MercurySteam’s Blades of Fire was revealed recently, and it’s surprisingly out in May. With a focus on forging your own weapons and more methodical combat, it’s perhaps equally surprising to hear that it will offer “anything between 60 to 80 hours” of gameplay.
This is according to PlayStation Blog, which spoke to CEO and director Enric Álvarez about the title. He also offered more details about the blacksmithing process. There are seven unique weapon families and 14 stats to consider, each affecting the result differently. You have to choose between different pommels for balance, the shape of the blade for either more durability or higher speed and penetration, the steel type for laceration and defense, and much more.
The forge will highlight how much more or less effective your weapon is becoming at the different stats, which is helpful. As for the forging process, Enric said, “I’m pretty sure there’s no other game that has a system like this. 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.”
Of course, players must be careful – hitting it too much could result in losing some properties. Once it’s complete, you get a star rating, but it doesn’t indicate the weapon’s quality. Instead, this represents the number of times you can repair it. And since it wears out during battle, having a higher-rated work usable more times before ultimately breaking is key.
“It’s easy to get a viable weapon, but it’s very hard to get a perfect one. And in battle, you feel the consequences of your decisions, as it’ll determine your combat style,” said Enric.
Blades of Fire launches on May 22nd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC via the Epic Games Store. Head here for more details on MercurySteam’s design philosophy.