Team Ladybug has made small waves in the Metroidvania genre with titles based on established works such as Touhou Luna Nights and Record of Lodoss War -Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-. Now, they are trying their hand at a solely original Metroidvania title with the cyberpunk ghostbusting adventure Blade Chimera. Let’s see if the win streak continues.
Who Ya Gonna Call?
Blade Chimera is set in a cyberpunk version of the city of Osaka and follows the war between a religious sect and the demons that have been attacking humanity. It’s here that our main character Shin who acts as a “priest” slash total ass-kicking badass embarks on a seemingly routine mission which goes off the rails when he meets Lux, a demon with the ability to turn into a giant sword. Not only does she act as a weapon, but she also plays a role in questioning the ongoing conflict and Shin’s mysterious past which he cannot remember much of.
The story follows the clichéd narrative of the religion being seen as unquestionable while doing some very questionable things, eventually causing Shin’s faith to falter and somewhat humanizing the demons. It feels very much like the type of story often seen in JRPGs, only in the confines of a Metroidvania which foregoes the nuances and slow build for the sake of pacing in this 8-hour romp.
Outside of the relationship between Shin and Lux, there are a few side characters that make appearances throughout. Alas, no one really stands out, and neither does the story itself. Considering the genre, this isn’t too much of a disappointment. There’s still enough conflict and different factions with their own thoughts on things to keep you engaged and wanting to crack the mystery of how this conflict started and what role Shin plays in it all.
Demon Slayers
Blade Chimera falls under the giant umbrella of “Metroidvania”, a genre that has flourished in the indie scene over recent years. These are traditionally 2D platformers with a focus on exploration, backtracking, combat, and often light RPG mechanics, and this game fits perfectly into that description.
Exploration is set across the city of Osaka with several different locations. Fans of the genre will be happy to know you have the classic giant maps that you’ll slowly chip away at with new abilities, keycards to unlock doors, and little techniques that you’ll pick up through playing the game naturally. I do feel I have to point out the areas aren’t too interesting or varied in terms of theme. They’re very typical of cyberpunk and don’t venture out in sending you to wild biomes, just commercial areas, ruins, or labs.
The hidden collectibles help to pad out the exploration part of the experience. You can find objects that build your HP and MP pools and jigsaw pieces that open special doors around the maps. There are also quite a few basic side quests that give you more of these, leading to plenty of optional side stuff to maximize your playtime.
Life of LUXury
Blade Chimera has some of the finest combat of the genre I have ever played. While I love titles like Metroid Dread, the genre-defining “Iga-vania” era of Castlevania games, and even the latest Prince of Persia, you’ll find outside of the odd exception, that combat is often one note within the genre. Blade Chimera seems to have taken that challenge and laughed in the face of monotony with the various combat options on offer. You have the choice of 2 weapons on hand which can vary from swords and whips to shurikens and firearms. Beyond that, you also have Lux, a floating sword that has so many uses you’ll find it hard to not feel overpowered when tackling the demonic scourge infesting Osaka.
Lux can be used as an additional platform to make higher jumps, as a directional sword attack, and to spawn a shield that absorbs weaker attacks. You can even keep Lux in place to charge and then call her back to make a fireball that flies past you with reckless abandon. Some boss fights that may initially stomp you can become absolutely trivial when you learn to make ample use of the many moves of Lux alongside your gallery of weapons on offer.
An interesting mechanic is that when you kill an enemy, the way you kill them dictates whether your HP or MP regenerates. If you kill a demon with a traditional weapon you gain MP to use Lux. If you kill an enemy with a Lux attack you gain HP. This adds a deadly balancing act of having to manage your HP and MP meters carefully. I found myself using the shield ability to help me pick off smaller enemies to earn more MP to allow me to unleash the fireball attack at tougher enemies, which would then refill my HP. While on paper this seems quite simple, the enemies in this game hit like trucks so while you may seem quite overpowered, you’re very much a glass cannon that needs to be carefully maintained.
Lux also has the ability to rewind time or manifest items that used to be there. This is mainly used in traversal such as spawning a platform or rebuilding a bridge that was once there. Outside of those features, it’s more of a story progression tool and doesn’t really factor too much into the gameplay. It is a bit of a shame, as you could have done some really wild things with time-rewinding powers.
To shake things up further, there are some sections where you have to leave Lux for a while due to “demon purifying light”. These sections are quite tense as you will find yourself with half of your move set and losing the main way of healing. On top of that, if you press the wrong button Lux flies to you and it’s Game Over, something I can assure you never happened multiple times to me.
You also have the usual light RPG mechanics like leveling up, gaining EXP, moves you unlock using skill points, and different weapon and armor strengths. Outside of the wild weapon set, everything is pretty routine for better or worse. The combat really is a standout here, but while the other aspects of the game are all well done, like a comfy hoodie they are well worn for genre fans.
The Future Is Bright, The Future Is Neon.
Blade Chimera’s visual style knocks it out of the park with some staggeringly beautiful sprite work, which always goes down well in my book. It’s combined with some mind-boggling lighting tricks that not only look amazing but nicely adds to the atmosphere of the game. What kind of cyberpunk setting would it be without the flashing of neon lights piercing darkness and giant oversized adverts littering the cityscape? There are some genuinely beautiful scenes to be found here.
The character design is top-notch and manages to mix that futuristic look with traditional undertones. The various demons are particularly fantastic with some of them being quite grotesque and the giant bosses look incredibly well designed. Bonus points for the bosses that start as huge destructive behemoths only for them to transform into a female who’s having a few issues with their clothing.
The game is voice-acted, which is quite a refreshing choice. While I didn’t feel that the voices were all winners, there are a few that do quite a commendable job. Either way, it’s great that Team Ladybug has gone to that length with the game.
The music is absolutely fantastic. It manages to be atmospheric when needed, but also gets the blood pumping to match the action. Fans of old-school SNES-era music will likely be in absolute bliss with this soundtrack.
Verdict
Having played other titles from Team Ladybug, I had a feeling that Blade Chimera was going to be good, but I wasn’t expecting it to forcibly inject its way into being one of my favorite Metroidvania titles of all time.
A good (albeit rather clichéd) story perfectly carried by a bloody trio of fantastic combat, smooth and responsive controls, and some of the smoothest sprite work I’ve ever seen in my life creates an almost perfect storm for fans of the genre and those tempted to dip their toes in.
BLADE CHIMERA IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Enjoy action-platformers? You might be interested to read this review of TEVI.
Many thanks to Playism for providing a Nintendo Switch review key for Blade Chimera.
Pride of utopia & greatest thing ever, I found the One Piece, Collected the Dragon Balls & won the Mortal Kombat Tournament in one night, it was quiet for me that night! Follow me on Twitter @powahdunk
