Blade Symphony
- May 7, 2014
- Puny Human
- 9h median play time
Blade Symphony's duels are electrifying and intimate, more than making up for a lack of content.
Get on Steam"Blade Symphony" is a multiplayer fighting game that allows players to engage in sword duels with sophisticated moves and strategies. Choose from four character classes, each with unique fighting styles and swords, and battle it out in various arenas. The game features a precise movement and combat system, allowing for intense and skill-based battles.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features a unique and complex combat system that rewards skill and strategy.
- Blade Symphony has a beautiful art style and a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience.
- The community is generally friendly and supportive, often willing to help new players learn the ropes.
- The player base is very small, making it difficult to find matches and often resulting in long wait times.
- The game suffers from balance issues, with certain characters and weapons being overpowered compared to others.
- The tutorial is inadequate, leaving new players confused and unprepared for online matches.
- gameplay549 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Blade Symphony" is characterized by fast-paced, skill-based sword fighting mechanics that emphasize one-on-one duels, drawing comparisons to classic titles like "Jedi Academy." While many players appreciate the depth and uniqueness of the combat system, criticisms arise regarding clunky controls, balance issues, and a dwindling player base, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the game offers an engaging and strategic fighting experience for those willing to invest time in mastering its mechanics.
“The gameplay in Blade Symphony is fast-paced and intense, with a focus on one-on-one duels.”
“The gameplay is amazing, there are endless ways to suit your play-style.”
“Great gameplay, and excellent game mechanics.”
“The basic gameplay of this game has potential on developing further, but it's ended up in this state... I'm really disappointed and regretted for putting faith in the dev.”
“Gameplay seems nice, but it actually is a clunky unresponsive mess.”
“The gameplay is too difficult to master for the casual player and is much too complicated.”
- graphics256 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics in Blade Symphony are generally praised for their detailed character designs, fluid animations, and appealing environments, providing a visually pleasant experience. While some players note that the graphics may not be cutting-edge by current standards, they are still considered good, especially for a game of its type and price point. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's immersive sword-fighting mechanics and aesthetic appeal.
“Blade Symphony features detailed character designs and environments, with fluid animations and effects.”
“This game is gorgeous, with graphics that bring back memories from my childhood, and a simple but fantastic soundtrack. I honestly can say that I've enjoyed the entirety of my time playing.”
“The graphics are stunning, the gameplay is difficult, engaging, intuitive, and 100% skill-based.”
“Matchmaking doesn't work, controls are overly complex, classes aren't balanced, graphics are outdated, and worst of all this 'game' is $15 when not on sale.”
“Too much effort wasted on graphics than on QA.”
“The animations are very short and the lighting and graphics put me off.”
- music201 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in "Blade Symphony" is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its blend of Eastern and Western influences. The soundtrack is considered one of the game's standout features, often described as beautiful, exhilarating, and worth purchasing separately for enthusiasts. However, some players noted issues with audio settings and expressed frustration over the game's overall management, which detracted from their experience of the music.
“The music completes the atmosphere and sense of tension.”
“The soundtrack is absolutely worth a separate purchase for any soundtrack enthusiast.”
“The music is fantastic and exhilarating.”
“Music is garbage.”
“5- ears started bleeding from the bad tutorial music.”
“No plot, no good music, no sound effect, there is nothing good here.”
- story83 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The story aspect of "Blade Symphony" is largely absent, as the game prioritizes gameplay over a traditional narrative. Players engage in one-on-one sword duels without a cohesive storyline or campaign, relying instead on character backstories and player interactions for context. While some players appreciate the focus on multiplayer combat, many express disappointment over the lack of a single-player mode or a structured narrative, suggesting that an engaging story could enhance the overall experience.
“Players take on the role of a swordsman in a world filled with other skilled warriors, and the game's story is told through the player's interactions with other characters and the world.”
“The characters have their own backstory, which makes things fun for lore seekers.”
“To summarize, if you have ever longed to really quest to become the best swordsman in the world, nothing else captures that journey in quite the same way.”
“Bad points: some players may find the game's lack of a traditional story to be a drawback, and the game's single-player modes can become repetitive after a while.”
“No campaigns, no storyline, no single player modes or any other features whatsoever.”
“I haven't seen any evidence yet of a storyline to explain the appearance of the characters, why they're fighting, or what the ultimate goal is, nor what their pasts are.”
- stability40 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and freezing issues that significantly impact gameplay. Combat mechanics are described as imprecise and affected by poor netcode, leading to frustrating experiences. While some users acknowledge that developers are addressing these issues, many still find the game to be overly buggy and lacking in polish.
“Now I've played about 12 hours and this game really sucks - no balance, stupid spamming enemies, useless tutorial, bugs, freezes, not working ranking system (this ranking system really does not work. You can play a few hours on ranked servers with your division but this just says that you will receive nothing just because it's not your division (but it is)).”
“Game freezes every 5 minutes so I can't even play it; none of my other games freeze, just this one.”
“If you're persistent enough you can get good at this game, but there will come a time where you will find that whoever spams or glitches the best wins most fights due to glitchy tracers and poor netcode (lower ping usually always wins encounters).”
- monetization31 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 26 % negative mentions
The game's transition to a free-to-play model has been met with significant backlash due to the introduction of microtransactions, particularly for items that were previously available for free. Many players feel that this shift, along with the removal of modding support, has detracted from the overall experience and disrespected long-time supporters. Overall, the monetization strategy is viewed as detrimental, overshadowing the game's positive aspects.
“The game has an amazing soundtrack and solid gameplay, but held back by a few disastrous decisions regarding monetization and general management.”
“I hope adding microtransactions works out.”
“Dead game with microtransactions and now goes free-to-play, slapping in the face to the people who bought it.”
“Microtransactions of previously workshopped items plus abandoning the game for so long and leaving it to slowly die pretty much is making this game unplayable.”
“The removal of the workshop and addition of the microtransactions hurt and take away from the exciting surprise of the content update and attempted revival of the game.”
- atmosphere28 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and serene qualities, enhanced by a fitting soundtrack that fosters a sense of honor and respect among players. While some players note a negative multiplayer environment on forums, the overall experience is characterized by civil engagements and a beautiful aesthetic that captures the essence of dueling. Many reviewers appreciate the developers' success in recreating a nostalgic fighting atmosphere reminiscent of classic titles, contributing to a fun and engaging gameplay experience.
“Both the atmosphere and the soundtrack are designed to give you a feeling of honor between swordsmen, and it does a really good job of it.”
“The forum is a troll haven for those cliques and is mostly one of the most unfriendly multiplayer atmospheres you will find on Steam, which is bad when the game is multiplayer only.”
“The atmosphere and soundtrack are so calm you won't ever rage quit.”
“Graphic, sound, and atmosphere-wise, you can easily call the game 'beautiful', because that's exactly the aesthetic direction it tries to follow.”
- humor26 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting the comedic aspects of the gameplay, community interactions, and in-game taunts. Many find the game's flaws amusing, contributing to a lighthearted atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. The community is described as friendly and entertaining, making it a standout feature of the game.
“The taunts are funny as hell and the whole game is just a ball to play now.”
“At least in Australia, it is a model of what an online gaming community should be: hilarious, obsessive, friendly with just the right number of trolling bastards to keep things lively.”
“If you like a nice fighting game with swords or just hanging around doing funny things, you will like this! :D”
- optimization23 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's optimization receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its smooth performance even on low-end hardware, while others report significant performance issues that hinder gameplay. Despite the solid graphics and fluid physics, concerns about lag and slow combat persist, suggesting that optimization may vary depending on individual setups. Overall, while many enjoy the aesthetic and action, caution is advised for those with less powerful systems.
“Great game, not perfect, but physics and movement are all smooth, great optimization, good graphics on my low-end PC.”
“Everything seems to run smoothly and I haven't run into any problems yet.”
“- Great optimization (this runs on my GT620M laptop at 60fps high settings).”
“Normally I'd say since it's free to play (now), it's worth trying with a friend, but with the performance issues, I'd be cautious.”
“The gameplay doesn't feel fluid, as well as the bad performance.”
“The lag doesn't show both players stuttering or make you feel like you're playing underwater.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while its multiplayer modes and active community provide significant replay value, many players feel the overall content is lacking, leading to limited replayability. Suggestions for improvements, such as additional weapon options and combo mechanics, indicate a desire for more engaging content to enhance replayability. Overall, the game shows potential but currently falls short in this aspect.
“The game's multiplayer modes offer a lot of replayability, and the game's community is active and supportive.”
“High replay value.”
“Good start but no replayability.”
“It has little to no content, and has little to no replay value.”
“Really interesting concept for a fighting game but needs more replay value.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, particularly for acquiring new swords, but it is often described as tedious and unenjoyable due to the lack of engaging content in arcade mode. While some players appreciate the strategic elements of the game, the overall experience is marred by the repetitive nature of grinding, especially in a largely inactive player environment.
“There is much grinding in this game to get new swords.”
“Arcade mode is pretty bland and shallow, which makes grinding for experience in this game's current dead state a lot more tedious and unbearable than it should be when most servers you join end up having nothing but arcade mode bots.”
“Hello, I came back to criticize this game's corpse a few more times before AFK'ing in a 24/7 fashion contest and farming simulator.”
- character development6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that "Blade Symphony" excels in character design, showcasing detailed visuals and fluid animations that enhance the overall experience. While the focus is primarily on graphics, the mention of fun items and a fantastic soundtrack suggests that character development is supported by engaging aesthetics and customization options.
“Awesome character design, absolutely fantastic soundtrack, and lots of fun items in the workshop.”
“Level and character design is great!”
“Blade Symphony features detailed character designs and environments, with fluid animations and effects.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, with some reporting intense feelings that linger long after gameplay, including crying for extended periods. However, the community surrounding the game is criticized for its negative impact, described as immature and toxic, which detracts from the overall experience.
“I cried for 56 hours after playing this game for 6 minutes.”
