Blade of Darkness

"If you love gore and amazing graphics, then get this game!"

I was very disappointed and surprised when this game didn't become popular. The outstanding graphics, gameplay, and replay value make this game a must have. It is true that it has a few minor flaws, but if you get around them, you'll love this game (unless you don't like challenge because this game is hard).

First I'll talk about the graphics. They are the best graphics that I've seen so far in a PC game. The lighting effects are awesome. You can see the shadows of your enemy before the enemy, giving you time to prepare (although you can usually hear the enemy coming).

The gore is the most realistic by far that I've seen. You can slash off the wrist, half of an arm, the whole arm, arm with part of the body, foot, heat, lower leg, and the full leg, and the blood will come squirting out very realistically. And if you're quick, you can chop off more than half your foe's body before he (or what's left of him) hits the ground. And when they are dead, they are almost as fun to chop up. You can actually pick up one of their limbs and beat another foe to death with it. You can pick up and throw pretty much anything in the game. That is why the game play is so addictive. Sometimes I get really anxious just to kill someone else to see the amazing gore. And you get four different characters to chose from, each with their own movements, combos, and tactics, making the replay value great.

The environment is very realistic and scary. The music is the best I've heard in any PC game. When you're in a combat situation, it's fast and exciting. When you are quitely exploring through the dark tombs and ancient buildings the music become slow and ambient, adding to the already awesome environment. I think that there are about 20 different types of music in the game.

Now for the cons of the game. I found four minor complaints. Sometimes, when you are in a tight area, the camera angles are messed up. And you can't afford that when you trying to dodge enemy attacks. And the story line was kind of boring. You're supposed to save the world or something but I felt more like I was just walking around killing people. The ending was pretty terrible too. Don't expect much at the end. The controls are a bit awkward at the beginning too.

But the gameplay, graphics, music and replay value make the game great to have. If you come across it, I highly recommend getting it. But I'm warning you, it's pretty challenging. So don't be complaining when you first get it and can't get past the fourth level. It takes time, and you'll die a lot at first. But don't give up. Once you get the hang of it, you'll have plenty of fun.

This game deserves nothing less than a 9, regardless of what anyone else says.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/04/01, Updated 12/04/01