Blade Assault

It feels like Blade Assault could be a good game with a few more years of focused, iterative development, but what we have today doesn't quite cut it. Its uninspired visuals, chaotic combat, and overall lack of identity all work against it in a popular and overcrowded genre. Though it passably executes on the basic blueprint of an action roguelite and it can be fun to buildcraft around its cast of playable characters, Blade Assault simply doesn't do enough to justify a spot in your library. If you're absolutely fiending for another roguelite and somehow haven't been satisfied by the extensive selection of excellent titles already on Switch, then maybe this is worth a punt.

One thing Blade Assault does right is that by the end players will feel sufficiently powerful with lightning and projectiles flying off of them at all sides. This alone would be redeeming, except powers are so limited that every run is going to end up nearly exactly the same. The general repetition in levels, power and challenge kill any long term enjoyment. It is fun for a quick romp, but hardly recommended in the growing field of roguelike games.

"I Was Well On Board Even Before Picking Up The Controller"

A rogue-lite with good ideas and intentions that sometimes becomes excessively difficult and imprecise in its gameplay. Undoubtedly, its world building and art direction are the sections in which Undercity and Esperanza shine the brightest.

While not perfect Blade Assault is fantastically addictive and engrossingly challenging. The ramp up in difficulty is nicely balanced with building your skills for an epic run being so rewarding. If you’ve never tried a Rougelite/Roguelike game before this is a fun place to start. If this genre is normally your jam then there are some deep levelling systems here to get lost in.

While the basics are in place for slashing fun, and it obviously has a lot of things to slowly unlock, the core experience lacks pizzazz

Ignoring the extremely problematic bugs and poor performance on Switch, Blade Assault shows that it has the potential to please players who enjoy frantic action, especially during the first sessions, where you still haven't exhausted all the possibilities that the title has to present you. Unfortunately, the lack of variety in settings and diverse content is too big a problem not to negatively interfere with a game that relies on the repetitive progression cycle of a roguelite. It's still perfectly possible to have fun with Blade Assault, but the chances of getting bored quickly are higher than ideal.

Blade Assault never manages to do anything unique with the elements it possesses. This leaves the game feeling half-baked and not finished. A player can’t help but feel disappointed thinking about what Blade Assault could have been.

Blade Assault is one of many pixel art roguelike games. It strives to be innovative, and in a sense, it succeeds. I enjoyed how the gameplay was enhanced by the elements, the chain of merchants was intriguing, and the wider selection of characters was a welcome addition. The biggest drawback, in my view, is the visual style, which, while nicely retro, feels too monotonous in the developers’ execution. This naturally has an impact on the overall gameplay as well. Blade Assault will certainly find its fan base, but it will likely be a niche one.

Blade Assault is a competent and exciting 2D action adventure to some extent. The biggest highlight is the fast-paced combat, and different weapons and elemental powers help bring variety to the stages. Also, the atmosphere is pleasant with great sci-fi pixel art visuals. However, after a few runs the various issues become apparent, such as limited content diversity, unregulated difficulty and technical issues. In the end, Blade Assault even has a good base and is fun, but there is a feeling that many of its features needed to be better developed.