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BLADECHIMERA

BLADECHIMERA Game Cover
93%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, replayability
93% User Score Based on 629 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPCSteam DeckWindows
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BLADECHIMERA Game Cover

About

BLADECHIMERA is a single player action game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Team Ladybug and was released on January 15, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

In this exploration-heavy 2D action game, use your demon sword to interfere with the past, create platforms, and shield yourself from danger to explore a dystopian cyberpunk world depicted in gorgeously animated pixel art.

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BLADECHIMERA screenshot
BLADECHIMERA screenshot
BLADECHIMERA screenshot
BLADECHIMERA screenshot
BLADECHIMERA screenshot
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93%
Audience ScoreBased on 629 reviews
story131 positive mentions
grinding20 negative mentions
  • Blade Chimera features stunning pixel art and fluid animations, creating a visually captivating experience.
  • The combat system is engaging, allowing players to mix melee and ranged attacks, with the unique mechanic of using Lux, the demon sword, for both offense and traversal.
  • The ability to teleport to any previously visited location on the map enhances exploration and reduces backtracking, making the gameplay feel more streamlined.
  • The game is relatively easy, with many enemies and bosses being straightforward to defeat, which may disappoint players seeking a greater challenge.
  • The story, while interesting, is somewhat predictable and lacks depth, with some characters feeling underdeveloped.
  • Side quests often consist of repetitive tasks, such as defeating a certain number of enemies, which can feel tedious and detract from the overall experience.
  • story
    389 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in this game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it engaging yet predictable, often relying on familiar tropes. While some appreciate the effort put into crafting a narrative of good versus evil, others feel it lacks depth and emotional impact, particularly in its character development and side quests. Overall, the story is seen as a solid complement to the gameplay, with some interesting twists and world-building elements, but it may not stand out as particularly groundbreaking in the genre.

    • “Sometimes stories get lost in games in this genre, but here there is a conscious effort to tell a story of evil and redemption at the end of it.”
    • “The story is engaging, but you're also given an option to fast forward through all the text in a blink if you can't be bothered.”
    • “The story is particularly nice, and it felt to me like it's beefier than their previous games as well.”
    • “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's plot telegraphs its twists from the start and relies heavily on tropes to maintain some semblance of cohesion.”
    • “The story is serviceable, although a bit predictable.”
  • gameplay
    251 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Blade Chimera" has been praised for its engaging mechanics, fluid combat, and beautiful pixel art, making it a standout entry in the metroidvania genre. Players appreciate the innovative features, such as the teleportation mechanic and the unique sword abilities, which enhance exploration and combat. However, some critiques highlight issues with level design, enemy scaling, and a lack of challenge in boss fights, suggesting that while the gameplay is enjoyable, it may not fully capitalize on its potential.

    • “Blade Chimera excels with its engaging combat, stunning presentation, and fast-paced gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is excellent; it responds fast and smooth, and character progression is cool.”
    • “The way the character traverses the world is genuinely fun and innovative, adding a whole new layer to exploration and keeping the gameplay fresh throughout.”
    • “Considering the gameplay, for a metroidvania, the game has a surprising amount (20 or so) of tunnel-rooms the length of 4-5 screens, without any obstacles apart from enemies (sometimes even without enemies).”
    • “While overall the weapon feel really good and the ranged weapons are a good addition, the combat mechanics are rather boring.”
    • “Gameplay works but is stretched too thin by the end; the only glaring issues are some poor level design and annoying boss fights towards the end.”
  • music
    108 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its energetic and fitting soundtracks that enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its ability to complement the visuals and gameplay. While some tracks are described as memorable and catchy, others are noted as less distinctive, leading to a mixed perception of the overall soundtrack. Overall, the music is considered a strong point of the game, contributing significantly to the enjoyment of the experience.

    • “The music really complements and enhances the atmosphere.”
    • “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.”
    • “Basic stuff like separate volume control for music and SFX is missing; combat is really slow and boring.”
    • “If I had any complaint, it's that the music was too repetitive for my tastes, with a lot of generic-sounding electronic music that didn't set areas apart from one another.”
    • “Wishing I could turn off the music at this point.”
  • graphics
    89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning pixel art style, fluid animations, and vibrant cyberpunk aesthetic, which effectively enhance the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the beautiful environments, engaging character designs, and the seamless integration of visuals with the soundtrack, creating an immersive experience. While some critiques mention a lack of structural diversity in level design, the overall consensus is that the visuals are a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The art style is simply breathtaking, beautiful, fluid, and full of personality.”
    • “The graphics are gorgeous, the enemies are gorgeous, the weapons are fun, and you're not inundated with useless ones.”
    • “The game is gorgeous and the visuals are something I adore in particular.”
    • “If there's something to understand about 2D graphics, it's that it didn't become marginal for no reason. Making good-looking sprites gets harder and harder with resolution increases, while a cleaner image makes any flaw more visible. Creating a game that looks like this is simply a lot of work, so much that nearly everybody on the market abandoned it.”
    • “They already learned this ancient fork of the 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.”
  • grinding
    21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be a mixed experience. While some players appreciate the fast travel system that alleviates tedious backtracking, others find the low drop rates and the necessity to farm specific enemies for gear frustrating. Overall, grinding can be enjoyable for those who embrace it, but it may become tedious, especially for players aiming to complete the game fully.

    • “Having played a few other games, I can say that the drop rates on gear feel appropriate and not too tedious. However, certain enemies drop consumables or money.”
    • “The grind in this game is rewarding, as it allows you to steadily improve your character and feel a sense of accomplishment with each level gained.”
    • “I appreciate that the grinding process is balanced; it encourages exploration and strategy without feeling overly repetitive.”
    • “Great if you don't plan to 100% and fill out the drop list; otherwise, you're going to be spending 3+ hours farming single mobs for their drop.”
    • “Also, the best gear is locked behind enemy drops, and farming for it isn't really fun.”
    • “Post-game 'content' is a tedious mess.”
  • replayability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game is noted for its limited replayability, with many players expressing that there is little incentive to revisit it after completion. While it features polished execution and interesting mechanics, the short length and lack of additional content contribute to a low to medium replay value.

    • “The replay value, chances of playing it again, are low to medium.”
    • “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.”
    • “Replayability:”
    • “Replayability is limited in some aspects.”
    • “Blade Chimera offers limited replayability.”
    • “Limited replayability: little incentive to revisit the game after completion.”
  • atmosphere
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its vibrant neon aesthetics reminiscent of early 90s anime, complemented by detailed pixel art and a synth-heavy soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. While the story may be predictable, the stylish cyberpunk elements and immersive music create a captivating environment that prioritizes atmosphere over puzzle-solving. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke a distinct and engaging atmosphere, making it a standout feature.

    • “The pixel art is pushed to its limits in the best way—highly detailed, full of atmosphere, and stylistically distinct.”
    • “What makes it all worthwhile are its atmosphere and moveset that capture the pure neon kineticism of an early 90's anime OVA.”
    • “Stylish cyberpunk aesthetics and synth-heavy music really add to the atmosphere, and while the story is very predictable, it's still entertaining.”
    • “Blade Chimera emphasizes atmosphere much more than puzzle solving except for a few jumping puzzles.”
  • stability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with users reporting frequent crashes and bugs that disrupt gameplay, such as freezing during critical moments. However, it is noted to run well on the Steam Deck, despite these issues. Overall, players experience significant stability problems that detract from the gaming experience.

    • “Also runs great on the Steam Deck!”
    • “The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
    • “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”
    • “The problem is that every 20 minutes or so the game freezes and crashes for me. It happened with the demo when I was playing through it, and it is now happening with the full game.”
    • “Buggy too!”
    • “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.”
  • emotional
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of Bladechimera is mixed; while the game features a commendable exploration of themes like power and oppression, many find the story lacks genuine emotional impact and predictability undermines its twists. However, some players appreciate the emotional maturity in certain scenes, which can evoke unexpected feelings despite the overall predictability of the narrative. The detailed environments and competent storytelling contribute to a sense of care, enhancing the emotional core for some players.

    • “The environments are loaded with detail, the art and animation direction is top-notch and the story is maybe a little easy to predict but it's told competently and, again, with a sense of real care, with an emotional core that I think works well.”
    • “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.”
    • “Bladechimera is dull and has a boring story, making it hard to feel any emotional connection.”
    • “The levels are repetitive in structure, which diminishes any potential for emotional engagement.”
    • “The pacing is lackluster, leaving little room for emotional investment in the characters or storyline.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, while "Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth" suffers from subpar performance, particularly in its final zone, "Blade Chimera" stands out with impressive optimization, outperforming its peers like "Touhou Luna Nights."

    • “After 'Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth's' unimpressive final zone and overall so-so performance in comparison to 'Touhou Luna Nights', 'Blade Chimera' is surprisingly excellent.”
    • “Finally, there are technicalities such as performance.”
    • “The game suffers from severe optimization issues that hinder the overall experience.”
    • “I frequently encounter frame drops and stuttering, making it hard to enjoy the gameplay.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is appreciated for its clever enemy designs and amusing gimmicks, with players noting a recognition of familiar characters from other titles, which adds to the comedic experience.

    • “Funny enough, I recognize a few demons, or oni if you're a weeb, just because I played Ghostwire: Tokyo all the way through a year or two ago.”
    • “The enemy variety is nice, and some of their gimmicks are pretty funny.”
  • character development
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is enhanced by intriguing world-building and unique character designs, which some players find compelling enough to encourage exploration. The game's art style, featuring beautiful pixel art and a blend of futuristic and 1930s Japanese aesthetics, contributes to the overall charm, though it may not resonate with everyone.

    • “The world-building and character designs were interesting for me to keep exploring and see what's next.”
    • “The art style is gorgeous, with lots of enemy variation and nice pixel art. The backgrounds are both beautiful and ooze a character that they share with the setting and character designs, creating a cool melding of futuristic and 1930s Japan that's really neat to see.”
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10h Median play time
10h Average play time
8-12h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

BLADECHIMERA is a action game with science fiction theme.

BLADECHIMERA is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Steam Deck and Windows.

On average players spend around 10 hours playing BLADECHIMERA.

BLADECHIMERA was released on January 15, 2025.

BLADECHIMERA was developed by Team Ladybug.

BLADECHIMERA has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

BLADECHIMERA is a single player game.

Similar games include Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-, ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights, Gestalt: Steam & Cinder, Afterimage, Guns of Fury and others.