Blades of Fire is MercurySteam’s latest dark-fantasy action RPG that puts you in the boots of Aran de Lira, a stoic warrior armed with a legendary hammer and the ability to craft weapons on the fly. From the moment I picked it up, I felt the game’s unique twist on combat: every weapon can be forged and customized, and battles require careful choice of blade and timing. I found Blades of Fire to be both exciting and ambitious. It shines in its creative ideas (especially the forging), but it’s also demanding and sometimes uneven in pacing and polish. More will be explained in my review. Let’s get ready to travel back to medieval times in our review of Blades of Fire.
Blades of Fire
Developer: MercurySteam
Publisher: 505 Games
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S
Release date: May 22, 2025
Genre: Action-adventure
Intro and story:
From the official website:
Long ago, the world was ruled by a race of mighty giants, known as The Forgers. In their wisdom, they reigned over a time of magnificence and wonder, until a devasting war erupted, and their civilisation fell into ruin. Faced with the looming threat of annihilation, The Forgers fashioned human beings to accept their mantle and bestowed upon them their most treasured legacy, the secret of The Steel. With this knowledge, humanity rose to power and came to dominate all. Thousands of years have passed, and the mighty Queen Nerea has cast a spell that turns her enemies’ steel to stone, twisting the legacy of the Antient Forgers against most of humanity
Aran de Lira, the son of the King’s Ward Commander, grew up alongside Princess Nerea and Prince Erin, sharing a close bond with the royal siblings.
However, a tragic event in his youth left an indelible scar on his soul. Though the pain lingers, shaping much of his life, Aran has shown remarkable resilience. He refuses to let his past define him entirely, choosing instead to focus on others’ well-being and face his responsibilities with unwavering resolve.
Now entrusted with the weighty task of killing the queen, Aran is determined to honor his duty and forge his future through strength and courage
The world of Blades of Fire is painted in dark, epic strokes. The premise is relatively straightforward: Queen Nerea, once a benevolent ruler and Aran’s childhood friend, has fallen under a curse (or perhaps wicked influence) that turns any ordinary steel to stone. Her army now wields rare Divine Metal that mortals cannot oppose. Aran, firstborn of the royal Ward knights, survives because he inherits a sacred Forgers’ hammer, which is a relic from an ancient race known as the Forgers. With that hammer, Aran alone can reforge blades that will cut through the Queen’s forces.
As I explored the game’s story, I discovered that it’s essentially a dark fairy tale of vengeance and reunion. Aran’s journey to the royal palace is the spine of the plot, but the path is winding. Along the way, he encounters remnants of old civilizations, tragic villages haunted by the Queen’s magic, and mysterious temples. The major theme is “reunion,” hinting that Aran and Nerea’s past relationship will be important.
The narrative is not heavy on dialogue trees or moral choices. It’s more about the unfolding mythos. For example, early on, I met a sage named Glinda, a legendary Forger, who became Aran’s mentor. Through Glinda, the game explains the lore of steel and forging, and she provides side quests and guidance. The story delivery is largely through cinematic cutscenes and short dialogues, which are well-acted. The script occasionally dips into familiar fantasy tropes (revenge, prophecy) without surprising you. As a result of my time with Blades of Fire, the narrative is serviceable, but not its strongest suit. It provides a nice backdrop and motivation for the action, and a few story moments do stick, but players looking for a deeply twisting plot or character evolution might find it straightforward.
Gameplay:
Blades of Fire plays as a third-person action RPG where weapon crafting and tactical combat are at its core. Combat is deliberate and strategic. Each weapon (sword, axe, mace, spear, etc.) can deal slashing, piercing, or blunt damage, and enemies have weak spots that respond differently. You can target an enemy’s head, torso, or sides by using different attack buttons, chaining light or heavy strikes into combos. Parrying also plays a role in combat. Timing a perfect parry not only opens an enemy up for a crushing counterattack, but it also temporarily refills your stamina, allowing a brief burst of fully powered blows. There’s also a full stamina bar, so you must balance attacking with dodges, rolls, and blocks. Defensive moves like dodge and block both cost stamina, but blocking even allows you to recover stamina more quickly.
One of the most interesting features is the weapon system. Aran carries multiple weapons, but each one has its own properties and durability. After each fight, weapons weaken and can eventually break. You can repair a weapon only a limited number of times (based on how well it was forged). This encourages you to constantly head back to the forge (checkpoints of the game throughout the world, which appear as anvils) and craft new arms.
I found myself using the forge often. Forging is presented as a minigame. To break it down, you physically hammer a raw ingot to shape a blade, refining its length, weight, edge sharpness, and material. The better the forging, the more repair attempts can be made. I also found myself coming here to make new weapons, as when you die with a certain weapon equipped, you have to go pick up that weapon, so you do not lose it. I opted to make a new weapon more often than I should’ve, as the difficulty of some enemies was too much.
Nearly every enemy requires the right weapon choice. There’s a color-coded hint system. To break it down, if an enemy is green, your current weapon type (say, a broad sword or a spear) is highly effective. However, in contrast, if it glows red, it will do no damage. This means battles often involved quickly swapping arms to exploit weaknesses.
Overall, combat in Blades of Fire is tough but rewarding. It demands patience and strategy. On the normal difficulty, even minor bosses felt relentless until I learned their patterns. Fans of methodical hack-and-slash gameplay (think God of War meets Dark Souls) will find a lot to enjoy here. Souls players may not feel the same.
Visual and Audio
Graphically, Blades of Fire is impressive on PS5. MercurySteam uses a stylized, painterly art direction rather than gritty photo-realism. The environments are dramatic and colorful. I often paused to admire the atmosphere and environment. The game is not bland and dull. There was love and care put into the environments, and it shows.
The audio design complements the visuals well. The music often feels epic, for example, when going into a new area, horns blare as you approach a fortress, and softer piano notes underscore tragic revelations. Adso’s scholarly voiceover notes (as he narrates enemy info) have a gentle optimism, contrasting with Aran’s deeper, more gravelly remarks. Sound effects are crisp, and ambient sounds all add to immersion. The team made sure to take their time here and optimize the audio mixing.
Wrap-up/Conclusion
Blades of Fire is a compelling experience for players who crave strategic action and custom gear wrapped in a moody fantasy world. The standout feature is definitely its combat system and how essential the forge is. There were many moments where I forged a new blade just in time to exploit an enemy’s weakness, which felt very rewarding. In contrast, I felt that Blades of Fire did fall short in the storytelling. It was a straight narrative that was delivered adequately.
Overall, Blades of Fire is a well-made action-RPG with several things to offer. If you enjoy crafting your own weapons and taking on punishing foes with style, this game will keep you busy and entertained. It stands out for doing some things differently in the genre, even if it doesn’t break every mold. It may not be for everyone, but for the right audience, it hits the mark very well.
Score: 8/10 – Blades of Fire does change up the genre a bit, and that works in its favor. However, its straightforward storytelling, which is fine, does leave more to be desired by the end of the game.