There’s something uniquely appealing about blacksmithing. In nearly every RPG I’ve ever played where blacksmithing was an option, I’ve engaged in the mechanic somehow, with Skyrim being my introduction to the concept of smithing in games and, ironically, The Elder Scrolls Online holding my record for the most time spent smithing weapons and armor in a game. There’s just something about taking raw metal, pounding away with a hammer under the heat of a forge, and turning it into legendary weapons or impenetrable armor that just seems to appeal to a lot of people, and clearly, I’m no exception.
With that desire comes the quest to perfectly emulate the smithing process in video games, though few come close. Often the mechanic is treated as a minigame or optional side content, and therefore lacks the focus required to balance customization options with accurate mechanics. Usually, games go one way or another, and more often than not, blacksmithing in a game amounts to nothing more than a generic “insert materials, get item” crafting system with a smithing theme.
Enter Bladesong.
This blade-smithing game walks the fine line between customization and accurate mechanics pretty well, though it leans more towards the side of player freedom and customization. You won’t be able to heat your sword at a forge, and you’ll miss out on the satisfaction of quenching your steel in oil, but Bladesong still imparts realism on the player by having them balance sharpness, sturdiness, and other sword factors such as weight and maneuverability by physically altering the shape of the blade to account for real steel physics.
The shaping of your blade is done through an honestly intimidating amount of options available to the player, from tapering, extending, or shortening the blade’s length and width, to shaping edges, curving the blade, and more. It would not be improper to describe Bladesong as a dedicated modeling engine, like Blender, exclusively for the creation of swords. You’re given the freedom to make anything from a mundane prop sword you might find at Medieval Times to fantasy weapons, as functional or simply aesthetically pleasing as you wish them to be.
This comparison is certainly true of the game’s creative mode, which allows players to mess around with the game’s full library of parts and sliders to make the swords you spend all day at work daydreaming about. The game’s campaign mode, however, is far more grounded in low fantasy, challenging you to use your skills as a smith to escape a dangerous refugee camp and start a life for yourself in the city, uncovering dark secrets as you work to keep your new sword-smithing business afloat.
The story mode in Bladesong surprised me. It’s not mechanically complex, having the player do basic jobs to earn money and resources while engaging with a text-based story with very minimal branching paths. What got me, however, was how interesting and well-written it was, paired with just how shockingly dark the game was. Murder, corruption, and attacks from vicious fantasy beasts fill this intriguing story between the time spent in the forge.
It’s important to understand what Bladesong is and what it isn’t.
The game isn’t a perfect blacksmithing simulation that perfectly replicates the mechanics of working in a forge; I would have to say KCDII’s forging DLC does a much better job at that. It also isn’t a story-rich RPG where every choice made matters; the game’s story feels more like fluff added to a pretty limited shopkeeping simulator with a fun, sword-smithing hook. And yes, the game focuses exclusively on swords, as some forging fans may be disappointed to hear.
What Bladesong is, however, is a really fun sword-making game that offers the player a lot of customization options and freedom, much more than I’ve seen in any other game. On top of its advanced sword-creation tools, it offers players a fun, intriguing text-based adventure and a light shopkeeping sim to add some immersion between the sword crafting.
The game isn’t perfect. Making swords over and over again, especially when you’re doing the more mundane orders in the campaign that don’t require a lot of thought or effort, can get repetitive pretty fast. Outside of the smithing mechanic, there isn’t a whole lot for the player to do besides engaging with the text-based story, which is nice but also has its limits as far as interactivity. When you play Bladesong, you’re doing it because you really love making your own swords, and everything outside of that system is a luxury tacked on rather than a full selling point.
For Early Access, the game already offers the player a lot to do, so long as what you want to do is make swords. Further down the line, the developers promise to add further depth to the sword-creation system, allowing you to punch holes in your blades and create twisted, wavy swords. Some light add-ons to the story mode are also promised, and the full story itself is yet to be released in the game’s current state.
Bladesong is, in my opinion, exactly what it wants to be. It is not the most innovative or immersive blacksmithing game, nor is it an RPG full of player agency and choice. Instead, it’s a really cool sword-creation engine with a nice story and shop sim tacked onto it. If you want to make cool swords, the game is certainly worth the price, and there’s a lot to look forward to as it continues its development. If you’re expecting more from the game than that, you’re going to be disappointed.
Pros:
- Incredible sword-creation tools with lots of player customization
- A surprisingly interesting story mode and light shop-sim mechanics tacked on to the selling experience
Cons:
- Not an incredibly immersive smithing sim, as some players hoped
- Little to do outside of the sword-making system; You’re here to make swords, not much else
- Unfortunately limited to swordsmithing
Bladesong was released on the PC. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page!
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