Preview

Bladestorm: Nightmare hands-on: action-strategy invades PS4–with Dragons

Bladestorm has been conspicuously absent from publisher Tecmo Koei’s line-up since 2007, so it’s no surprise that anticipation is reaching fever pitch among fans clamouring to get their hands on the forthcoming action-strategy romp, Bladestorm Nightmare. Due out on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and Xbox One in March, this latest outing in the long-running franchise packs in everything you’d expect from a Bladestorm title, while throwing plenty of new elements into the mix to keep things fresh.

PSU was lucky enough to go hands-on with the latest build on PS4 in London this past week, allowing us to dissect Nightmare a little more in-depth than what we’ve previously read on the project to date. Here’s our thoughts so far.

Nightmare, which is technically a remake of Bladestorm: The Hundred Year War, benefits greatly from the extra horsepower afforded by PS4 and Xbox One. For starters, there’s way more to see on the battlefield, which for a series synonymous for its epic battles featuring legions of armies slugging it out, is an impressive feat. Players can see more going on thanks to extended draw distance, and there’s more combatants on screen taking part in engagements. 

Once again, your objective is to conquer opposing armies by a show of force—basically, crushing them with your own, well-equipped grunts. As a newcomer to the franchise, it’s abundantly clear that Bladestorm Nightmare doesn’t quite welcome fresh faces with open arms. The game is overwhelming, brimming with customisation, heaps of different units, varying command options, and a general abundance of things going on in front of your eyes. In the midst of battle, Bladestorm Nightmare can prove quite intimidating. 

Still, once I worked out the kinks, it’s apparent that Tecmo Koei’s latest offering is infused with strategically rewarding gameplay and a depth that has garnered the series such a loyal and increasingly growing fan base over the years. There’s a palpable sense of accomplishment (not to mention grim satisfaction) as you overthrow rival armies, utilizing the diverse band of troops at your disposal, from ranged archers, proximity-based swordsman, and mounted horsemen. Knowing who to use and when quickly becomes paramount to accomplishing victory, or things can get pretty mess pretty sharpish.

Control wise, things are kept pretty simple, despite the rambunctious on-screen action. R1 is used to form a basic attack—hold it down to continue attacking anything around you—while R2 is used to call up your current squad to form up. Hold this down and your entire squad will move in unison with your character, making for some perfectly choreographed action as you cut down enemies as a group, dealing massive damage to groups. The L1 and L2 buttons are used to activate specific attacks, which are mapped to the face buttons. For example, you can map an archer to triangle and call him up if you’re in a bit of a bind. 

The biggest paradigm shift—if you can call it that—-in Nightmare is the addition of mythical beasts, such as Goblins and Dragons. In this alternate storyline, the English and French team up to do battle against these hulking beasts, which offers a nice change of pace to cutting down regular grunts, and adds a new dimension to combat. It’s especially amusing to recruit a gaggle of Goblins to your cause, and have them follow you around willingly before unleashing havoc upon your enemy. Some of the larger creatures take quite a battering too, so you’ll need to employ the most effective members of your squad to eliminate the threat. 

From our time with Bladestorm: Nightmare, it’s looking like fans will have reason to sit up and take notice of the series after a lengthy hiatus. Sure, it’s more a revamped version of The Hundred Year War than a brand new instalment, but there’s more than enough here to keep you busy. 

Stay tuned for our review with Tecmo Koei’s Akihiro Suzuki here at PSU.com in the next few days.