Bleak Sword DX

About

"Bleak Sword DX" is a challenging, retro-style action adventure game with strategic combat. Wield a mighty sword to battle through a dark and ominous realm, facing off against grotesque creatures and bosses. The DX version offers updated visuals, more content, and improved gameplay over the original.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 217 reviews

gameplay27 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

Bleak Sword DX features a unique minimalist aesthetic and eerie atmosphere that evokes nostalgia, reminiscent of classic games.
The combat system is satisfying and responsive, with a focus on parrying and dodging that adds depth to the gameplay.
The game offers a variety of enemies and challenges, making each level engaging despite its simplicity.

The game suffers from frustrating mechanics, such as losing all items and experience upon dying twice, which can feel punishing and unfair.
Many players find the level design repetitive, with similar enemy patterns and a lack of meaningful progression or customization.
The difficulty spikes can be inconsistent, leading to moments where the game feels more like a grind than a rewarding challenge.

gameplay
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
50%
5%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its engaging mechanics and satisfying combat, while others criticize its repetitive nature and flawed systems, such as the parry mechanic and inventory management. Many appreciate the minimalist art style and the challenge it presents, but feel that the lack of depth and variety in gameplay elements detracts from the overall experience. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable moments, it struggles with balance and replayability, leaving some players disappointed.
- “Exhilarating gameplay and an awesome soundtrack.”
- “The variety in the game's bestiary allows for a varied combat experience and keeps the gameplay really engaging.”
- “Great gameplay and some of the most unique and inspiring visuals I have ever seen!”
- “I'm honestly just overly disappointed, and I know even from 7 minutes of gameplay that this is not something I will come back to.”
- “The game slowly phases out the parry mechanic as you advance, and the gameplay devolves into a dodge/mash/dodge/mash affair.”
- “The RPG mechanics are just utterly pointless.”
graphics
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
54%
5%
The graphics of Bleak Sword DX are widely praised for their minimalist aesthetic and unique blend of retro and contemporary design, evoking nostalgia while creating an eerie atmosphere. While the simplistic art style and pixelated visuals contribute to the game's charm, some players find it becomes repetitive over time. Overall, the visuals are considered stunning and immersive, enhancing the gameplay experience despite occasional criticisms regarding clarity and variety.
- “The visuals really bring me back to my childhood, with similarities to gems like Castle Crashers and The Binding of Isaac, while also applying a unique flavor to its level design.”
- “Frankly put, Bleak Sword DX is really aesthetic—the random flashes of thunder, the eerie sway of the camera over the hand-crafted diorama below, the 3D/pixel mix, the satisfying kill animations and the music all add to make an immersive grimdark fantasy setting.”
- “The graphics and gameplay are absolutely engaging; the battles are fun, the graphics just the right side of retro, and the bleakness reminds me a lot of Mork Borg.”
- “Many of the positive comments addressed the game's graphics; and while the art style is simplistic, it becomes repetitive shortly after running the game for the first time.”
- “The basic controls and simplistic graphics, though not always to its detriment, keep the game limited to a measly scale and often repetitive nature.”
- “So there are tons of enemy types, but a lot of the humanoid enemies are a tad difficult to distinguish because of the art style.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
42%
16%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it repetitive and annoying, others praise it as exhilarating and immersive, enhancing the overall atmosphere. The soundtrack, often highlighted for its quality and ability to complement the game's aesthetic, is noted for its strong emotional impact, particularly in creating a grimdark fantasy setting. Overall, the music is seen as a significant aspect that contributes positively to the gameplay experience, despite some criticisms of its repetitiveness.
- “Exhilarating gameplay and an awesome soundtrack.”
- “But I was able to overlook this nuisance because the game is so good at what it does, the atmosphere of the desolated, dangerous world is spectacular, and the soundtrack complements it with ease.”
- “The music is immersive, the monsters sound great, and the battle sounds are satisfyingly impactful.”
- “Listening to its music and sound effects is like listening to iron being scraped by a knife: its music is just a few notes in a loop, and it becomes annoying after some time.”
- “Aesthetically awesome game with good enemy variety and one of the most braindead, plodding main themes to an OST I have ever heard.”
- “I love the blocky red/white/black visuals, the soundtrack and the general feel of the combat, but it also regularly gets on my nerves with some cheap deaths and a block/parry animation that feels a bit too unresponsive to be completely reliable.”
story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The game's story is generally viewed as simplistic and not particularly deep, yet it provides enough intrigue to keep players engaged. While some players appreciate the atmosphere and the epic fantasy elements, they express a desire for a more developed narrative in potential sequels. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay, with many players finding enjoyment in the combat and post-game content despite the narrative's limitations.
- “I would really love to see a sequel in the future with more story, because this world interests me.”
- “The game's plot is interestingly complex too!”
- “The simple story and quick cutscenes help create an atmosphere of generic but epic fantasy that I really enjoyed.”
- “Even if the story wasn't there, the combat would keep me going to the end.”
- “But even after you finish the story, you have the chance to explore some of the other things you can do, like changing the kind of campaign or difficulty level you want, duking it out in boss rush, or taking the time to test your skills in the arena and see how long you'll live.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its minimalist art style, eerie soundtracks, and immersive world design, creating a captivating and desolate environment. Reviewers highlight the effective combination of pixelated graphics and music that enhances the overall experience, making it both stylish and engaging. Despite some criticisms of gameplay mechanics, the atmospheric elements are consistently noted as a standout feature that elevates the game.
- “But I was able to overlook this nuisance because the game is so good at what it does, the atmosphere of the desolated, dangerous world is spectacular, and the soundtrack complements it with ease.”
- “Bleak Sword DX nails the minimalist aesthetic and eerie atmosphere.”
- “Strong minimalistic art style and atmosphere, complemented by the music.”
- “With challenging combat, easy to learn mechanics, and a creepy atmosphere that makes the most of the game’s minimalist art style, Bleak Sword DX is a full package for a low price.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and often frustrating, as it overshadows the minimal lore and transforms the experience into a tedious chore. The mechanics, such as losing items upon poor performance and the need to farm for upgrades, further incentivize grinding rather than enhancing enjoyment, leading to a sense of monotony. Overall, while some elements may seem engaging, they ultimately contribute to a grind-heavy gameplay that detracts from the overall experience.
- “There is nothing to the game other than 2% lore and 98% grinding.”
- “Well, what was a fun fast-paced adventure became a grindy, loveless chore.”
- “It's very hard even on normal, and while it's still possible by farming permanent upgrades, playing very patiently and using recovery items, it's still way too annoying to be fun.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Overall, "Bleak Sword DX" offers a high level of replayability due to its challenging gameplay and various difficulty levels, making it enjoyable for players seeking a quick yet satisfying experience. However, some reviewers noted that the game feels somewhat hollow and lacks depth in its mechanics, which may affect personal replayability for some players.
- “Overall, Bleak Sword DX is a very compelling game; it's hard but satisfying to play, and there is a lot of replayability in it.”
- “So even with these harsh things, I do recommend the game; it has a couple of flaws, but overall the replayability is high for me, it's quick and fun.”
- “It's stylish, it feels good to play but it's also hollow, short and lacks any personal replayability by way of its lackluster mechanics.”
- “Pretty fun one-sitting game with a fair amount of replay value and difficulty scaling.”
- “Replayability and difficulty - there's higher difficulties to learn if you're up for the challenge.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Overall, users report that the game experiences occasional issues with bugs and glitches, particularly related to pad controls, which can affect stability during gameplay.
- “There are some occasional issues, bugs, and glitches with the pad controls at times.”
- “The game frequently crashes, making it frustrating to progress.”
- “I've experienced several instances of lag that disrupt the gameplay experience.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players feel that the game evokes a sense of adventure and emotional engagement early on, suggesting a promising exploration of themes and experiences throughout.
- “It's early in the experience, and it made me feel like the game would continue to experiment, as if I was on an adventure.”