REVIEW : Blade Assault (PC)
Blade Assault is a 2D action rogue-lite platformer set in a dismal sci-fi environment with gorgeous pixel visuals. As part of the Undercity’s rebel army, fight against Esperanza’s corrupt military. Become stronger and fight alongside your trusted allies to bring the corrupt to justice.
The world has been divided into three parts following the horrific Red Stone War: the mutant-infested outer grounds, the Undercity, where people have fled to seek safety from mutants, and the sky city Esperanza, where the rich and strong reign over the world. As part of the Undercity’s rebel army, fight against Esperanza’s corrupt military. Become stronger and fight alongside your trusted allies to bring the corrupt to justice.
You are given nothing but a weapon and an egotistical character to begin with. As you head out into the world to take on the military, you’ll run into your first foes. As you make your way through a few sections filled with enemies, a safe alley with a chance to grab a bite to eat and call a limo for transportation, and then back into enemy waves just before finding the level’s boss, this first level experience will give you a taste of what to expect in each level.
This is the basic layout of each section of the game, but there are a few differences owing to randomization mechanics, as well as several intricacies that can be discovered.
For example, you can find crates that can be opened with gems to reveal three different power-up options, breakable props that provide the gems you need to buy things, a power node that summons a final wave of enemies that, once defeated, completes the section of the level, and the thing that sets this game apart from other rogue-likes: a power-up of varying kinds.
The game has a cast of fascinating characters and snappy, responsive controls. The playable characters have a variety of transformable weapons with which they fight their foes. Different “Cores” and “Transform Upgrades” that arrive at random during gaming might further personalise weapons.
You’re thrown into a stylish futuristic underworld after a brief intro/tutorial that proclaims the main character as an escaped criminal. The storey hasn’t been fully fleshed out yet, but murdering is the name of the game, and it’s where the game’s strength resides. The traditional sword swing is your weapon of the trade, with a strong attack, AoE attack, and dash all on short individual cooldowns.
As you progress, you will acquire a variety of currencies, some of which can be used right away and others which must be stored for future enhancements. This dish isn’t groundbreaking, but the numerous upgrades accessible to you make it even more intriguing. You select your favourite character, enhance your vendors, and then upgrade and select your preferred weapon before departing. Before you go back into battle, you’ll find a lengthy skill tree that requires your attention.
Once your adventure starts, you’ll encounter adversaries that will drop currency that you may use to temporarily enhance or change your stats and abilities. You can also imbue your skills with one of a few ingredients that will enhance the effectiveness of your death dealing tactics. This allows you to change your playstyle substantially from one run to the next.
It has a wonderful flow to it when you’re fighting adversaries. You have a main attack that may be spammed as a combo attack, which will damage all foes within range at the same time because it hits many enemies at once.Aside from your primary attack, you’ll have a separate sub attack for each weapon, the ability to dash/dodge, and a strong attack that requires mana to utilise. You can upgrade these attacks to have elemental damage, simply do more damage, have side effects, and even earn new moves after getting some power-ups.
Electric weapons with chain lightning damage were a lifesaver a lot of the time, therefore I found myself employing electricity for offence the most. For passive and sub attack damage, the fire element offers numerous excellent options. However, it appeared that Freezing had the best defence options. Fortunately, you don’t have to stick to just one element, so look for powers that fit your playstyle.
Blade Assault appears to be close to completion. Each run I went on felt new and unique, and I’m excited for what’s to come in the future. The developers’ to-do list is still long, but these are feature additions because the fundamental gameplay is already fantastic. Blade Assault is quite addictive; it’s still fairly new, but I believe it has the potential to become something spectacular; I would recommend it right now because it’s continuously updated and the community is quite active. This game is enjoyable and addictive; it’s difficult at first, but after a few runs, you’ll figure out what’s op and what isn’t. I’m hoping they enhance the Assault difficulty level, because right now it just makes the bosses do more damage. Overall, this is a good roguelike, and I’m looking forward to the final release.
a fast-paced roguelite with a surprising amount of build flexibility among the elemental hades-esque “boons” and augmentations to various sections of your character’s kit in every given run There’s meta progression in the form of upgrading various NPC offerings (gear, HP recovery, etc.) and your standard stat stick tree. The screen can get a little too cluttered for its own good at times, resulting in OHKOs seemingly out of nowhere, but as you learn how different builds operate, things start to fall into place. Basically, if you’re done with Dead Cells or any other similar game, this one is worth a try, especially if you’re a fan of the genre. The only true flaw is that there isn’t an ascension/heat system like in Slay the Spire/Hades to give additional endgame replayability, but Blade Assault is a great game as is. It comes highly recommended.
My only complaint (and it’s a minor one) is that the rooms are on the small side and sometimes feel claustrophobic. Apart from that, I heartily suggest Blade Assault and expect it to be one of my year-end favourites. This game is fantastic. There are a few nagging problems (such as adversaries being invisible or flashing in and out), but overall it’s entertaining. It will be ideal if they only smooth out a few problems. All of the parts of the game are patched and updated by the developers. The developers are constantly patching and updating the game, which is a promising sign. I’m hoping the developers can keep working on the game and add new features. This game is fantastic; it has a lot of potential, and it appears that the developers are working hard to make it even better. Each character you play feels unique, and you have a variety of skills to pick from, which keeps things interesting.
