Blades & Battles: Everything We Know

If you just can’t seem to get out of the arcade faze, wanting to go back in time and play the classics like Golden Axe and Knights of the Round, you can always check out the modern iterations like the upcoming Blades & Battles. In fact, the upcoming game is quite similar to the classics; you almost want to wish it was a remake instead. But here we are, about to get our hands on a nostalgic breeze through the old days. If the developers get it right, we could be looking at some decent chunk of time spent traveling down memory lane. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming Blades & Battles.

What is Blades & Battles?

Blades & Battles is an upcoming fantasy beat ’em-up game. It’s a modern iteration that plasters on contemporary visuals and controls while retaining the classic charm of classic beat ‘em-ups. It’ll be set in a fantasy world, where the legendary King Arthur is still in his barbarian youth, vying to exert dominance. From the visuals to the controls, the upcoming game aims to make your playthrough as seamless as possible but also take you back in time to the golden age of arcade gaming.

Story

The story will take place during the legendary King Arthur’s era when he was in his barbarian youth. Being based on King Arthur’s mythological tales, the world also will be set in a fantasy realm. Furthermore, you’ll be able to control two characters: King Arthur and the legendary knight Lancelot. It’d have been nice to control more than two characters. Crossing my fingers that the developers consider adding more widely ranged ones in terms of personality, skills, and abilities.

Arthur and Lancelot themselves, though, do differ greatly. Each will have their unique skills and sword fighting styles. Oh yes, you’ll be swinging swords in mostly melee-based combat. Among the noteworthy features you can look forward to are “beautiful scenery and cinematic interactive moments,” as Steam phrases it. Also, the Steam page promises an “immersive, action-packed adventure of chivalry, honor, and adventure.”

Beyond that, there seems to be no more of a profound story you will be unraveling unless future updates reveal more information we currently don’t have.

Gameplay

We don’t have much information on the gameplay. All we know is that you’ll control two legendary swordsmen in Arthurian mythology. Each swordsman will have a unique set of skills and swordplay. Also, the primary weapon seems to be swords, with minimal information on whether these will come imbued with special abilities or power. 

From the trailer, you’ll be swinging your sword at close range. You could take on multiple enemies at once, chipping away at their health as you move forward on a sidescrolling screen. The strikes are mostly upward and downward strikes, although you can embellish your moves with high jumps. There are also kicks you can throw to finish off opponents. 

There doesn’t seem to be any dodging, blocking, or parrying. It’s also unclear just how stringent the timing and precision will be. Meanwhile, there’s the matter of special abilities and whether you can power your sword to channel lightning perhaps. Ways to upgrade will definitely be available. I’m curious, though, about the finer details ahead of the launch. Still, we’ll be keeping an eye out for you for more information and let you know as soon as we find out more.

Development

QUByte Interactive is currently developing and publishing Blades & Battles. The studio is based in Brazil. It’s also the largest Latin publisher of console games. They seem to put a special focus on bringing games to market, ensuring gamers worldwide can access the best games. While on that mission, they have several titles coming up soon, including Saborus, Extinction Rifts, Aria’s Melody, The Crown Stones: Mirrah, and more. They’ve also launched many successful games already, including Breakers Collection, Adore, Rage of the Dragons NEO, Musashi vs Cthulhu, among many more. In total, they’ve worked on a whopping 100+ games across all major platforms.

Trailer

Blades & Battles has an official reveal trailer out now on YouTube. In the video description, we discover more information on the story. Apparently, you’ll be embarking on a mission to rescue the wizard Merlin who’s been taken by the evil witch Morgana. Along the way, whether playing as King Arthur or Lancelot, you’ll face formidable enemies who not only stand in your way of victory but also threaten the peace of your world. 

As much as the gameplay really brings out the cult-classics look and feel of the characters and gameplay, it seems a little repetitive. And, since you’ll only be controlling two characters, there’s a high chance you could run out of ways to spice up the game. At least, though, you can either play single-player or jump into split-screen co-op mode. 

Anyway, let’s wait and see the final product. Hopefully, it’s as fun as playing Golden Axe and Knights of the Round. The sword strikes pack a punch and brings satisfaction, so much so that you can’t stop swinging.

Release Date, Platforms, & Editions

Unfortunately, QUByte Interactive hasn’t released confirmation of the launch date for Blades & Battles. The Steam page says the release date is “to be announced.” Meanwhile, the developers urge you to add the game to your wishlist at the close of the reveal trailer. Wishlisting, in addition to getting a notification once the game drops, also helps show community support and high expectations for the game.

Consequently, you can expect to download the game from Steam for PC platforms only. Whether there are any other platforms you can access the game on remains unconfirmed, as are the editions that may be available for preorder. With a lot of information still in the wind, you can follow the official social handle here to keep track of new updates. Alternatively, you can stick with us right here on gaming.net for new information on upcoming games.

So, what’s your take? Will you be grabbing a copy of Blades & Battles when it drops? Let us know over on our socials here.