Magic, monsters, and metalwork? In the realm of epic action-adventure games, MercurySteam’s new offering takes a distinctive path through its fantasy world. Featuring Aran de Lira, our mysterious hero with a serious demeanor, players embark on a journey to thwart a ruthless queen and her destructive ambitions.
Accompanying Aran is Adso, a quick-witted squire who documents the quest to the Royal Palace. Alongside puzzle-solving assistance and tactical insights, Adso ensures the adventure is anything but lonely. Yet, what truly sets Blades of Fire apart in its sprawling 60 to 80-hour journey is its focus on blacksmithing.
Enric Álvarez, the CEO of MercurySteam and Director of Blades of Fire, explains, “We’ve been eager to return to a fantasy akin to what we explored in Blade of Darkness, a brutal, physical, tactical combat. When we envisioned an evil witch queen turning steel into stone, the predicament for our hero became clear. That’s when the concept of the Forge came to life.”
This Forge of the Gods is a dark, enigmatic realm where Aran crafts the weapons necessary to confront more than 50 enemy varieties. With choices from seven weapon categories, including claymores and polearms, players can forge countless weapon variations to counteract the queen’s curse.
The possibilities are vast: a blade’s length influences its impact, while the steel type affects laceration, defense, and durability. Players have to decide on the cross-section for cutting efficiency and balance. A convex design may boost durability, but a concave fuller could grant better penetration and speed. Even the weapon’s pommel has implications for balance, a detail not to be overlooked.
In my time playing the game, the Forge challenged my decision-making skills. A handy sidebar, showcasing 14 different stats, kept overwhelming options in check as I assessed my weapon’s capabilities in blocking, parrying, and more.
But forging does more than present stats; it crafts a unique gameplay challenge. Without precedent in gaming, MercurySteam had to visualize the process in a novel way. “We wanted players to sense the power and heat of the forge,” Enric shares. Striking the red-hot metal comes alive with visual indicators akin to graphic equalizer bars, where each hit demands precision but with the risk of diminishing the weapon’s properties.
Once the forging process concludes, weapons are awarded a star rating, dictating repair opportunities before they become irreplaceably damaged. “Crafting a usable weapon is simple; creating a perfect one is difficult,” Enric notes. This impacts your combat approach as battle ensues, where your decisions, materialized in weapon form, come to bear.
During my exploration, I quickly realized Blades of Fire demands thoughtful timing and strategy. Each button maps to specific attacks, necessitating the right choice between slashing, stabbing, or blunt force to counteract enemy armor, while stamina management precludes reckless fighting.
Adding to this is Aran’s ability to dodge, making for fast-paced, satisfying combat. Success is visceral; precise hits can dismember foes, especially when catching them off guard.
Preserve your weapons wisely as they gain epic or legendary status over time. But beware: losing in battle means retrieving them where you fell. Once, unexpectedly downed by a troll, I faced the challenge of reclaiming my sword amidst repopulated adversaries, only to cleverly use the troll against nearby foes.
Blades of Fire is on track to be yet another meticulously crafted adventure from MercurySteam. And there’s more: Aran, adept with a hammer, doesn’t just hammer through his challenges. The game offers underground exploration, puzzle-solving, and a rich storytelling experience, inspired by epic narratives like Excalibur, The Name of the Rose, and the fantastical works of Frank Frazetta. As Enric describes it, “It’s a tale of people cruelly separated by time and fate, reuniting years later, irreversibly transformed.”
Prepare to dive deep into this world when Blades of Fire launches on PlayStation 5 on May 22.
