Review of Blades of Fire for PlayStation 5

Just had a wild ride with Blades of Fire, this new game from 505 Games and MercurySteam. So, there I was, wrestling with my PlayStation, and honestly, no clue why I was so into it, but Blades of Fire caught my eye. It screams action-adventure in some mythical world, and yeah, I’ve got a soft spot for MercurySteam ever since diving into Metroid Dread. What can I say, their style just clicks with me.

Picture this epic land, where giants once ruled—I mean, how cool is that? They’re called The Forgers, and of course, something catastrophic happened, as it always does in these tales, pushing them to share their Steel secret with humanity. Fast forward thousands of years, and boom, you’re jumping into the boots of Aran de Lira. This guy’s got royal vibes all over since he’s the firstborn of some King’s Ward Commander or something like that.

Now, Queen Nerea (not the best name, but hey) decides turning all steel to stone is a great idea, leaving her the only one with a real army. Makes you wonder why royalty always needs everything to go their way, right? Anyway, our hero’s gotta fight back against her army of freaky creatures. And speaking of creatures, Adso de Zelk joins the fun—a smart kid from Abbey of Egion who’s basically your walking encyclopedia, dropping hints and solving puzzles like it’s just another Tuesday.

Got to hammer out my weapons too because you know, can’t just go around with flimsy swords. Forge Scrolls are key here. It felt like I was always on the hunt for those, trying to craft something with a bit more oomph. And yes, the stats on these weapons are detailed—length, edge sharpness, honestly surprised they didn’t throw in ‘shininess’ as a factor!

Blades of Fire doesn’t just throw you into one difficulty setting and call it a day. Nope. You get Bronze, Iron, and Steel levels. Honestly, Bronze was just right for me, but those looking for a challenge might find Steel more up their alley. Be careful though, one wrong move and you’re toast.

Combat’s about as intuitive as dance steps. I mean, left analog to move, right to target, all sounds pretty standard until you add healing on the D-Pad and all that jazz. I could never remember half of it, but somehow it works. Probably the chaos just matches my vibe.

Weapons don’t last forever though—each hit wears them down. And with limited resources, you’ve got a real dilemma. Use the fancy sword on a goblin? Eh, maybe not the best idea. But then, I might just do it for the fun of it.

Diving into enemy types gets you thinking too. Like for a skeleton, obviously, a hammer does the trick—who knew smashing bones was so oddly satisfying?

Oh and trophies, let’s not forget those. Full-on Platinum trophy available for those who are trophy junkies. Yeah, you’ll need to parry flawlessly, destroy enemies, and who knows what else. It’s a list longer than my grocery receipt after a hungry shopping spree.

In the end, Blades of Fire leaves you with that craving for adventure in a world shaped by giants, secrets, and a ton of steel that isn’t stone. Launching soon, and if you’re quick, there’s a discount to grab before it hits the shelves. Just dive in already—what are you waiting for?