A Bit Of Bleak Sword - A Sneak Peek

Hey there, Thanks for tapping into my latest stab at the indie gaming world- specifically, developer more8bit's hack and slash adventure, Bleak Sword DX. Essentially, this is a vastly expanded version of the original IOS game- with both new and remixed levels. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

A Bleak Future

The story begins with the fall of a kingdom- courtesy of the Bleak Sword. This dread weapon had found it's way into the hands of a member of the royal family, the wretched weapon corrupting them so thoroughly, that they enthusiastically engage in a bit of familicide in order to ascend to the throne.

Not only does their dark reign see the countryside overrun by countless horrors, there is no real end in sight, given the blade unnaturally extends it's wielders lifespan.

And in this manner, centuries pass- until a lone warrior receives a vision. 3 magical stones lay scattered across the countryside, and with their power- the Bleak sword and all it's dark magics can be undone. Provided he can survive long enough to collect them.

Overall, it's a nice simple story- and beyond the initial introduction to the game, it's not overly intrusive, as each chapter ends in a small scene that serves to explain why the player is venturing towards the next region. All in all, those sequences feel fairly cinematic- and do a good job of building some hype.

Live By The Sword, Die ... And Die Again

Though, I'll admit, the part I was really excited about was progressing. Despite the simplistic presentation, the game is -brutally- hard- tasking players with challenging a series of worlds in a veritable gauntlet of 12 stages which play out back to back.

Control wise, it's quite simple, you have a light combo, a heavy charge attack, a dodge roll, and a counter. And, while there is stamina to fuss over- it's not actually that bad, since it's only really tied to attack, rather then your defensive options. In other words, it's -very- forgiving on that front, as long as you're aware.

Which is good, since the rest of it feels fairly brutal. Enemies can and will put you in the ground easily enough with their damage output- and you have to pay close attention to an enemies telegraphs in order to properly counter them. Each area also provides a solid array of new foes to encounter and figure out, which helps things feel fresh.

That said, the part that feels refreshing, is the fact that each stage is a bit sized Diorama, a careful snippet of an arena that you'll be tasked with clearing out, with the layouts providing a bit of nuance to the encounters.

Adapting to those layouts, and the enemy arrangements- especially given your overall fragility and limited offensive options feels very tactical. Though, even if you do die, you can simply resume your playthrough from the stage that slaughtered you- only, well . . .

There is a death penalty. See, As you progress through Bleaksword, you'll slowly level up, allowing you to choose between 2 stat boosts in order to facilitate your progression. Likewise, you'll also slowly accrue items. Admittedly, you can only carry two- and you don't have the ability to retain any you're not equipped with, but even with that limitation- they can still contribute a fair bit.

Here's the issue. When you die, you lose any items you were equipped with -and- you lose all the experience you've gained towards your next level. What's more, the only way to get those back, is by tackling the level that put you in the ground, albeit -without- the benefits of the gear that helped you get there. It can be a bit rough, admittedly- especially since dying a second time in that stage has you losing that gear and experience for good.

(Something which then saw me tackling older levels all over again in order to re-acquire the gear I'd lost).

Still, the overall quick paced nature of the gameplay meant this wasn't an overly time consuming prospect, and the constant trickle of new content meant I was perpetually excited to see more of what Bleak Sword had to offer.

A Bit Bleak, But Beautiful

Yes, that was a pun. No, I'm not sorry. In any case- I'll admit that I enjoy the art direction. There's something super fun about the way it's presented- and it does manage to provide an adequately dark world to navigate.

Really, the trickiest thing about the whole process, is that enemies can and will hide behind tries in order to ambush you- but even that can be mitigated by a bit of care, and given everything has telegraphs- you generally have enough time to react.

As for the soundtrack, it's by Jim Guthries who also did the soundtrack for Superbrothers: Swords & Sworcery, and Below. So, you can expect some solid tracks.

Keen To Continue

See topic. But, seriously- even after clearing -3- entire stages back to back, I still don't feel tired or bored by it, as there's something enjoyable about figuring out the base way to engage the enemies with your meager skill set. It's some good solid fun, and if it continues this way, I feel I'll be apt to try the arena mode -and- the boss rush mode.

Still, we'll see if my enthusiasm holds out- so stay tuned for the video.

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