Blades of Fire: hands-on report

Magic, monsters, and… metalwork? Epic action-adventure comes in many fantastical forms, but MercurySteam’s forthcoming voyage into an all-new world of fantasy-based peril has a particularly unique approach. Yes, there’s the mysterious and slightly brooding protagonist – Aran de Lira – on a quest to defeat a brutal, army-wielding queen hell-bent on destruction.

And yes, there’s a plucky squire – Adso – acting as Aran’s studious companion, documenting your journey to the Royal Palace, while helping solve puzzles and offering enemy-defeating strategies and quips. But also, shining within this rich quest promising anything between 60 to 80 hours of gameplay is something that gives Blades of Fire its edge: blacksmithing.

“We’ve been waiting for the opportunity to come back to the kind of fantasy [we explored in Blade of Darkness], a brutal, physical, tactical combat,” explains Enric Álvarez, CEO of MercurySteam, and Director of Blades of Fire. “When we created the premise where an evil witch queen is turning steel into stone, the hero has a problem. So you need to forge your own weapons. That simple thing is how we came up with the idea of the Forge.”

The Forge of the Gods Enric refers to is a dark, brooding realm where Aran is given a chance to design and craft the weapons he needs to fight his way through over 50 enemy types, from Queen Nerea’s orcish-looking armored soldiers and deadly water elementals to terrifying trolls. Nerea’s curse on steel has no effect in the Forge, so by picking between seven different weapon families, including claymores and polearms, you can craft a dizzying array of variations.

For example, a blade’s length can affect the damage it inflicts, while the type of steel changes the weapon’s laceration, defense, and durability. What type of cross-section will you choose for cutting power and resistance? A convex shape might give you more durability but less slashing damage, but a concave fuller might give you more penetration and speed. And what about the pommel, which affects the weapon’s balance?

During my time with the game, the Forge already required a range of decisions, with a clear number of locked options—but what prevented it from becoming overwhelming was the handy stats-driven sidebar, which told me what was changing from my choices. Around 14 different stats display how effective my weapon is at blocking and parrying, with its stamina, weight, and slashing and piercing damage also visible.

Of course, that’s not the end of the process. Once I’ve made my selections, the actual forging begins, which posed a gameplay challenge for MercurySteam. “I’m pretty sure there’s no other game that has a system like this,” says Enric. “So we had to create it with no references. We wanted the player to feel the strength, heat, and intensity of the forge, so when you strike the metal with your hammer, you’re moving the metal in one direction or another and shaping it.”

The result of this consideration is a visualization which resembles graphic equalizer bars that trace along the red-hot divine metal of your prospective blade. You must match the bars closely to the weapon’s profile before striking the metal with the sacred hammer. But the more you hit the steel, the more properties it will lose, so balance is key.

By the end of the process, your new weapon will get a star rating, representing the number of times you can repair it before it’s damaged forever and practically unusable – as weapons will degrade in battle and eventually break. “It’s easy to get a viable weapon, but it’s very hard to get a perfect one,” says Enric. “And in battle, you’ll feel the consequences of your decisions, as it’ll determine your combat style.”

Enric’s not exaggerating, either. My playthrough sees me immediately realizing that Blades of Fire’s combat requires no small amount of timing and thought. Each face button is mapped to an attack for the left and right sides and the head and body. Not only are these important considerations depending on the sort of enemy you’re fighting, but you also have to choose between slashing, stabbing, and blunt techniques to bypass certain armor.

Combined with the stamina bar to ensure you can’t rely on button-mashing or overuse, Aran’s dodge roll made for intricate and thrilling battles. Combat is slick, swift, responsive, and satisfying, especially once I discovered that well-aimed and well-timed attacks can lead to limbs and heads flying off everywhere, which can also be performed if you catch your enemy unawares.

Over time, weapons gain reputations to earn epic or legendary status, so taking good care of them is essential, but dying means having to retrieve your armament where you fell – which caused me no end of problems when I was taken surprise by a troll who swiftly turned Aran into paste with a couple of blows. Returning to the area, now repopulated with other enemies, caused an interesting dilemma in retrieving my sword… until I realized that leading the angry troll into the hapless enemy soldiers was an entirely valid tactic. Soon, there was fresh paste for all. 

Blades of Fire is shaping up to be another well-crafted adventure from MercurySteam. And don’t be fooled – while Aran is handy with a hammer, he doesn’t approach every problem as if it were a nail. There’s plenty of exploration and a dash of puzzle-solving to enjoy, too, as well as a detailed narrative inspired by the likes of John Boorman’s Excalibur, The Name of the Rose, and Frank Frazetta comics. “It’s a story about people cruelly separated by time and fate, only to reunite years later, irrevocably changed,” says Enric.

Get your blacksmith hands ready to discover it all for yourself when Blades of Fire launches on PlayStation 5 on May 22.