Bladestorm: Nightmare Reviews
I walked away from Bladestorm surprised and also eager to jump back into. If the gameplay doesn't dig its hooks into you after a few hours, you might find little reason to keep going. Players that get sucked in though will already be thinking of their next plan of attack.
A strategic hack 'n slash with an impressive upgrade system and welcome Nightmare mode, but it looks bland and combat often feels shallow.
A solid game that has aged over time with exploits which take the challenge out of combat but makes it up with a more engaging expansion.
Bladestorm: Nightmare is thoroughly enjoyable throughout. From its awful voices to its crazy fantasy mode about fighting dragons, or its more down to earth medieval tale, the game really tries to make up for any shortcomings the original release had. The updated visuals are very good, even with its downfalls, and the gameplay, once it's been deciphered, is fun. All in all, it's a great title for fans of the Warriors franchises, but be prepared for the differences and enjoy the new experience. Here is hoping for a sequel!
Bladestorm: Nightmare can appeal to both Warriors fans and those who don't even get into Tecmo Koei's flagship series. Its brilliance exists in those moments of storming enormous strongholds with an army of 100-strong at your back, ready to slice and dice through wave after wave of enemies.
Bladestorm: Nightmare's vast battlefields only become truly welcoming once you're embedded deep within its progression system, but those who are on the lookout for a bit of tactical action will definitely want to test their mettle as a mercenary all the same. While combat's never spectacular, and the game isn't quite as strategic as it perhaps promises to be at first glance, it's still easy to get lost in this historical hack-'em-up's rewarding gameplay loop.
As a remaster for new consoles, there was only so much Omega Force could do in trying to make Bladestorm relevant once more without having to rebuild the game from scratch. What new feature Nightmare has to offer are intuitive and gel perfectly with Bladestorm's existing mechanics. The demonic campaign is admittedly underwhelming in parts yet gives Bladestorm fans another series of unique battles to play through. If undecided, try the demo – it even extends the option to carry your progress into the main game.
Bladestorm: Nightmare offers a fun romp across expansive battlefields, with solid if unspectacular combat and character progression mechanics. The Hundred Years' War campaign doesn't know how seriously to take itself, but the excellent, over-the-top Nightmare campaign more than makes up for this. Recommended if you're in the market for something quirky and haven't experienced the original game.
While sometimes stale, there's plenty of fun to be had here for strategy game fans.
You get loads of content in the game, and in following the tradition of recent Koei Tecmo games there is loads of character customisation options. Bladestorm has a unique flavour, and it's one that takes a while to really settle in. But, once you get into its rhythm it has just the right mix of history and fantasy elements so that it does respect to one of the most fascinating periods of historical conflict, while letting you have some fun with it too.