Blades of Fire Review β He told me that all my questions would be answered once we found you. I still remember that line. It’s from a moment in Blades of Fire that gave me hope β hope that this game had something deeper to say, something truly worth the grind. Spoiler: it didnβt.
Letβs be clear β I love when a studio steps out of its comfort zone. Itβs risky, sometimes reckless, but often the results are magic. Thatβs why I was hyped when Mercury Steam, the team behind the brilliant Metroid Dread, dropped a 3D action RPG out of nowhere. But Blades of Fire feels like one of those bold swings that never quite connects.
Youβre a Blacksmith, Not a Warrior. Cool, Right? | Blades of Fire Review
The premise is actually super intriguing. Youβre not some chosen one. Youβre a blacksmith β a guy who literally crafts his way through chaos. The worldβs falling apart, and the only way forward is to forge your own destiny. That metaphor isnβt subtle, but itβs powerful. You build every weapon you use. That part? Genuinely satisfying.
Forging feels real. Not just menu-clicking β weβre talking about heating, hammering, shaping steel. Youβre creating something from scratch. And that βnaming your weaponβ part? Total nerd candy. I made one called Regret after dying for the fifth time on the same boss. Cathartic.
Combat: Starts Fine, Ends Flat
Unfortunately, all that forging leads toβ¦ kinda dull combat. You get directional attacks β up, down, left, right β and thatβs it. Itβs fun at first, especially when you land a perfect parry and do a flashy counter. But after a few hours, it all starts feeling the same.
Thereβs no real depth. No combos. No βoh damnβ moments. Just slash, dodge, slash again. The enemies donβt help either β mostly humanoid, mostly boring. Even the big guys, like trolls with regenerating health, feel like slightly tankier versions of regular grunts.
And dying? Itβs barely a slap on the wrist. Your weapon drops and turns to stone, but you can go grab it again. No real stakes.
The Story Thinks Itβs Deeper Than It Is
Now, about that line I opened with β it comes from Adso, your sidekick. Heβs like a walking library, full of lore and ancient knowledge. You, Aaron, the blacksmith, are constantly going, βI donβt understand,β while Adso explains everything. At first, itβs kinda cute. Then it gets annoying.
The emotional moments donβt land because the characters just arenβt fleshed out. You meet a flying beetle witch named Glenda (yep), and later, a warrior named Arwin shows up with dramatic fanfare. But none of it hits. They try to go for God of War-style story beats β wise companion, reluctant hero, mystical women β but it all feels like a copy without the heart.
By the time the final act rolls around, youβre stuck in a fetch quest marathon. Honestly, I stopped caring why I was fighting. I just wanted it to be over.
Maps Are Pretty, But Not Helpful
One thing the game does get right is the world design. The environments look fantastic β ruins, snowy mountains, eerie caves. But navigating them? Yikes.
The map is a mess. Thereβs no sense of height, so youβre constantly guessing whether a path is above you or below you. It kills the momentum. You can place markers to guide you, which sounds cool in theory, but it feels like a patch for a problem that shouldnβt exist.
Final Thoughts: A Missed Opportunity
I wanted to love Blades of Fire. I really did. The blacksmith angle is unique, the forging system is actually fun, and the world has potential. But the combat wears thin, the story drags, and the characters feel more like exposition machines than real people.
Itβs not a disaster. Itβs justβ¦ forgettable. And in todayβs world of phenomenal action RPGs, being forgettable is almost worse than being bad.
Would I recommend it? Only if youβre desperate for something new and can overlook shallow combat. Otherwise, there are better fires worth stoking.
Rating: 5.5/10 β All spark, no flame.