BLADE CHIMERA

About

In "BLADE CHIMERA" , play as Shin, a memory-deprived demon hunter partnered with Lux, a shapeshifting sword with time manipulation abilities. Fight brutal battles against demons, explore a dangerous world, and unlock new skills via the skill tree to aid in your quest to uncover your past. Utilize Lux's abilities, firearms, and other weapons to navigate through Osaka. This action-packed game offers a unique and thrilling experience for players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 451 reviews

story72 positive mentions

grinding10 negative mentions

Stunning pixel art and animation that brings the world to life, with beautifully designed environments and characters.
Engaging combat mechanics that allow for a mix of melee and ranged attacks, providing a satisfying gameplay experience.
The ability to warp to any previously explored area enhances exploration and reduces backtracking, making the game feel more fluid.

The story is predictable and lacks depth, with many characters feeling underdeveloped and the plot not offering significant surprises.
Level design is often linear, consisting mainly of repetitive corridors filled with enemies, which can detract from the exploration experience.
The game can feel too easy, especially with powerful weapons and abilities available early on, trivializing many encounters and challenges.

story
227 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
66%
3%
The story in the game is generally viewed as predictable and lacking depth, often relying on familiar tropes and linear progression that can feel uninspired. While some players appreciated moments of intrigue and character development, many criticized the side quests as repetitive and shallow, primarily consisting of fetch and kill tasks. Overall, the narrative is seen as serviceable but not particularly captivating, with some players finding enjoyment in the gameplay and visuals despite the story's shortcomings.
- “I was pretty shocked to find an interestingly crafted story, characters, and lore that brought me in, which is something that games like this tend to gloss over.”
- “The story is intriguing, the visuals are mesmerizing, and the gameplay makes it extremely difficult to stop playing.”
- “It's the full package: it looks stunning, it sounds great, it plays well, and it has a fantastic, charming story.”
- “The game's plot telegraphs its twists from the start and relies heavily on tropes to maintain some semblance of cohesion.”
- “The story isn't really captivating; it feels like I've seen the kind of story it's telling many times, and it's not like it's doing anything particularly interesting for me.”
- “The game wanted you to care about its story, but after the halfway point, I was just skipping all the cutscenes because I wanted it to end already.”
gameplay
174 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
53%
2%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a focus on exploration and engaging mechanics rather than challenging boss fights, making it accessible and enjoyable for players. While the level design and combat mechanics are praised for their fluidity and creativity, some players noted a lack of challenge and memorable bosses, as well as the potential for mechanics to be abused, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the game is recommended for its solid gameplay fundamentals, beautiful pixel art, and engaging story elements.
- “Where it properly shines is Ladybug's expertise with metroidvania progression - rather than eke satisfaction out by being challenging, they focus on getting the juiciest gameplay, world design, and RPG scaling possible.”
- “Blade Chimera excels with its engaging combat, stunning presentation, and fast-paced gameplay.”
- “This action metroidvania is one of the best in recent memory, thanks to fluid gameplay, strong mechanics that integrate both guns and melee weapons, and breathtaking art in practically every room.”
- “Makes you kinda feel like tapping out of the game by the 4-hour mark when you have at least 4-6 more hours of gameplay until you reach the end.”
- “The gameplay is where I was really disappointed.”
- “The game also has a distinct lack of bosses; there were only 6 (if I recall correctly) and none of them stood out besides the 2 in the demo before these broken mechanics were introduced.”
music
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
23%
5%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its high-energy, area-specific themes that enhance gameplay and exploration. While some tracks are described as memorable and "bangers," others are noted as less impactful, leading to mixed feelings about the overall soundtrack. Overall, the music complements the game's visuals and gameplay, contributing to a fun and engaging experience.
- “The music is stellar, with every area boasting its own high-energy theme that enhances the action.”
- “The soundtrack complements the visuals perfectly, delivering high-energy tracks for battles and haunting melodies for exploration.”
- “Amazing music, awesome gameplay, designs and all the unique areas to explore.”
- “My biggest 2-3 gripes for the game is 1) there are not individual volume controls for music, sfx, and environment fx.”
- “I would say the music for me was 50/50, with some tracks are just okay while others are absolute bangers!”
- “There are some areas where certain songs or fx are crazy loud, but for the most part it's not been too bad.”
graphics
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
37%
5%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning pixel art, fluid animations, and a unique blend of futuristic and traditional Japanese aesthetics, creating a visually captivating experience. Reviewers highlight the game's beautiful backgrounds and character designs, which contribute to its distinct identity within the metroidvania genre. While some critiques mention a lack of structural diversity in environments, the overall presentation is considered a strong point, making it appealing to fans of the genre.
- “The art style is gorgeous, with lots of enemy variation with nice pixel art, and the backgrounds are both beautiful and ooze a character that they share with setting and character designs, having a cool melding of futuristic and 1930s Japan that's really neat to see.”
- “Took around 8 hours to 100% (AFK added onto the playtime) gorgeous art style and presentation, looking forward to the next Team Ladybug game.”
- “The aesthetics of the game are excellent and visually interesting and had me peering down at all the details placed everywhere.”
- “They already learned this ancient fork of game maker engine once, why learn any real engine with real graphics, if people are paying even for this.”
- “And it's not like they skimp on graphical content, they are ready to put the time into creating assets, they are just too lazy to pay the transitional costs in time and money.”
- “It's not very complex and is rather easy to keep track of with the minimap, markers, generally clearly delineated areas, and of course the striking visuals.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unenjoyable, particularly due to the necessity of farming for essential gear and abilities that are locked behind enemy drops. The combat system does not provide enough challenge, leading to frustration when players must grind for resources to progress. Additionally, the post-game content is criticized for being a tedious grind, further diminishing the overall experience.
- “Also, the best gear is locked behind enemy drops, and farming for it isn't really fun.”
- “Post-game content is a tedious mess.”
- “The combat abilities are also traps for the player: the combat never really pushed me that hard, and the one time I bought a combat ability, I immediately ran into a section where I needed a movement ability I could no longer afford without grinding enemies first.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
56%
33%
Overall, the game is noted for its polished execution and interesting gimmick, but it suffers from limited replayability due to its short length and lack of incentives to revisit after completion. Comparisons to other titles, like Touhou Luna Nights, highlight its shortcomings in this area.
- “It’s executed well, it had an interesting gimmick, and it was a polished experience, but I don’t see much replay value in it.”
- “It's executed well, it had an interesting gimmick, and it was a polished experience, but I don't see much replay value in it.”
- “Blade Chimera offers limited replayability.”
- “Limited replayability: little incentive to revisit the game after completion.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent freezes and crashes occurring approximately every 20 minutes of gameplay. Players report that these problems persist from the demo version into the full game, severely impacting the overall experience.
- “The problem is that every 20 minutes or so the game freezes and crashes for me. This happened with the demo when I was playing through it, and it is now happening with the full game.”
- “One that freezes you in place until you mash out of it, and one that lets you move very, very slowly until you mash out of it.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is enhanced by the game's stunning art style and unique world-building, which features a captivating blend of futuristic elements and 1930s Japan aesthetics. While many players find the character designs and exploration engaging, some may feel that this aspect alone may not be sufficient for a deeper connection. Overall, the visual and thematic richness contributes positively to the character development experience.
- “The world building and character designs were interesting for me to keep exploring and see what's next, but I can see that not being enough for others.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Users consistently praise the atmosphere of the game, highlighting the impressive spritework and immersive environment created by Team Ladybug. This strong atmospheric quality contributes significantly to the overall enjoyment of their metroidvania titles.
- “Another great game by Team Ladybug! I hope they keep making Metroidvanias because I love their sprite work and atmosphere.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the humor in the game, noting that the variety of enemies and their amusing gimmicks contribute to a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
- “The enemy variety is nice, and some of their gimmicks are pretty funny.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a mix of predictability and unexpected twists, with several mature scenes that evoke a range of feelings, from pleasant surprises to moments of sadness.
- “I’ll admit that certain parts of it were quite predictable, though the narrative still managed to offer a couple of twists that you’ll probably not see coming, as well as certain emotionally mature scenes that did catch me off guard in a pleasant, and somewhat depressing, way.”