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Published By: SouthPeak Games
Developed By: Gaijin Entertainment/Topware Interactive
Genre: Action
Players: 1
Rated: M (Mature)
Release Date: February 10, 2009
Screenshots: Link
Amazon: Buy Now!
Written By: Matthew Prunty

March 23, 2009 - The PlayStation 3 console has received it fair share of unique titles within its two-plus years on the market. Whether it was Valkyria Chronicles, Heavenly Sword, or the upcoming Heavy rain, the console has provided memorable gaming experiences for the world to experience. While most of the attention is paid towards AAA titles like Killzone 2 and Gears of War 2, many games like X-Blades go un-noticed by the average gamer. While there isn't anything differential about X-Blades from your typical hack 'n' slash titles, the experience is one chalk full of immiscible sequences and a memorable protagonist.

The story within X-Blades puts you into the role of Ayumi, a trusty treasure hunter who is out on an adventure in order to find ancient artifacts of immense power within a temple long forgotten by the people. Like any adventure, there are always obstacles in place to make the ultimate goal all the sweeter. In the case of X-Blades, Ayumi must do battle against hordes of enemies and deadly bosses in order to achieve her end goal. Helping out Ayumi on her quest are her trusty gun-blades, which are pretty effective in the beginning of the game. However, once you progress through the title, you will find out that she must place more of her faith in magical spells in order to defeat her foes. Because of this, an intuitive system is put into place to allow Ayumi easy access to acquired spells and the ability to upgrade said spells.

As you purchase magical spells to use in battle, you are able to assign then to any of four buttons mapped to the controller (Triangle, Circle, L2, and R2). The spells are based on four different types of magic-fire, lightning, light and dark-all of which will be used throughout the game at different points. Often or not, you will find yourself re-assigning magic spells to the four action buttons as you come across new species like giant Galapagos, Ice Guardians, and even the Pangolin Sorcerers. As these spells are used, they require a certain amount of your energy from your rage bar, which can be filled up via smashing purple crystals, taking and inflicting damage on enemies, or simply purchasing additional magic through the pause menu. Within the great circle of life, what you kill is reborn once again. Everytime you kill an enemy, their body gives off souls, which Ayumi adsorbs. These souls are looked upon as currency and help with purchasing of new, more powerful spells.

The controls within X-Blades are not as responsive as gamers would like. With a slight press of the left analog stick, you would expect your character to start walking. Within X-Blades, a simple tap or pressing of the analog stick would yield a jerking motion out of Ayumi, which can lead to many deaths when fighting enemies near edges and/or trying to destroy statues to gain extra souls. Another so-so issue comes from the jumping mechanic, which gives Ayumi incredible hang time. In some situations it does come in handy with dodging certain attacks, but when fighting bosses, it also leaves you open to projectile attacks. Once you get use to these quirks, intense situations won�t be as problematic as they are in the beginning.

To make X-Blades seem as it has depth, additional tasks are put before you in hopes to diversify the redundant gameplay. Scattered throughout the various rooms and corridors, are several pieces of emblems, which when collected can increase the devastation of aerial attacks, melee combat and proficiency with Ayumi�s gun-blades. Another diversifying move is having Ayumi travel through the same terrain, both in the daytime and at night. While the type of enemies will change during the different times per day, you can�t help but feel cheated due to redundancy of the levels. While I don�t have a problem with the tactics because that game is very entertaining, some gamers might see this as a copout by the developer.

X-Blades boasts some simplistic visuals, yet maintains a high level of detail. The environments rage from small corridors full of oversize statues to vast amphitheater-esque arenas, which usually play home to epic boss battles. The true eye candy within X-Blades comes from the provocative outfit that Ayumi sports throughout the game and from the various special effects. For those who have played quite a few hack 'n' slash titles, they know it's quite hard to keep a gamer interested within the conquest of the protagonist... so having an epic story and unique presentation are key. Ayumi outfit leaves little to the imagination, however is done tastefully to the point where there is a connection with the character. The other character models, especially those of bestial perspective a nicely detail, showing bits and pieces of their body as you dish out melee attacks. Also a nice touch is that game is capable of running in 1080p for those who a Full HDTV in their homes. For the most part, the game has a solid, consistent framerate, which rarely dips when faced with hordes of enemies on the screen at one time.

While X-Blades won�t be one of those titles that will start a revolution in a similar fashion to Beyond Good & Evil last generation, it will provide the gamers with a solid 20 plus hours of continuous mayhem, which will test their fighting skills and their ability to use magic spells. Beyond playing through the game on a harder difficulty level, there isn't much to the title beyond its single-player conquest. While we as gamers expect so much more from games released this generation, SouthPeak Games and Gaijin Entertainment provided a title that would be favorable to those who can't resist a good hack 'n' slash title that actually last more than 12 hours and a protagonist who is very comfortable with their body.

7/10

Other Reviews:
TestFreaks: 7.4/10
GameZone: 6.5/10
GamesRadar: 6/10

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