Blade & Soul Heroes

About

Blade & Soul Heroes is a single player and multiplayer role playing game. It was developed by NCSOFT and was released on September 24, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Blade & Soul Heroes follows Yusol's quest to rebuild her clan and bring justice against the villainous Yi Chun and the mysterious Heaven's Fall Cult. Players engage in dynamic battles by switching between turn-based strategy and real-time action, leading a team of five unique heroes. With over 40 characters to unlock, the game offers a rich anime-inspired world and a deep, evolving storyline.

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66%

Audience ScoreBased on 329 reviews

story18 positive mentions

grinding16 negative mentions

Gorgeous anime-style graphics and smooth animations enhance the overall experience.
The game is free-to-play friendly, allowing players to progress without spending money, and offers a generous gacha system.
The mix of combat styles, including action and turn-based mechanics, provides variety and keeps gameplay engaging.

The game features a convoluted UI with too many systems to learn, which can be overwhelming for new players.
There are significant pay-to-win elements, with higher-level content and gear often locked behind a paywall, making progression grindy.
The combat can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with many mechanics feeling like a chore rather than an engaging experience.

story
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
69%
8%
The story is generally described as lighthearted and engaging, with charming characters and well-voiced cutscenes, though some players find it generic and lacking depth. While the pacing and integration of gameplay elements are praised, there are criticisms regarding the reliance on grinding and micromanagement, which detracts from the narrative experience. Overall, the story is seen as enjoyable for casual players, but may not satisfy those seeking a more complex or original plot.
- “The story is lighthearted, the characters are expressive, and the combat is flashy in the best way.”
- “Story and dialogue are charming, and the heroes have personality.”
- “The story is goofy but entertaining, combos feel impactful, and team leveling is super flexible.”
- “My only gripe is that the story is a drag.”
- “I don't care about your generic animu slop story.”
- “Story is uninteresting and poorly presented.”
graphics
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
43%
8%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the gorgeous anime-style visuals, vibrant colors, and smooth animations that enhance the combat and cutscenes. However, some users criticize the graphics for being overly bright or blurry at lower settings, and a few mention that they are not impressive overall. Despite these criticisms, the art style and character designs are frequently highlighted as standout features, contributing to a visually appealing experience, especially for a free game.
- “Gorgeous anime-style graphics that look amazing in combat and cutscenes.”
- “The art style is gorgeous and has a unique charm.”
- “The graphics are stunning, with beautiful art direction and character designs that really stand out.”
- “Graphics is awful.”
- “The graphics are bad.”
- “Graphics are kinda blurry/hazy and not sharp.”
gameplay
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
59%
12%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of experiences, with some players enjoying the variety and gradual introduction of mechanics, while others criticize the reliance on gacha mechanics and repetitive gameplay. The combat system is generally described as solid but can feel clunky and uninspired, with some players finding it lacking depth compared to other titles in the genre. Overall, the game offers a visually appealing experience but struggles to maintain engagement due to its basic mechanics and occasional frustrations.
- “The gameplay is a nice blend between Genshin Impact and Final Fantasy XIV, with its own unique twists.”
- “The game feels rewarding as you progress; I'm able to unlock new characters organically through gameplay, which is very generous from the dev and not very common in this genre.”
- “The mix of gameplay styles is interesting; it has very pretty graphics, the character designs are decent and a bit original with the more 'monstrous' ones, and the plot is alright, I'd say a little better than the original B&S.”
- “I am not going to lie, a lot of mechanics are locked behind pay-to-win.”
- “But, the gameplay is bland; the base building is really just giving you a different way to interact with the same things in your game menus, and there's just not much here.”
- “Gameplay is awkward and clunky.”
grinding
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game. While some find it excessively grindy due to high level caps and repetitive tasks, others appreciate the ability to take breaks and enjoy the game as a free-to-play experience. The auto-battle feature and daily quests help alleviate some of the grind, but frustrations arise from bugs and limited dungeon runs, leading to a sense of monotony for those seeking to complete all content.
- “Higher level caps, gear and loot, and combat elements make it way too grindy.”
- “Grinding side quests do nothing but waste time.”
- “Once the novelty wore off, I thought all the good of the game (while promising) wasn't worth the time spent in menus and farming chores.”
optimization
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players noting consistent updates that improve performance, while others criticize poor performance on both PC and mobile platforms. While high-end PCs can achieve stable frame rates at max settings, many users report issues with lower-end hardware and mobile devices, including frame drops and lack of resolution options. Despite some improvements, many feel that the game still lacks adequate optimization, particularly in comparison to previous titles from the same developer.
- “Game updates are consistent and improve performance.”
- “No stuttering; FPS is really stable and I mean really stable. For some reason, it always stays in a 10 FPS range and won't ever suddenly drop, even during combat.”
- “Game performance: good optimization compared to other copies (especially if compared to the company’s previous game, 'Blade & Soul Neo', which was terrible in this aspect).”
- “Might as well just partner with an emulator company to have the game optimized for PC that way than having a port and still doing nothing to take advantage of the platform.”
- “Unfortunately, as nice and stylized as this game looks at first, the absolutely poor performance on both PC and mobile won't let you play it any longer than you'd like.”
- “Honestly, the game is poorly optimized for PC.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
47%
20%
The music in the game is widely praised for enhancing the energy of battles and setting the mood across various areas, contributing significantly to the overall immersion. While some users noted occasional audio issues and a sense of repetitiveness, the soundtrack is generally regarded as a standout feature, offering a refreshing departure from typical RPG/action game compositions. Overall, the music, alongside impressive graphics and sound design, creates a satisfying and engaging experience.
- “Music sets the mood perfectly for different areas and battles.”
- “The soundtrack and sound effects are really well designed, adding to the overall immersion.”
- “Music and effects are well done and fit the tone of the game perfectly.”
- “Sometimes audio bugs out so you only hear music, no sound effects.”
- “The OST is beyond boring.”
- “While not exactly 'something extraordinary', the music/soundtrack stands out as the strongest point here; it is not the same recycled/generic pattern used by most RPG/action games.”
monetization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
17%
58%
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as aggressive and predatory, with many reviewers labeling it a blatant cash grab reminiscent of typical gacha games. Players express frustration over the heavy pay-to-win elements, convoluted currency systems, and the overall feeling that the game prioritizes profit over quality and player experience. Despite some acknowledging the game as free-to-play, the overwhelming sentiment is that the monetization undermines its potential and enjoyment.
- “Genuinely free and does not push you to buy in-game purchases.”
- “The concept could’ve been cool, but the predatory monetization, mid graphics, and snail-paced progression kill it.”
- “The game is heavy pay-to-win, and the monetization with a thousand different currencies and energies is horrid.”
- “You have one of the greatest PvP MMOs of all time, Blade & Soul - instead of coming up with failed cash-grab remakes without arena and a stupid monetization system, gacha games to cash grab even more and more mobile games - just simply launch a non-P2W classic version of Blade & Soul, only with cosmetics, and you'll see that success can be extremely easy.”
- “Honestly feels like they rushed this out as a short-term cash grab like many other mobile gacha games.”
- “No, just no... I know everyone is clowning on NCSoft and they have grounds to do so, this is one of those cases... literal mobile sloppy, cash grab for easy money, worst of all there are mobile gacha games that are far better than this and more enjoyable... this has no soul; they just took the Blade and Soul IP and just want a quick cash grab from fans who like the BNS IP, that's it... and that is why people clown on NCSoft because this is what they do: milk every decent IP they have for easy low-effort games, NCSoft is dead and this game is just proof of that.”
character development
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
12%
38%
Character development in the game is marked by a mix of appealing character designs and strong voice acting, contributing positively to the overall aesthetic and narrative experience. However, some players feel that the gameplay mechanics are outdated and repetitive, detracting from the potential depth of character engagement. While the graphics and design are praised, the overall execution is seen by some as lacking innovation, leading to a perception of the game as a cash grab.
- “The graphics and character design are great, and I love the voice acting in the cutscenes as well; it's always a plus when games go that extra mile to polish the story a bit more.”
- “The graphics are stunning, with beautiful art direction and character designs that really stand out.”
- “The mix of gameplay styles is interesting; it has very pretty graphics, the character designs are decent and a bit original with the more 'monstrous' ones, and the plot is alright, I'd say a little better than the original.”
- “There's some cute character designs to be certain, but the controls and pacing for the fighting are dry as it gets, which makes the gameplay loop feel pretty old, pretty quick.”
- “Character design is not that good, and gameplay is from 2005.”
- “The character designs are decent and a bit original with the more 'monstrous' ones, but overall, the gameplay feels stale.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express frustration with the stability of the game, indicating that they expect a seamless experience without the need for troubleshooting, especially for free-to-play titles.
- “I don't have the patience or any time to waste on troubleshooting free-to-play games that don't work well right off the bat.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to enjoy any gameplay.”
- “I experienced constant lag and disconnections, which ruined my overall experience.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by players who find it amusing, particularly in contrast to negative reviews from those who haven't fully engaged with it. Many describe it as a fun and easy-to-play MMO that incorporates humor effectively, especially in its mobile integration.
- “It's funny because the bad reviews I see are from people who barely touched the game; the game is fun.”
- “A game linked with mobile, it's a funny MMO that's easy to play.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a sense of excessive passivity, with both the environment and enemies contributing to a lack of challenge and engagement.
- “The game is not only very easy, but it also conveys an atmosphere of excessive passivity, with enemies collaborating in this as well.”