Blades of Fire is what happens when someone decides to blend a lukewarm God of War homage with the soulslike genre and a healthy dollop of metalworking bureaucracy. Set in a dark fantasy world once ruled by giants, you play as a blacksmith turned warrior, clearly upset about something. Possibly the script. Possibly the fact his sword breaks every five minutes like it’s made from reinforced Weetabix.
Gaming Heaven
Yes, let’s start with the nice bits before the hammer drops. The forging mechanic is genuinely original, and for about ten minutes, I was convinced I was having fun. Adjusting blade length, hammer angles and material properties gave me the fleeting joy of pretending I was on The Repair Shop, if The Repair Shop were set in Mordor.
The environments are quite pretty, in a “we found the fantasy texture pack” sort of way. Forests are lush, caves are moody, and trolls are, well, enormous disappointments but look the part. Combat sounds satisfying too – the audio department worked overtime making your hammer sound like a small car crash every time it connects with someone’s cranium.
Gaming Hell
Unfortunately, Blades of Fire mistakes complexity for depth. The combat system, while clever on paper, becomes tiresome. The stamina mechanic is lifted directly from better games and adds little besides tedium.
And the story? Imagine every fantasy cliché you’ve ever heard had a slow-motion parade. There’s a queen, betrayal, ancient power, blah blah destiny. Your journey to the Royal Palace is more a trudge through tired tropes than an epic quest.
Final Judgement
An ambitious forge of ideas, sadly quenched in the waters of tedium. Buy it if you like hitting things. Menus. And disappointment.
