Die by the Blade

There are golden moments here, without a doubt. But Die by the Blade is burdened by issues that I fear will stand out for many casual players interested to try it out. But as the only modern fighting game to really approach this sub-genre of 3D one-strike action perhaps it'll find its audience. I'd recommend this to genre diehards and those who don't mind a lower budget title. For the average player, I'd give this a miss for now.

Solid core mechanics are not enough to make Die by the Blade the compelling spiritual sequel of the Bushido Blade series fans have been waiting for a long time. Bland character design, clunky animations, horrendously slow progression system, extreme lack of content and mediocre visuals are only some of the issues that mar an experience that is very difficult to recommend to anyone in its current state.

Die by the Blade falls short in delivering a truly engaging experience in the current state it is in. The developers have made a statement promising to put right its issues and include further single player modes to improve the package offering. It is an admirable position, but also a concerning trend in the industry today. Without a doubt, it is an interesting concept to bring back and modernise, but here it feels more like a missed opportunity than a modern successor to its classic inspiration. Perhaps one for the Cyberpunk 2077 or No Man's Sky treatment?

As of right now Die by the Blade feels like an early access title marked as a full-fledged release. There's a huge ways in which the game can be improved. Here's hoping that by the time of console ports developers will turn their project into something much better.

A straightforward 1v1 samurai fighting game with very little content on its bones. Fine if you just want some quick and fun matches against friends, but there's not enough here to hold interest for long.

The Way of the Blade is a difficult journey and tenacious. Despite Die by the Blade sporting an addictive and pulsating one-strike-kill combat, it is not enough to gloss over the other glaring shortcomings. From unpolished graphics, stingy reward payouts to the lack of game modes, the game has a lot going against it. However, the blade isn’t dull yet, and Die by the Blade can sharpen into a formidable contender with time.

Brutal fighting game with Japanese swords from Slovak developers ended up with unused potential. The game lacks content and overall doesn't feel like a finished product.

Die by the Blade is a title with brilliant ideas, which however completely collapses in execution, offering totally bland gameplay and negligible content.

The combat was something I rather enjoyed as it is the star of the show and is impacted little by the character you picked. It is the blade chosen to use in combat instead, from a range of traditional Japanese blades to defining your move sets and playstyle.

Die by the Blade has a few good ideas in its sheathe, but ultimately it fails to generate any genuine excitement.