doesn't effectively blend action and strategy together, leaving us with mindless action that can't offer the high-octane fun of Dynasty Warriors nor the challenge of a tactical battle.
While you will enjoy playing Bladestorm, it ultimately ends up being an previously released game that's getting a new-gen "fresh coat of paint" release with a limited update that, while not being a nightmare, is definitely not a dream.
How do you make a game with unbalanced combat, repetitive missions, and a too-long campaign more fun? The answer is easy: add dragons. Lots and lots of dragons.
A combat and team focused Musuo game that is tragically let down by buggy AI, poor optimisation, and dodgy framerates.
Bladestorm: Nightmare is a game with a limited audience. RTS fans will find it too simplistic, and Warriors fans will find the pace to be too slow. It doesn't hit the correct buttons to competently fill either role. The Nightmare-exclusive additions are almost all positive and well-implemented, but they're a thin coat of paint on an increasingly dated product. The game lacks any punch, and it has too many problems for its strengths to shine through. If you're desperate for a RTS on consoles or were a fan of the original, then give this a shot, but most fans will get more enjoyment out of playing as Joan of Arc in Warriors Orochi 3.