Mercenaries Blaze

70%
Game Brain Score Based on 192 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Mercenaries Blaze Game Cover
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Mercenaries Blaze is a strategy RPG that follows a group of mercenaries for hire. Battle enemies in tactical, turn-based combat across varied landscapes, using character-specific abilities and environmental interactions to gain an edge. Customize your team's skills, equipment, and formation to overcome mission challenges and upgrade your squad's base. Cooperative multiplayer mode allows for combined efforts in tackling difficult missions.

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Reviews

70%
Audience ScoreBased on 192 reviews
story23 positive mentions
grinding21 negative mentions
  • The game features a robust class system with distinct classes and skills, allowing for character customization and strategic gameplay.
  • The nostalgic art style and character design evoke classic JRPGs, appealing to fans of the genre.
  • The branching storyline offers replayability, with different paths and character interactions based on player choices.
  • The story is criticized for being clichéd and overly simplistic, with heavy-handed political themes that detract from the overall experience.
  • Gameplay can feel grindy and repetitive, with some players finding the combat mechanics lacking depth and complexity.
  • The user interface and controls are clunky, leading to frustration during gameplay, especially with the inability to customize key bindings.
  • story188 mentions

    The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it clichéd, simplistic, and lacking depth, often comparing it unfavorably to other tactical RPGs. While some appreciate the branching narrative paths that offer replayability, others criticize the heavy-handed political themes and juvenile writing, leading to an overall perception of the story as forgettable and underdeveloped. Despite its shortcomings, the gameplay is often praised, suggesting that players may enjoy the game more for its mechanics than its narrative.

    • “Mercenaries Blaze has a branching storyline with two main paths, offering the chance to shape the narrative at some point.”
    • “The storyline was a little plain; however, it touched on things that most games never would (immigrants), although it did have a sort of Symphonia-type story to it.”
    • “There's actually story branching where the choice affects the characters you get - I'm surprised that its reviews are not better than it is now.”
    • “The story leans heavily on clichés; if you have played some JRPGs, then you have 'seen it'. It's good enough to keep you playing, but barely.”
    • “The story is very plain, predictable, and the feeling/mood is not building up properly.”
    • “The story is like how a 5-year-old views politics; the bad guys are racists and the good guys are not racists.”
  • gameplay54 mentions

    The gameplay is generally regarded as solid and enjoyable, particularly for fans of tactical RPGs, featuring interesting mechanics like aggro and MP regeneration that add strategic depth. However, many players criticize the grindy nature of the gameplay, unnecessary achievements, and simplistic mechanics that detract from the overall experience, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness. While the game has a strong foundation, it falls short in complexity and story engagement, making it more appealing to genre enthusiasts rather than a broader audience.

    • “The gameplay is the only salvageable part of the game.”
    • “The mechanics were fun and not clunky; the battle flow was challenging yet doable.”
    • “Thankfully, the gameplay carries it well into 'buy it full price if you're into this style of game' territory, making it worth skipping the story to get to the gameplay if you're looking for escapism in your gametime.”
    • “Unnecessary, time-consuming achievements meant to boost gameplay times.”
    • “However, lack of diversity in the free battle department combined with simple mechanics make the game feel longer than it should.”
    • “The arbitrary difficulty spikes in this game at a few points are a joke - stop wasting player's time, devs, with such lowbrow mechanics.”
  • music21 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising it as enjoyable and fitting for the genre, while others find it bland, repetitive, and even grating. Many comparisons are made to classic JRPG soundtracks, with some feeling it fails to reach the memorable heights of titles like Final Fantasy Tactics or Disgaea. Overall, while the soundtrack is deemed serviceable, it lacks the depth and variety that could enhance the gaming experience.

    • “I love the music.”
    • “The music was great, my blood pressure was low, and I really liked the plot.”
    • “Pretty fun and great soundtrack!”
    • “Mercenaries Blaze's soundtrack fails to leave a lasting impression.”
    • “The music is serviceable but lacks the memorable tunes that often elevate the atmosphere in its illustrious inspirations.”
    • “The music feels like old-school JRPG fare, though it's fairly generic.”
  • grinding21 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game receives mixed feedback; while some players find it manageable and a staple of the genre, others describe it as tedious and overly time-consuming. Many reviews note that while grinding is necessary for progression, it can detract from the overall experience due to repetitive enemy encounters and a lack of engaging content. Overall, the game balances grinding with some rewarding elements, but it may not appeal to those who prefer a more streamlined experience.

    • “The game is grindy, which may be a turn-off for some players, but it's a staple of the genre.”
    • “By the end of the game, my characters were around level 40; that’s a lot of grinding to get to 99!”
    • “Artificial difficulty and the dev's expectation that grinding is necessary to progress the critical path is what holds this game back.”
  • graphics18 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming pixel art style reminiscent of classic titles like Final Fantasy Tactics, with beautifully designed character art and well-built visuals. While many players appreciate the artistic direction, some suggest that further improvements could elevate the graphics to a level comparable to modern RPGs like Pillars of Eternity or Divinity. Overall, the graphics are generally well-received, though there are calls for smoother performance and enhanced visual fidelity.

    • “Character art design is beautifully done and I have no complaints on the graphical side of things.”
    • “Graphics and artwork are excellent.”
    • “It's a pretty well done JRPG with nice graphics and animation, and the sound and music is decent too - albeit somewhat repetitive.”
    • “What could be improved (more for developer) - I know you probably went for the SNES or PS1 graphics here, but if you can streamline things a bit and improve graphics, you could be close to Pillars of Eternity or Divinity: Original Sin but with your own style.”
    • “I can't change the graphics settings that I'm aware of, so I can't get the game to run smoothly.”
    • “The map/unit art styles are very reminiscent of FFT, which is what drew me into the game.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    The game offers high replayability through features like a branching storyline, multiple routes, and a new game plus mode, allowing players to explore different outcomes and unlock additional content. Users appreciate the variety of choices and the ability to fine-tune gameplay, contributing to its overall replay value.

    • “What a fantastic game with great replay value!”
    • “The inclusion of a new game plus enhances replayability.”
    • “There's plenty of replayability here through unlocking alternate jobs and fine-tuning your arsenal.”
    • “There's two storylines and new game+, so the replay value is high.”
  • character development5 mentions

    The character development in the game is generally viewed as lacking depth, with a basic story and minimal growth for the characters. While the character design is praised for its nostalgic charm and distinctiveness reminiscent of classic JRPGs, there is a desire for more diverse assets and a richer narrative to enhance the overall experience.

    • “The character design is spot on and reminiscent of classic JRPGs. Each class is visually distinct and has its own old-school sprites, which is a plus.”
    • “The story was very, very basic with little to no character development or charm.”
    • “I'm really impressed with the character design, although I do wish they had more of these assets to go around.”
    • “The character designs are okay, though nothing really stands out.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players find it runs smoothly and is enjoyable at lower settings, others report limitations in graphics options and performance issues at resolutions above 1080p.

    • “Short and simple, but still enjoyable and runs smoothly.”
    • “The game just isn't optimized for anything higher than 1080p.”
    • “Performance drops significantly even on mid-range hardware.”
    • “The lack of optimization makes it nearly unplayable on older systems.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere is generally considered serviceable, with music that fails to leave a lasting impression compared to its inspirations. While the game makes a commendable effort to recreate the atmosphere of classics like Tactics Ogre, the class selection system raises questions about its effectiveness and impact on the overall experience.

    • “The music is serviceable but lacks the memorable tunes that often elevate the atmosphere in its illustrious inspirations.”
    • “Tactics Ogre was better, but still a great attempt to recreate its atmosphere.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

10hMedian play time
17hAverage play time
8-48hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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