BLADES OF FIRE

Mettle meets metal in this action-adventure romp

- Daniella Lucas

Steel yourselves, MercurySteam is back and looking to forge its own fantasy Soulslike with a molten twist. Every weapon you use to clobber enemies with will be crafted by your own hands—you'll need to master blacksmithing and battle. I got hands on with this curious fantasy adventure as well as a chance to chat to the studio's CEO and Blades of Fire game director Enric Alvarez at a recent press event about all things fighting and forging.

Set in a world where a curse turns all steel to stone, Queen Neera rules all with her metal might. With an army of abominations that are the only ones able to wield decent weapons at her side, she stands unopposed. Step in Aaran De Lira—our hero and protagonist who has been gifted with a godly hammer that can forge steel. It's up to him and scholarly sidekick Adso to step up and kill the Queen.

Blades of Fire feels a lot like a cross between God of War and a Soulslike. You have a vast world full of secrets and hidden paths to explore while being beset by enemies ranging from classic armored soldiers to goblin-like creatures that hop around on swords like pogo sticks. As Aran you'll explore to learn more about forging and how to get yourself closer to the Queen, meeting a cast of strange characters including a stout grandma and troll-thing that's mostly chin. Aran and Adso feel like a similar pairing to Kratos and Atreus at first glance, but with a little more wisecracking and a more equal footing. I'm curious to see how their relationship develops.

Combat feels heavy and centers on switching weapon types to match your opponents’, with each blade type changing your style. Swords let you get in close and react more quickly, while hammers will knock enemies flat but leave you more open to attacks. It's not quite as finely tuned as a Souls game, but you can really feel the impact of each blow. Just don't let Alvarez hear you make those correlations.