Monster Mayhem | Bladestorm: Nightmare Review

Most games that come out of Omega Force usually require me to mash the same couple of button combos over and over again. Bladestorm: Nightmare brings a different brand of war compared to the standard hack and slash we are usually dealt. Originally released back in 2007, in this rerelease Bladestorm has been given a face-lift and a wealth of added content.

In the original Bladestorm, the story focuses around the 100-year war between England and France, setting the awful voice acting and terrible accents aside, this backdrop allows for some epic battles to be had across some huge battlefields. The open landscapes are quite bland and after a while they all seem to blend together. The massive castles are easily the highlight and fighting through them as well as the vast open planes is satisfying. The updated version has also been given a lengthy new campaign called Nightmare mode, which adds fantasy elements and massive monsters to the original story. In Nightmare mode, England and France have to set aside their differences and take on a common enemy. Enemies ranging from goblins to cyclops and ghosts to dragons will take the battlefield and it will be up to you to take them down.

Unlike Omega Force’s Dynasty Warriors, where you take control of one character in a massive war, Bladestorm puts you in control of small squadrons. Each troop uses a different weapon and as you move throughout the warzone you are able to swap between different squadrons. This adds a strategic element to the battles. Some squads have advantages over other troops yet have disadvantages against others. Cavalry for example, are strong against sword wielding foot soldiers yet weak against long-ranged bowmen. Changing between classes is great especially when you need a certain type of weapon to efficiently take down particular enemies.

The vast battlefields have bases that can be controlled by either side scattered throughout them. A base commander controls each of these bases and the larger strongholds have mini-boss type commanders that are much harder to kill. Taking down these bosses will require more strategy and skill than the common units. Despite some missions having specific goals, each battle usually boils down to taking control of these bases. Hordes of soldiers both friendly and enemy litter the battlefield and having an army at your back makes taking on the enemy easier. I usually found myself controlling mounted squads when battling in the open fields, charging through armies was extremely satisfying and getting from one side of each map to the other can take a long time when on foot so the mounted option was ideal. When fighting in the streets of the many strongholds my greatsword unit was my favorite, getting up close and personal with the commanders was an easier way to take them down.

As you sink more and more hours into the lengthy campaign of Bladestorm you will become more entrenched within the deep progression system. Each type of unit has their own level as well as stats and abilities to upgrade and enhance. Along with the extensive upgrade system there are many different squads to control and unique weapons and armor to buy and equip. Trying out new squads and equipment kept the repetitive nature of the gameplay from becoming stale although once you have played through a couple of the larger battles it feels as if you have played through them all. Within Bladestorm there is also a Free Mode included, this gives you the ability to casually jump into any battle you want and try out your new weapons, squads and abilities. Unlocking new units and finding rare items acts as the dangling carrot that will have you coming back for more.

Bladestorm: Nightmare offers the same meaty campaign that the original did partnering with a new fantasy themed Nightmare mode. Despite the weak story, horrendous voice-acting and bland environments, Bladestorm’s deep progression system, dozens of playable units and abundance of additional content make this upgraded rerelease well worth the many hours you will sink into it.

This review is based on a review copy of the PlayStation 4 version of Bladestorm: Nightmare produced by Tecmo Koei and developed by Omega Force