Whenever a large publisher fails to spot a gap in the market, an indie publisher will be there ready to pick up the slack. In this case, it’s SEGA, who’ve peculiarly chosen not to capitalise on the new Golden Axe cartoon series with either a retro collection or a new entry in the franchise. QUByte are here to offer something similar, with Blades & Battles being a distinctly arcade-like scrolling brawler in which both magic and might are used to slay armies of skeletons and brutish beasts. You’ll soon find though that the similarities stop there.
Blades and Battles casts us into the roles of Arthur and Lancelot, with an assault on Castle Camelot providing the opening scene. They’re out to stop Morgana, the Queen of Ruin – a quest that’ll take the sword-swinging duo through forests, lava caves, and snow coated terrane. No scrolling brawler is complete without an elevator stage, and purists will no doubt be pleased to learn that there’s one here, too. Alternate paths and two endings feature, meaning you won’t be able to see everything on your first attempt, but rather second or third. A choice of difficulties is available should you want to make a second playthrough easier or more difficult, with hard mode increasing the number of enemies.
It’s presented using colourful 3D visuals which have a pixelated filter applied by default. This can be removed, revealing a much crisper and clearer image that also shows off armour and clothing detail previously obscured. There’s a tutorial to teach the controls, which is worth playing through as this isn’t a button basher. You’re able to hammer out combos by attacking, perform mana draining flashy special moves, unleash magic attacks that require potions, and recover from hits using a desperation move mapped to LB. Using desperation drains mana, and if this is depleted, it’ll sap away health instead. Health drops are pretty common, thankfully, and each player has a few extra lives and continues granted before being faced with a Game Over – at which point a stage must be retried.
Combat is of the fast and chaotic variety, with a single sword swipe able to harm several enemies at once, and special moves being severely damaging to weaker foes. Enemies bounce around the screen when struck, and the magic attacks are suitably stylish – Blades & Battles never comes across as cheaply made despite having lots of flat-shaded assets and minimalistic dialogue. Bosses require a minute or two of pummelling to defeat, with magic attacks only draining a small portion of their health. It’s also here that the dash move – which isn’t on a cooldown – proves invaluable, as bosses will perform heavy-hitting blows in marked areas that must be evaded. The bosses themselves are mostly of the beastly variety, including a battle against Robin and Hood. Not the thief of yore, you understand, but two beasts named Robin and Hood.
Blades & Battles is pretty entertaining, providing a smooth ride and reasonable variation within its enemy roster. Aside from the elevator scene though, it doesn’t deviate from the typical formula of strolling from left to right, with every stage predictably ending with a boss fight. Perhaps the developers didn’t feel confident enough to implement beast riding, new weapons, or something similar to mix things up.
Another surprise came courtesy (or not) of the game’s length. My first playthrough on easy mode took around 30 minutes. Just an hour later, I was done completely: every stage and boss beaten, both endings seen, and every achievement unlocked. It’s very much an experience that nails the look and feel of a scrolling brawler circa 1998, but sadly, it has the typical playtime of one as well. It isn’t bad at all – it simply falls short of offering decent value for money, especially at a time when more bang for your buck is expected.
QUByte’s Blades & Battles is out 29th Sept on all modern formats.