Hack ‘n slash games aren’t hard to come by these days. But when done right, there are some that stand alone in a crowd of shelfware. Bladed Fury is an extremely smooth hack ‘n slash with tight controls and an easy-to-pick-up combat system that had me eagerly chopping through my enemies. Through its setting and Chinese lore, I found myself in wonderment from start to finish. This isn’t a game you’re going to want to miss.

Story

Bladed Fury’s story is placed in China and surrounded by the supernatural aspects of its mythology. You play as Princess Ji following the death of her father, as she is banished and thought to be his killer. After fleeing, she finds herself amongst the dead as she fights to build herself up enough to conquer those who had done her wrong and save her kingdom. It’s a great story that doesn’t linger around too much. There’s enough dialogue happening to keep the main story and side stories going without it dragging.

Gameplay

As with any game of this genre, the controls are extremely easy to pick right up. There are different attacks, dodging, blocking, and a handful of different special moves. As you progress through the game, you can pick up different colored souls that you can collect and save to eventually spend at save locations on upgrades for Ji. Things like new fighting combos or attack types can be unlocked as well as a few other things.

Combat is my favorite aspect of Bladed Fury and it alone could’ve kept me glued to the screen. There’s nothing like chaining together its attacks and special abilities in order to completely obliterate my opponents. Not every fight is a cake-walk though. There are a ton of different enemy types that offer their own attacks and abilities during battle and it takes a fair bit to learn their patterns. Once I did though, I knew how to hit them where they hurt, easily.

Bosses are extremely well done, with starkly different fighting styles and stories being tied to each one. Their attacks really matched them well and even while being difficult, had their own Achilles heels. Some bosses I’d beat on the first try, and others had me shouting profanities, with my wife having to calm me down afterward. It’s always a fight that feels earned when they’re beaten because there is a lot of caution that you do have to consider when it comes to what’s left in your pocket.

Beating bosses comes with its own rewards in the form of Soul Slivers. These slivers are in fact the boss that you’d beaten, and can now be used at your whim against enemies. Some slivers will give you max health, another may slow down enemies, and another could maim your enemies while they get sucked into a black hole. They’re all really great abilities but you can’t use them at all times. They do have cool-downs as well as a limit. Once you reach that limit, you can refill them at saving locations as well as the health relics that you’re given to heal Ji.

There’s a lot of great and simple platforming happening in Bladed Fury as well. It’s not a crazy obstacle course where you’ll find a lot of death at the hands of the levels themselves. When it does get tricky, it’s still easy enough to figure out what has to be done in order to proceed. I was glad that the game focuses on combat more while still having awesome areas to bounce around.

Besides just fighting and navigating the levels, there are also some tasks that need to be carried out. Sometimes you’ll have to collect a certain amount of tiles to use as keys in order to proceed through the level or you’ll have to destroy engines to clear paths. It’s a little Metroidvania-esque but doesn’t overstay its welcome. Other things you can find around each level are things like Soul Harvesters which act as a large payload of souls or a character named Yan Ying who upgrades Ji’s health gauge when you find him at a new location.

Visuals

Bladed Fury takes its Chinese mythos and marries it wonderfully with its beautiful art style. There’s an inspiration for many things in its design and its bosses especially, are perfect in their appearances and combat techniques. The levels also have their own character and you know exactly where you are no matter how large a map is.

Audio

The audio in-game is well done and comes across very clearly. Actors speak in Chinese to push the authenticity ahead further. The audio wasn’t the thing that really caught my attention but I really liked what I heard.

Replayability

Because of its awesome setting and combat, this is something that I could see myself playing every so often when I want some great addictive gameplay. It isn’t a super long game, clocking in at under 5 hours but it is one with a lot of heart put into it. As I get older I actually prefer games that aren't super long so this did the job for me.

What It Could Have Done Better

While its length may have been enough, I would’ve liked even more locations and bosses to fight. I felt addicted to beating bosses and it would’ve been great to see some more. I also would’ve liked to see more of the puzzles that the game would throw in every once in a while. Maybe even in a little bit more depth as well.

Verdict

Bladed Fury is a sample game that does everything right. Its combat is addictive, its lore intriguing, and its gameplay loop fun. It’s restored my love for a genre that I had left at the weigh-side. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did but I’m glad that I was surprised. This is a title worthy of your time.