Indie developer Team Ladybug released their latest Metroidvania game, Blade Chimera, earlier this month on Steam and Nintendo Switch. This is the kind of game that’s perfect for the Switch, although the Steam Deck now provides a solid alternative. It’s still the perfect kind of game for the Switch. You only have to take one look at it to see why. Metroidvania’s are perfect console games if you ask me.
With Blade Chimera, Team Ladybug is trying something a little different from one of my favourite gaming genres by placing emphasis on a particular weapon. And if you can’t tell from the title, that weapon is a sword. A multifunctional sword that houses a lovely demon lady who wants to help you out on your quest.
Story and Setting
In Blade Chimera, you step into the shoes of Shin, a demon hunter with a dark past. The game is set in a dystopian cyberpunk world in Osaka, Japan, where technology and magic intertwine. Shin is a battle-hardened warrior who doesn’t shy away from the fact that he’s hunting demons and the reanimated dead. During one mission, the very first you play, Shin encounters the demon woman Lux. She forges a bond with him and becomes his Lumina Blade, granting Shin supernatural abilities and setting the stage for unraveling the game’s mysteries.
As Shin explores Osaka on his quest, he encounters numerous demons inspired by Japanese folklore, many of which are visually stunning. He wields a diverse arsenal of combat tools to defeat them, including long-range rifles and melee weapons for close encounters. Like in all Metroidvanias, your abilities and access to areas are limited at the beginning, but as you upgrade your weapons and skills, new areas become accessible. One thing you notice fairly early on, though, is that long-range weapons can make enemy encounters somewhat too easy. However, I can’t complain about being eased into a game like that.
The narrative is more involved than typical for the genre, exploring themes of loyalty and distrust, though it suffers from basic dialogue and predictable plot twists. Despite its flaws, there are enjoyable narrative moments, including a sequence where players control a Shiba Inu, which adds charm to the experience. The story might not give you everything you want, but it’s still rather fun and different.
Gameplay
You learn fairly early on how much of an impact Lux will have on you and what you can do. Lux is integral and has multiple uses to help you traverse and explore the city. When Lux isn’t a demon-slaying sword, she can act as a shield. Depending on your surroundings, she can act as a swing rope or an ad-hoc platform. And she can restore your health and rematerialise missing objects. Lux becomes a key part of the gameplay fairly early on and remains so throughout.
When it comes to general gameplay, Blade Chimera excels in both combat and movement, offering a responsive and satisfying gameplay experience. The combat loop is straightforward but enhanced by the Lumina Blade, which allows for strategic plays using special abilities at the cost of MP. This includes creating temporary barriers and recalling the sword to attack enemies from a distance.
The game features a large, interconnected map that encourages exploration and progression through environmental puzzles using the Lumina Blade. Although there is some backtracking, the level design is clear with well-marked objectives, even if the progression occasionally feels quite linear. Players can find hidden upgrades, stronger equipment, collectables, and side quests by straying from the main path.
While the combat is satisfying, the game does have some issues with enemy durability. This is especially noticeable in the later stages, where facing multiple powerful foes at once can disrupt the pacing. However, the six-hour length of the campaign helps mitigate these issues, ensuring they don’t significantly detract from the overall enjoyment of the game. You might think six hours doesn’t sound like much, but when there’s a lot to enjoy, it’ll seem like it’s a lot longer. And like all Metroidvania’s, the time to completion depends on how complete you want to be.
Visuals and Sound
The enjoyment of the game is beautifully enhanced by its captivating atmosphere and stunning visuals. It presents a visual feast that immerses players in an intricately crafted pixel art style. The game showcases a variety of exquisitely designed backgrounds that seamlessly blend the elegance of traditional Japanese architecture with the boldness of futuristic, cyberpunk elements. Each sprite is a delightful masterpiece, especially the demons, which are represented as a diverse range of mythological creatures and legendary yōkai, each filled with personality and charm.
This striking visual identity is further elevated by an exceptional soundtrack brimming with catchy, electro-infused melodies. While the narrative might not be its most potent feature, the overarching vibes are so enchanting that I found myself willingly spending hours immersed in this world. It draws you in with your senses and makes you not want to let go.
Blade Chimera confidently embraces its core identity and focuses on delivering engaging gameplay. As a result, any shortcomings seem to fade away. It might not be perfect, but I’m struggling to recall anything negative about it. It feels like a game designed purely for fun – and fun I had.
Conclusion
Despite a few minor issues I had with Blade Chimera, I still enjoyed the game immensely, primarily due to its well-crafted boss battles and the innovative use of Lux as an all-in-one tool. The game is visually impressive; its pixel art is meticulously detailed and looks fantastic. However, it is the precise and occasionally challenging combat combined with clever platforming that truly makes Blade Chimera stand out in a crowded market of indie action-exploration games.
Team Ladybug may not have reinvented the Metroidvania genre with Blade Chimera. Its core concept of integrating its mystical sword into nearly every aspect of gameplay gives it a fresh and thoughtfully designed feel. It’s something different, something exciting, and it looks exceptional while doing so. It all adds up to make the game stand out as a top title on the Nintendo Switch. If you love exploring intricate worlds and mastering challenging combat, this game is definitely worth trying.