Blades & Battles

Blades & Battles isn't going to reinvent the beat 'em up genre—far from it. Its goal is to revive a formula that worked decades ago and adapt it for today's players without making it unnecessarily complicated.

On the ROG Xbox Ally X, the controller-first layout and compact stages make it an easy fit for short handheld sessions. That is probably the best way to play it, one or two stages at a time, before the repetition settles in. Blades & Battles understands the arcade game it wants to honor, but it recreates the limitations along with the charm. It is functional, mildly enjoyable, and better with a friend, yet too shallow to leave much of an impression.

We’re already dealing with minotaurs and rolling bone wheels, might as well tear open the heavens in the process. It’s a bit dumb, but it’s such an enjoyable dumb that you can get drawn in fairly quickly. With a decent fantasy soundtrack that doesn’t feel cookie cutter and an inarguably unique art direction, Blades and Battles stands proudly to represent what I can only classify as Arthurian fanfiction.

Blades & Battles wears its inspirations on its sleeves. It is nicely pixelated with a clean backdrop. Each location has a pleasant layer of details, and there is a moderate roster of monsters to overcome. I experienced no performance issues, and it runs at a consistent and smooth frame rate. The audio has a chiptune edge and many uncomfortable moments. There are dramatic elements and sombre tracks. Additionally, the sound effects are OTT and a little repetitive. The controls are a little clunky but simple to understand. The layout is refined, and the helpful tutorial gets you up and running in no time. Unfortunately, this is a short title. I completed everything in around 3 hours. My gaming partner made it considerably easier, but I wanted much more. Yes, there is a difficulty scale, but this wasn’t enough to push me all the way. Blades & Battles is a good indie experience. I loved every moment with Blades & Battles, but it was too short. I wanted so much more, but it wasn’t to be. A new set of characters would have been interesting, or some secrets to discover. Despite this, I enjoyed it, and I recommend grabbing a copy from the Xbox Store!