Blades and Battles from QUByte Interactive is an old-school-inspired 2.5D beat ’em up set in the fantasy world of Camelot. Learn more in our Blades and Battles review!
Blades and Battles from QUByte Interactive is an old-school-inspired 2.5D beat ’em up set in the fantasy world of Camelot. You’ll be placed in the role of either the legendary Arthur or the mighty Lancelot, as you take on hordes of enemies that are more than ready to destroy you if you make a mistake. Arthur will favor strength, while Lancelot will favor agility. Each character will have different movesets as well to help set them apart. You’ll be able to take on this adventure on your own or bring along a friend by taking advantage of the local co-op option.
As you can tell from the trailer and screens in this Blades and Battles review, the game is drawing inspiration from and paying homage to the beloved Golden Axe series from SEGA. You’ll certainly notice this right away while playing once you use a super special attack – more on this in a bit.
As your adventure begins, you’ll be taking control of your character by using the left analog stick or the D-Pad. You can attack enemies by pressing the Y button, jump by pressing the B button, and perform a jump attack by pressing the Y button after jumping. The Y button can be pressed up to four times in a row to link a combo. Pressing up on the left analog stick or the D-Pad will allow you to launch an enemy.
Tapping twice left or right on the left analog stick or the D-Pad will allow your character to run. Pressing the Y button while your character is running will make them haracter perform a blitz attack. You can also try to dodge incoming attacks by pressing the A button. You’re invulnerable while dodging, so be sure to time it just right to make the most of it!
You can use a special attack by pressing the X button as long as you have enough mana for it. You can also use a special attack while jumping. Special attacks can be used to break an enemy’s defense. Your mana bar will be replenished automatically every 5 seconds as long as you don’t use a special attack during that period.
There’s also a super special attack you can use by pressing the R button. The super special attack will hit all enemies on the screen, including invincible ones. Super special attacks will require that you have enough potions on you, and the more potions you have, the more powerful the super special attack will be. This is why, if you find an item on the floor, you should get close to it and press the ZR button to collect it. You can grab potions, mana, as well as items that can help you recover some of your lost health.
On top of all of the above, you will also have access to a very useful desperation attack. You can use a desperation attack by pressing the L button at any time. A blue desperation attack will consume a mana bar while generating a blue explosion that will push enemies away. A red desperation attack will consume some of your life and generate a red explosion, and it will be activated when you don’t have any mana bars.
There’s also a purple desperation attack that you can use when you’re taking damage from enemies. Using it will require that you sacrifice some of your health, but you’ll knock away nearby enemies while also gaining some invincibility frames so that you can readjust your strategy right away.
This one features an in-game achievements system for you to work on as well, as you try to 100% it. Some of the objectives to complete include finishing the tutorial, defeating each of the bosses in the game, finishing the game as Arthur, finishing the game as Lancelot, using a super special attack, landing a 20-hit combo, finishing a stage without eating anything, as well as a special achievement you’ll get once you’ve unlocked all other achievements.
Blades and Battles is an old-school-inspired 2.5D beat ’em up set in the fantasy world of Camelot. You’ll be placed in the role of either the legendary Arthur or the mighty Lancelot, as you take on hordes of enemies that are more than ready to destroy you if you make a mistake. Arthur will favor strength, while Lancelot will favor agility. Each character will have different movesets as well to help set them apart. You’ll be able to take on this adventure on your own or bring along a friend by taking advantage of the local co-op option. Blades and Battles is out today on Nintendo Switch with a $14.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This Blades and Battles review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by QUByte Interactive.
