Game Information
Game Title: Blades of Fire
Platforms:
- Xbox Series X/S (May 22, 2025)
- PlayStation 5 (May 22, 2025)
- PC (May 22, 2025)
Trailers:
- Blades of Fire Character Trailer
- Blades of Fire - Official Combat Overview Trailer
- BLADES OF FIRE Trailer 4K (New Third-Person Action Game Like GOD OF WAR 2025)
Developer: MercurySteam
Publisher: 505 Games
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 72 average - 49% recommended - 73 reviews
Critic Reviews
33bits - Fernando Sánchez - Spanish - 90 / 100
Blades of Fire, the new game from Spanish studio MercurySteam, arrives quietly but is poised to become one of the surprises of 2025. A fable of fire and steel that tastefully blends recognizable elements from different genres and revolves them around the powerful concept of weapon forging and the depth with which the Madrid-based studio has endowed the concept. Once it catches your attention, Blades of Fire is a game you shouldn't miss; it will captivate you.
AltChar - Asmir Kovacevic - 80 / 100
Blades of Fire is an action RPG following its own rules and trying to be something else, even though the similarity with the Souls titles and their influence is something it cannot escape from. However, the unique fighting mechanics, paired with the original weapon management, are enough to make this game very intriguing and to make it stand out in the sea of titles that mindlessly try to be like every other game out there.
Analog Stick Gaming - Jeff M Young - 6.5 / 10
Blades of Fire likely sounded great on paper. However, its lack of direction, dated visuals, and inconsistent combat leads to far too much frustration. While the premise of forging your weapons is appealing, and does actually make the game stand out, the weapon swapping systems are cumbersome to use during combat and make this one adventure that's hard to recommend.
Atarita - Eren Eroğlu - Turkish - 70 / 100
Blades of Fire may have let me down in many ways, but its solid gameplay ideas and well-crafted world still make it a game worth exploring.
BaziCenter - آرش سفیدی - Persian - 8 / 10
Blades of Fire had the potential to be one of the best action-adventure games in recent memory if it had stuck to its unique ideas instead of borrowing from others. Its gameplay mechanics are some of the freshest and most exciting we've seen in years, bringing a much-needed burst of creativity. However, the story, characters, and level design feel uninspired and rely too much on familiar tropes, offering little that feels new or engaging. This imbalance leaves the game exciting to play but disappointing to experience as a whole.
But Why Tho? - Kyle Foley - 7.5 / 10
Blades of Fire is a well-made package focusing more on crafting creativity than physical battles. It forces players to take a more thoughtful approach instead of prioritizing fast-paced action.
COGconnected - Stephan Adamus - 80 / 100
Like its title, Blades of Fire suffers from aspects that are kind of generic. The visual design and musical score emulate Hollywood fantasy to a fault, and the gameplay is excellent. Fans of action RPGs can safely ignore the Souslike label and enjoy this very accessible game.
Cerealkillerz - Gabriel Bogdan - German - 7.4 / 10
Blades of Fire sadly offers very little, besides some small creative rays of hope and misses completely, when it comes to create interesting characters and a gameplay that can offer something new in a overcrowded genre. If some variety in boss fights and metroidvania-like exploration is enough for you, you can still give this a try.
Console-Tribe - Simone Cantini - Italian - 80 / 100
Will MercurySteam now be recognized as the studio behind Blades of Fire? Based on my experience, I certainly hope so. Their new IP offers a challenging and engaging adventure with a distinct identity and well-crafted gameplay elements, particularly its combat system and arsenal management. Its main flaw lies in an overly extended duration, leading to some redundant and less inspired sections that may amplify a sense of disorientation due to certain design choices. Nonetheless, it remains a game with a strong personality, making bold and divisive gameplay decisions that will reward those willing to embrace its nature.
Cultured Vultures - Ash Bates - 7 / 10
Blades Of Fire gets in its own way sometimes with busywork-heavy quest design, but the unique combat and enjoyable weapon crafting save it.
Daily Mirror - Aaron Potter - Unscored
can’t say I ever truly invested in Aran’s personal plight, but I very much enjoyed the way he goes about resolving it, all thanks to one of the most unique and thoughtful melee combat systems I’ve experienced in the past few years. Blades of Fire borrows from the past, but when it comes to combat and creativity it also forges its own way forward.
Digitale Anime - Raouf Belhamra - Arabic - 8 / 10
"A new flame in the dark fantasy world" Blades of Fire successfully balances inspiration and innovation. Despite being an AA entry, it has ambitious ideas that it confidently delivers, particularly through its unique blacksmithing system and thoughtful combat. Its emotional narrative and dark fantasy-infused world give it a distinct character. With some improvements, it could become one of the most prominent action-adventure games
Blades of Fire manages to feel original, lovable, and born of genuine passion, despite the near overwhelming number of problems that could have extinguished it.
Everyeye.it - Brian Arnoldi - Italian - 7.5 / 10
The combat system and crafting mechanics thus come together in a unicum that makes the gameplay of Blades of Fire innovative and truly original. At the beginning, such an impressive amount of choices to make might seem overwhelming. But it still remains a much-needed breath of fresh air in a stagnant sector .
Expansive - Cait Lee - 3.5 / 5
Blades of Fire is an interesting take on a familiar genre, offering some clever ideas, well engineered combat and a vibrant world. There’s challenges with this one, though, like traversal, iffy mini games, and some grind. However this is a mostly enjoyable romp that deserves the chance to be played and appreciated and a game that ultimately presents in a positive light.
GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 80%
"Blades of Fire" surprised us in a very positive way. After the dubious prologue, we would have guessed it would be mediocre, but the game quickly picks up pace and improves with almost every hour of play.
GRYOnline.pl - Mateusz Zelek - Polish - 6 / 10
Blades of Fire has two faces – at first the game irritates with nearly every little thing, but after a while the pieces seem to fit quite nicely. I wanted to discover new mechanics (that were extremely poorly explained) and really get to know the game. But that does not change the fact, that it is tiresome and demands frequent breaks.
Game Rant - Cameron Swan - 6 / 10
MercurySteam makes its bold return with Blades of Fire, a Soulslike with some revolutionary mechanics but some serious pacing issues.
Game8 - Michael Gerra-Clarin - 68 / 100
Blades of Fire is a fun action-adventure game that boasts its unique features well but unintentionally shows off its many flaws.
GameGrin - Mike Crewe - 9 / 10
With fun, challenging combat and a fantastic weapon-forging system, Blades of Fire is one of 2025's most surprising videogames for all the right reasons.
GameLuster - Axel Cushing - 8 / 10
Blades of Fire could have been another Soulslike with a gimmick. Instead, MercurySteam has delivered a well crafted world with an intriguing adventure and the means to let players really find out what works best for them when they need to take hold of some cold steel.
Gamefa - Mostafa Zahedi - Persian - 7.5 / 10
Blades of Fire brings back so many good memories from previous Console generation. with an engaging combat system and interesting forging mechanics, it can entertain you for many hours.
Gameliner - Philip Zeldenthuis - Dutch - 5 / 5
Blades of Fire is a thrilling third-person action-adventure that draws you into a rich, mysterious fantasy world full of lore, puzzles, and rewarding exploration, with intense, tactical combat and a deeply satisfying forge system that make it a must-play for anyone who loves challenging, story-driven games.
Gamepressure - Zbigniew Woźnicki - 6.5 / 10
Blades of Fire is a pretty decent, average game. It looks good graphically and works just as well. Unfortunately, it can be irritating and even boring at times.
Blades of Fire adds a unique twist to the action RPG formula with new inventive mechanics that reward long-term investment with hugely enjoyable combat and a compelling story to boot.
Gamer Social Club - Vikki McGowan - 7.5 / 10
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Blades of Fire. A lot of people online seem to be comparing it to a Soulslike, which I just don’t see. The team over at MercurySteam have put a lot of time and effort making a very unique system that encourages a completely different approach to combat than I’ve really experienced before. I’m usually one to stick to one style of weapon, if not just one weapon, but Blades of Fire stops you from doing that. You are a master blacksmith and a master at arms and you need to use every tool available to you to save this cursed world.
Gamers Heroes - Casey Scheld - 80 / 100
Blades of Fire tries something new with its combat, truly excelling as a result. Those that devote the time to its blacksmithing and weaponry will no doubt have fun slicing and dicing (and piercing and blunting).
GamesRadar+ - Abbie Stone - 4 / 5
It's got the Metroidvania chops of their Nintendo Switch high-point Metroid Dread, the fantasy-horror imagination of their Castlevania: Lords of Shadow games, and a fantastic combat system that smashes them both. A great adventure that'll make you want to try every weapon it hits you with. Outstanding.
Gamesource Italia - Nicola Galea - Italian - 8.5 / 10
Blades of Fire is configured as an atypical action (RPG), capable of combining the tradition of “hardcore” titles with a metroidvania setting that represents, to all intents and purposes, its most distinctive stylistic feature. The game map, in fact, is developed around a vertical and layered, highly interconnected structure, in which exploration, backtracking and spatial memory assume a central role. This approach, far from the more recent drifts of the open world, restores an organic and coherent sense of progression, reinforcing the player's sense of growth through knowledge gained in the field, rather than through mere numerical statistics. Mercurysteam's introduction of a forging mechanic is certainly the most successful innovation, shifting the focus of progression to weapons. On the other hand, the overall gameplay experience can be too diluted, with fragmented quests and unclear objectives that can detract from the pace of the experience. Ultimately, Blades of Fire is not afraid to stray from the established canons of action to offer a certainly authorial vision. It is not an immediate title, nor is it all that forgiving, but it will know how to gratify you if you are looking for a new experience among this year's many releases.
GamingBolt - Matthew Carmosino - 7 / 10
Blades of Fire stands out with its unique sword-based combat and surprisingly deep forging system. While it stumbles with repetitive enemy encounters and frustrating escort missions, there's no denying the charm and originality in its core gameplay loop. It's a flawed gem, but one that action-RPG fans will find plenty to enjoy in.
Generación Xbox - Spanish - 88 / 100
With an excellent combat system and the ability to forge massive weapons, this is a fresh experience that's not your typical souls-like game. Blades of Fire stands out from the rest in its own way, allowing us to enjoy its diverse and expansive world. Whether you're a fan of this style of game or not, it's a pleasant surprise, coming from the talent of a Spanish studio.
Gert Lush Gaming - Jim Smale - 7.6 / 10
Despite its learning curve, Blades of Fire offers a rewarding experience for players seeking deep combat mechanics, rich customization, and an open-world adventure filled with secrets. While there are areas for improvement, the foundation sets the stage for a promising franchise.
Gfinity - Feliciano Mondigo III - 8 / 10
In the end, Blades of Fire is an intriguing blend of old-school charm and modern design, like a game forged out of time. Its deep combat and weapon forging shine, even as its 3D Metroidvania structure occasionally falters. Backtracking and vague direction can frustrate, but the game’s heart and ambition stand out, especially with plenty of secrets to uncover in its sprawling fantasy world.
HCL.hr - Hrvoje Smoljic - Unknown - 68 / 100
Blades of Fire is an RPG that knows where its priorities lie, but everything surrounding its mechanical core remains underdeveloped, failing to leave a lasting impression.
Hobby Consolas - David Rodriguez - Spanish - 87 / 100
Blades of Fire is one of the most ambitious Spanish games of recent times and an action-packed offering worthy of applause for bringing a sense of renewal to a crowded gaming genre. With a combat system directly tied to role-playing elements and exploration, this title will captivate the most discerning action RPG fans.
IGN - Jada Griffin - 5 / 10
Blades of Fire’s blacksmithing burns bright, but overly simplistic combat and a mediocre story mean it doesn’t forge a sharp enough edge to put its customizable weapons to good use.
IGN Italy - Alessandra Borgonovo - Italian - 6.5 / 10
An action-adventure that is guilty of a lot of naivety and tries to do too much, without really concluding anything. Too bad, because the potential was all there.
IGN Spain - Alejandro Morillas - Spanish - 8 / 10
Blades of Fire gives us a fascinating approach to action adventure, using ingredients from Action RPG and souls like within a huge world, to give a mixture with a unique flavor. Its spectacular and addictive battle system, combined with the enormous possibilities of the forging system, make Blades of Fire one of Mercury Steam's best works to date, despite its rough edges.
Just Play it - Aimen TAIB - Arabic - 8 / 10
The developers of Metroid Dread and Castlevania return with a new identity in Blades of Fire—a story-driven adventure inspired by Souls-like mechanics. But rather than merely imitating the genre, the game carves its own path with unique systems like weapon forging, weapon loss, and resource management. It offers a journey that blends challenge, narrative depth, and a beautiful visual style, making it a perfect experience for fans of story-rich and gently punishing games.
Kakuchopurei - Jonathan Toyad - 60 / 100
MercurySteam has a lot going for with Blades of Fire despite its drawn-out story and path that does wear out its welcome over time. While not exactly the most engrossing of all action RPGs with Dark Souls DNA, Blades of Fire is still worthy of your time due to its approach to weapons-crafting and nuances to its combat system.
Loot Level Chill - Mick Fraser - 7 / 10
Blades of Fire has some elements that feel original and compelling, but it ultimately falls short of the bar set by other AA adventure games of recent years.
Merlin'in Kazanı - Samet Basri Taşlı - Turkish - 78 / 100
It’s not an unmissable classic, but it’s a game I’d recommend to those who love the genre to try. I’d also like to mention that while I was playing the game, I kept thinking how great this combat system would be in new God of War games.
MonsterVine - James Carr - 2 / 5
Blades of Fire is a misfire, attempting to mix elements of soulslike games with its own action ideas in an oil and water result. The story is bland, and the characters are deeply unfunny despite constantly trying to be, resulting in a tone that matches the worst of the Xbox 360 era. Obtuse and confusing level designs combined with the choice not to have objective markers create a frustrating experience, which is only furthered by the unique combat system feeling out of sync with the hardcore third-person combat games it wants to emulate.
Niche Gamer - Fingal Belmont - 9 / 10
Blades of Fire is a lengthy and substantial quest, dense with optional challenges and secret encounters. There is no shortage of similar action games out there, but Mercury Steam proves that their work on Metroid Dread was no fluke. Blades of Fire is easily one of the best options out there, and it achieves epic AAA quality without being a $70 game, too.
One More Game - Chris Garcia - 7 / 10
Blades of Fire is not a game for everyone, but players who choose to invest in its deep and highly involved systems will be treated with a title that rewards persistence and creativity. The game's combat and forging systems are the star of the show and really make it stand out among its contemporaries.
It is a surprise, especially from a developer such as MercurySteam. However, it is also dragged down by its uninspired story and world that would fail to hook players from its dreadful start and premise. It's a respectable effort and worth checking out if you overlook its flaws.
Oyungezer Online - Turkish - 7.5 / 10
Blades of Fire is far from a masterpiece; it has graphical and technical weaknesses, with occasional noticeable shortcomings. However, thanks to smart gameplay decisions, masterfully crafted mechanics, and creative details, it manages to make you overlook most of these flaws. If only the development team had a bigger budget, these well-designed mechanics could have been backed by the same level of technical polish. Still, Blades of Fire succeeds in thoroughly pleasing fans of the genre—even surprising them at times. Despite its imperfections, it absolutely deserves to be played and given a chance.
PC Gamer - Kerry Brunskill - 74 / 100
Blades of Fire can be great fun, but it definitely overstays its welcome.
PCGamesN - Grace Benfell - 6 / 10
With its weapon-building systems and deliberate, targeted combat, Blades of Fire has a lot of fresh-feeling ideas. Its control scheme is strange and will force you to press each button with care. Its granular forging system makes you consider every weapon in your arsenal. But however differently it approaches them, the game only offers the same thrills as other action games of its ilk. Blades of Fire feels unique, but just can't get weird enough.
PPE.pl - Paweł Musiolik - Polish - 5.5 / 10
Well, I was fooled by the enthusiastic announcements. Blades of Fire revolves around mediocrity. Sometimes it rises above them, sometimes it scrubs the bottom with its nose.
PSX Brasil - Bruno Henrique Vinhadel - Portuguese - 75 / 100
Overcoming an uninteresting and confusing beginning to the game, as well as flawed level design at times, can be a big challenge here. In any case, there is a lot of interesting stuff in Blades of Fire and an originality that needs to be highlighted in the combat and weapon creation system, even though the game is otherwise heavily inspired by other works.
Pizza Fria - Matheus Jenevain - Portuguese - 7.3 / 10
Even though I had fun with the combat and forging mechanics, and was intrigued by some aspects of its narrative, I felt that the title wasn't all it could be due to some flaws that affect the experience as a whole.
PlayStation Universe - Garri Bagdasarov - 7 / 10
Blades of Fire is a great return to the genre for MercurySteam. With great exploration and a unique combat system, Blades of Fire should have been a sure hit. Unfortunately, the situations you encounter feel completely unfair, and the mechanics sometimes work completely against you. Even still, Blades of Fire is a fun game that harkens back to the old school action-adventure titles, where exploring its world reaps the best rewards and game experience.
Push Square - Khayl Adam - 7 / 10
Blades of Fire is a well-made and lengthy action adventure romp that will test your combat skills, provided you can see it through. Taking inspiration from some of gaming's greatest hits, it never quite manages to reach those lofty heights itself, let down by a generic setting and lacklustre art direction. Still, it offers some interesting concepts, with combat and crafting mechanics that remain satisfying throughout.
RPG Site - James Galizio - 6 / 10
MercurySteam's latest project holds a lot of promise, but death by a thousand cuts holds it back from true greatness.
RPGamer - Jordan McClain - 3.5 / 5
Blades of Fire is an impressive and solid action RPG that executes soundly on its foundational ethos, which lends itself extremely well to its combat and lore. Unfortunately, the game’s remarkable aspects are somewhat undermined by its scope, level design, and some janky gameplay and presentation elements.
Rectify Gaming - Victor Tan - 7 / 10
Blades of Fire brings fast-paced combat with a weapon-based combat system. Strengthen your weapons and understand your enemies’ weaknesses to succeed. Figuring out how all the mechanics work together is difficult and the story is predictable. The game puts a new spin on the action-adventure genre that pays off, though it won’t break much new ground.
Restart.run - Charlie Wacholz - 3 / 5
If I could slash its frustrating level designs in half, focusing on the character and intrigue its eccentricities added while sifting out the gameplay impurities they come with, Blades of Fire would be an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a cool hack-n-slash. Instead, it’s plagued with unforgivable wheel-spinning that undermines a lot of what I liked about its satisfying gameplay loop.
SECTOR.sk - Jakub Pokorný - Slovak - 8 / 10
If you're a fan of Souls-like games, Blades of Fire is a must-play. It introduces unique mechanics that may not suit everyone, making it a very specific experience. It's not as accessible as God of War, but also not as punishing as traditional Souls titles'landing somewhere in between. While it may not look like it at first glance, this is very much an RPG at heart, not just a hack-and-slash.
Saudi Gamer - Arabic - 6 / 10
Blades of Fire has some brilliant ideas to make a forge based Soulslike game, but it failed to execute these ideas to the point it broke the game's pacing badly
SavePoint Gaming - Harry Kalogirou - 5.5 / 10
There are many parts of Blades of Fire that I admire or had fun with. It’s unique and inventive in ways that so many games aren’t nowadays. Unfortunately, its many moving parts fail to come together and create a cohesive whole. It’s far from being an outright terrible game, but it doesn’t come close to the highs that MercurySteam have been able to achieve with their other titles in recent years.
Shacknews - Lucas White - 6 / 10
It’s a kind of game that feels out of place in time, but benefits from its accidental time travel by doing things a PlayStation 2-era console simply can’t.
Slant Magazine - Justin Clark - 2 / 5
Ultimately, there’s too much work involved for not nearly enough reward from the world or the narrative, despite the occasional interesting twist and turn.
Spaziogames - Italian - 8 / 10
Blades of Fire is ultimately a game for those who can appreciate beauty beyond appearances-for those who seek in video games not just entertainment, but a chance to journey through, understand, and, in a way, forge themselves. Imperfect and a bit rough around the edges at first glance, yet incredibly solid and deep, MercurySteam's latest project is further proof that you don't need a massive budget to create something truly special.
SteamDeckHQ - Noah Kupetsky - 4 / 5
Blades of Fire is a fantastic metroidvania that excels in its gameplay loop. The combat is addicting and gory, with a solid amount of variety thanks to the weapons you can craft and wield. Combined with the simplistic progression and upgrade system, the experience is easy to get into and difficult to master. There are some little nuisances here and there, like getting your weapon caught on walls and some storytelling woes, but these are worth fighting through to experience this wonderful game.
On top of that, it runs decently on the Steam Deck, even though it is only on the Epic Games Store. It can handle near-stable 30 FPS with low settings, and while it could be improved with a Steam release, it's still a solid way to play it if you don't want to wait for that possibility.
Stryftek - Ryan "Stryftek" Bullock - Worth your time
Video Review - Quote not available
The Beta Network - Anthony Culinas - 6 / 10
Blades of Fire had the potential to be a blazing sleeper hit, but too often settles for a safe, lukewarm affair. It’s not bad—it’s just painfully mid. And in today’s crowded action-adventure space, mid doesn’t quite cut it.
The Games Machine - Gabriele Barducci - Italian - 7.5 / 10
Blades of Fire alternates very good mechanics (the forge and the combat system) with less successful ones (characterization, narrative and game world). It is well playable and fun, but it has the feeling of a wasted opportunity.
TheSixthAxis - Aran Suddi - 8 / 10
Blades of Fire is a very good game, blending tough action RPG combat with a fun and unique weapon forging. The story is a little by the numbers and exploration does have a lot of back and forth, but the different regions and enemies look great and the narrative is elevated by Aran and Adso's relationship.
Twisted Voxel - Ali Haider - 7 / 10
A solid but uneven debut for MercurySteam’s new IP, blending satisfying weapon-crafting with God of War-inspired combat. While its enemy variety falters and pacing stumbles early on, the deep forging system and punishing boss battles carve out a niche worth exploring. Not quite a masterpiece, but a promising foundation for future installments.
Blades of Fire may not revolutionize the genre, but it brings enough quality, originality and heart to stand out in a crowded field. Its approach to crafting is genuinely engaging, its world is refreshing to explore, and the relationship between its two leads adds emotional depth to tale. Combat isn’t flawless, but when it clicks, it’s rewarding, tense, and complements the satisfying weapon crafting mechanics.
Xbox Achievements - Josh Wise - 60%
The new game from developer MercurySteam is Blades of Fire, which is not a good name. Blades of Fire. It sounds like a documentary about patriotic i...
XboxEra - Jesse Norris - 7 / 10
Blades of Fire is not going to be a game for everyone. It’s beautiful, runs great, and has some design decisions that made me pull my hair out. It’s incredibly long, and I do not think that it benefits the game in any meaningful way.
ZTGD - Terrence Johnson - 8.5 / 10
Blades of Fire is a welcome return to MercurySteam and I think it’s one that is going to be a sleeper hit. The way the story unfolds and pushes the player to explore the environment that is littered with hidden fights and upgrades that will help Aran become stronger.
yeah this one hit me like a ton of bricks too. reading the specific details of the abuse really gets under your skin.