Naraka: Bladepoint is a unique game that blends Battle Royale with intense sword fighting. However, the entry point is almost unfairly difficult for newcomers. MyMMO author Marko Jevtic is glad that he stuck with it.
It’s a superficial comparison, but it’s not completely wrong to call Naraka: Bladepoint a “Sekiro meets Battle Royale“.
The game offers an incredibly deep and refined combat system, which is uniquely available on the market—even for absolute action lovers like me. As another unique feature, Naraka is also a Battle Royale. This mix not only works very well on Steam, it also excites me at its core.
Naraka plays as great as it sounds. However, the exciting Battle Royale mode is also the game’s biggest problem. As a beginner, you have an incredibly hard time learning the brilliant combat system in this frustrating format.
Brilliant Combat System Wrapped in a Frustrating Game Mode
At first glance, Naraka looks like a Soulsborne game, specifically Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. In a way, Naraka plays like FromSoftware’s game, but the fights are not as ‘grounded’ as in Sekiro.
Your characters race across the map during fights, can run up walls several meters with the push of a button, effortlessly switch positions with double jumps and a grappling hook, and initiate combos at dizzying heights.
This creates a lot of mechanical depth that is almost as enjoyable to watch as it is to play. The big problem is, however, that as a newcomer, you will hardly have the chance to learn the combat system.
Even though I have conquered games like Bayonetta on the highest difficulty and have seen the ending of Sekiro several times, other Naraka players have easily demolished me. They have moves and tricks that I couldn’t even understand while watching. I was never taught all this by the game – not even by the well-meaning bots.
I was regularly completely destroyed by my opponents in a matter of moments – taking with it my confidence and desire to continue. Because a match in Naraka is a significant time investment:
- The matchmaking often makes me wait several minutes.
- After this time, I end up in the lobby and wait for the game to start.
- Even if I loot purposefully in the game and look for opponents, several minutes can pass before I find another player.
- If I see a player as a beginner, the chance is high that I will be torn apart in no time.
This gameplay loop is demotivating and frustrating for newcomers like me. Players in Naraka give me more sweat on my forehead than most end bosses in other games. Moreover, I don’t feel that I have a fair chance to improve in Battle Royale.
The Casual Mode is Slowly Turning Me into a Hardcore Player
Fortunately, there is a fun alternative: The bloodbath mode in Naraka is a sort of team deathmatch where players fight against each other with quick respawns on a small section of the map.
This mode bypasses the long wait times of Battle Royale and allows you to learn the combat system. The action in the bloodbath repeats quickly and often, but the core gameplay in Naraka is so fantastically dynamic and exciting that I want to play more and more of this outstanding combat system.
The best part: The experience from the casual mode noticeably helps in Battle Royale. Although the best players still destroy me, they do not do it as quickly and easily as they did in the first days. Therefore, I can’t wait to start the game again and continue refining my skills. Until I eventually become the player who ruins the entry for a beginner.
Also in Elden Ring, the latest game from FromSoftware, I am looking forward to the PvP multiplayer. If you want to learn more about it, we have gathered all the info for you:
Elden Ring: All info on coop and PvP – This is how the multiplayer works
