Blades of Fire is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by MercurySteam (developers of Metroid Dread and the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow trilogy) and published by 505 Games, set to release on May 22nd, 2025 for PC (via Epic), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
The game follows Aran de Lira, a warrior gifted with a sacred hammer that allows him to forge steel weapons. He embarks on a quest to defeat Queen Nerea, who has cursed the land by turning steel into stone, making traditional weapons useless. Alongside his companion Adso de Zelk, Aran must craft and customise weapons to overcome enemies, solve puzzles, and navigate an interconnected world filled with hidden paths and challenges.
The combat system emphasises weapon crafting and customisation, requiring players to forge weapons suited to different enemy weaknesses. Players must strategically block, parry, and attack while managing weapon durability and resources.
If you’re eager to see how the combat works in action, then good news! MercurySteam and 505 Games have just released a brand new Blades of Fire combat trailer.
The combat trailer shows off a variety of weapons from each category: Slashing, piercing and blunt. Looking at the enemies weak points allows you to choose what weapon you should be using and you should always have plenty of weapons equipped to deal with different threats.
Blades of Fire has taken a unique approach to weapon durability by making weapon forging and upgrading a key component of the gameplay loop – as you defeat monsters you’ll learn more about them and the weapons in the game. Defeat enough and you’ll get a scroll for forging specific weapons.
It’s a cool looking system, and I know I’m looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into it. What are your thoughts on weapon durability as a gameplay mechanic? Let us know in the comments.
