In a new action RPG for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, an evil queen turns steel into stone so that no one can oppose her. To stop her, a grumpy blacksmith and a young scholar are tasked with the challenge.
Which game is being talked about? It is called Blades of Fire and will be released on May 22, 2025, for PC (Epic Games Store) as well as for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
The new action RPG is being developed by MercurySteam – the studio that also worked on the two “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” games and most recently on Metroid Dread for the Nintendo Switch.
Here you can see a trailer for Blades of Fire:
What is the game about? In Blades of Fire, you play as Aran de Lira: a somewhat aged, grumpy blacksmith who lives alone on the border of a kingdom ruled by a queen named Nerea, who does everything to stay in power.
The queen has cast a spell on the land that turns steel into stone. Now, no one is able to forge weapons. Her own army is exempt as they possess “divine metal” that shatters any blade.
One day, Aran receives a visit from an old friend. This friend brings him a very special hammer that can circumvent the queen’s spell: freshly armed, Aran sets out to overthrow the queen, accompanied by the young scholar Adso.
In combat, God of War meets For Honor
How does the action RPG play? Blades of Fire features an action combat system with a shoulder camera similar to the “God of War” reboot: strike, block, dodge – so far, so familiar. However, like in For Honor, you decide from which direction your strike will come.
If you play on the controller, the combat controls look something like this:
- by pressing the X button, you attack from the left
- with Y, you perform an overhead strike
- if you press B, you strike from the right
As a blacksmith, you are, of course, able to craft your own weapons. You have a choice of seven weapon types – including swords, battle axes, and halberds. Over time, your weapons will wear out, so you will need to repair them regularly.
Another parallel to God of War is the young Adso. Although he is not a direct combat aid like Atreus, he diligently takes notes on everything you encounter during your journey. These can be snippets of lore or notes about enemies that will tell you how to effectively defeat them.
If this has piqued your interest, you can download a free demo of the game. It is available on all platforms where you can play Blades of Fire.
Have you already played the demo? If so, feel free to share your first impressions in the comments. Another action RPG takes you into a dark version of ancient India. You can read more about it here: In a new action RPG on Steam, you defend ancient India against a demon invasion – alone or in co-op
