‘Blades of Fire’ Is a Soulslike With a Lot of Potential, but There’s Still Some Work To Do (Review)

Before I start this review of Blades of Fire, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that MercurySteam was also the developer of Metroid Dread. Given the credits issue that popped up shortly after the release of that game, it is my sincere hope that everyone who worked on this game got credited for it.

Blades of Fire is MercurySteam’s latest game. A soulslike with an interesting crafting system, this is a game that has its foundation laid firmly in the past while laying down the groundwork for some pretty awesome innovations in the future. I’m just not sure if it’ll come in a sequel or from someone else.

visually, ‘Blades of fire’ is kind of… bland

Blades of Fire is a game that fits right in with 2003. In some ways, it’s a good thing, and in others, not so much. Graphically, the game won’t blow you away. The art style does feel like it’s OG Fable with a 4k filter. It’s not ugly, it’s just boring. The main character, Aran de Lira, has a design that feels like taking Marcus Fenix and putting him in medieval armor. Which, again, probably would have been cool in the mid-2000s, but here, he just feels like Generic Gruff Voice Hero #1.

One thing I didn’t expect to enjoy in Blades of Fire as much as I did is your companion, Adso. He’s on a quest with an old friend of yours, Abbot Dorin, to find you. Though he doesn’t really understand why he’s looking for this recluse. That is, until you happen upon him and Dorin being attacked by the Queen’s henchman. Dorin gets brutally killed and leaves you with a Forger’s Hammer. An ancient tool used to create the weapons at the center of your quest. Adso is puzzled as to why you, a commoner, have such a tool, but slowly understands as the story goes on.

Adso’s role is to document everything that happens on your journey in Blades of Fire. He is of absolutely no help in battle, but he also doesn’t get in the way. He’s the perfect 2003 AI companion. He provides information on enemies but doesn’t masquerade as helpful when he ends up serving only to get you killed.

The forging is, by far, the best part of the game

The hammer I mentioned allows you to travel to the forge to create your weapons. As you defeat enemies, you collect plans that allow you to forge a weapon that has some ties to the style of enemy you defeated. There are swords, daggers, spears, and more. Once you draw out what you’re forging, you select the components used to create it. The metals and wood are varied and affect each weapon’s stats.

You collect these components throughout gameplay, and once you have the makeup of your weapon locked in, you start the forging mini-game. This has you hammering the heated metal down to best match the shape of the weapon itself. You have a limited number of strikes, and how well you do will determine the number of repairs you have for each, represented by stars. You can get up to four stars. It takes a couple of shots at it, but once you get the forging down, it’s great every time. Thankfully, if you get four stars on a particular weapon, you don’t have to hammer at it again. You can use the forge memory to reforge it and get the same number of stars.

‘Blades of fire’ has so much, maybe even too much

Blades of Fire makes a point to have you interact with Adso in order to learn more about the world. You can stop at any time, ask him questions about the things you’ve encountered, and that’s your exposition. As far as the story is concerned, it’s there. You’re on a quest to kill the Queen. The problem is, Blades of Fire never seems to be overly concerned with getting you there. The map points you to the main objective, but there’s no real waypoint system. And you can pick up a side quest at any point, just walking around. I’m not looking for a game to hold my hand, but offering some small bit of direction would be nice.

The combat is the second-best aspect of the game. You have to pay attention to your enemies. Not every weapon will do damage. The outlines around them as you lock on will tell you if what you’re holding is going to aid you or not. You can swap between four weapons in your quick inventory, and you also have two different attack styles with each weapon. Blades of Fire does a great job of making you switch things up in combat. Defensively, you can block, parry, or dodge. I still have not gotten the timing down on the parry window. I’m hoping it’s a skill issue more than a mechanical one. Attacks and dodges cost stamina, but you can regain it by blocking. But blocking also has its own bar. You really do have to mix up everything to be successful.

THERE IS A GOOD GAME HERE, I JUST WISH I DIDN’T NEED TO WADE THROUGH SO MUCH TO GET IT

If you’re looking for something that’s not gonna run you 50 hours, this isn’t it. I do think Blades of Fire could do with some cutting down, as there are points where it just feels like the game wants you there just to be there. Not everything has a purpose, and it comes off like bloat for the sake of extending the game. I enjoyed the combat and forging aspects of the game. And for someone who wasn’t really into soulslikes all that much at first, that’s pretty huge. MercurySteam has something here that maybe they can tone up for another game.

Verdict: Recommended

Blades of Fire is available on Steam, Xbox Series X and S, and PS5. A code was provided by the developer for review. Reviewed on PS5.