Bladesong

The core game mechanic of bladesmithing is really good but what shines is the story. It is so good. I could play this game just for the story, don't even care about the bladesmithing at this point.

Has some lore and backstory, but gameplay wise is failed to hold my attention. Basically mindless clicking when it comes to creating a sword until it meets the customer requirements. Ugly or not they'll accept it and say it's perfect.

There are some really serious tuning and economy balancing issues that make progress in this game a slog. Despite that, I'm deeply invested in the story. I've had to find ways to circumvent the games intended economy, just to afford myself some fun while trying to make progress. There's *potential* to be an excellent creative outlet... but it genuinely feels like i've made 100s of lowest-effort swords, just to afford to make 5-6 "special request" ones. At the time of review, 46h, I've yet to see any of the newest Chapter 3 content release, and I'm burnt out on grinding the least creative, materially cheapest weapons that will satisfy a customer request and gain me a little currency. Other than story dialogue, the sword-designing process is the entirety of the interactive gameplay. The customers pay enough for base materials, but every creative flair costs you extra personal resources, and their cost is based on weight, so you're forced into a cycle of hammering a metal rod until it's flat, never using the heavier ornate decorative objects, and making sure everything is scaled to be as small as the customer's arbitrary 'balance' restriction will allow. With little exception, the va…

Great creative fun!

The story mode is surprisingly good. I wish more people made games like this. You get the hang of it very quick too, so don't let the complex look scare you away.

I really did not expect to like this game as much as I do. I expected it to be something I'd play around with for a couple of hours, get tired of the gimmick, and move on. Instead, I'm absolutely enthralled by the worldbuilding and story, and I can't wait to see what happens next. The writers for this game absolutely cooked. Also, the swordsmithing is super cool.