Blades & Battles is a perfectly okay Golden Axe-inspired beat 'em up, but its shallow combat and lack of progression leave little reason to remember it
Blades & Battles is a 2.5D beat 'em up inspired by Golden Axe, and that tells you almost everything you need to know. Pick a sword-wielding hero, walk from left to right, and slash fantasy creatures until a boss appears. I did not love it, but I did not hate it either. It is simply okay.
There is not much of a story to get in the way. Morgana kidnaps Merlin while monsters threaten Camelot, so Arthur and Lancelot head out to kick their asses. It is enough setup for an arcade brawler, especially one this committed to recreating the straightforward structure of an older era.
Arthur and Lancelot have their own weapons and special attacks, but feel effectively the same once the fighting begins. The differences are more visual than mechanical. Local co-op is a welcome inclusion, though, and playing alongside someone should make the simple action livelier.
The combat has the expected tools. A basic attack chains into a short combo, while a frequently available special launches enemies across the screen or into the air for a follow-up juggle. An ultimate clears crowds and removes a large chunk of a boss's health. A desperation move also works like an aerial recovery, answering a launch with an area-of-effect attack.
Running requires a double tap in the direction you want to sprint, and you can dodge incoming attacks. Dodging never felt as dependable as it should, however. Hitboxes and hit registration can feel weird, especially when both you and the enemies are moving up and down across the combat plane. Sometimes an attack looks properly lined up and misses. Other times I took a hit that did not seem quite right.
Bosses do not add much excitement. Most go down after a couple of minutes of slashing and dodging, without memorable patterns to make them stand apart. Chests at least provide a nice retro touch. Breaking them spills gold for score, mana, or the comically enormous cooked chicken for health, exactly as the arcade gods intended.
The larger issue is that the first stage shows you practically the entire game. There is no upgrade system, no new skills, and no meaningful evolution to either character. What you do in the demo is what you will keep doing through the short campaign. I respect the old-school design, but nostalgia does not automatically make repetition interesting.
That simplicity may work for someone who grew up with Golden Axe and wants a faithful throwback. Younger players, or anyone used to modern brawlers steadily expanding their move sets, will probably find it thin. Abathor chases much of the same sword-and-sorcery nostalgia, but its distinct heroes and progression give the action more room to grow.
Visually, Blades & Battles is interesting without being particularly beautiful. Its 3D environments and characters have an adjustable pixelation filter that you can disable or push to the maximum. From a distance, and with enough squinting, it hints at Golden Axe. It still cannot compete with gorgeous hand-crafted 2D pixel art viewed through rose-tinted nostalgia glasses.
On the ROG Xbox Ally X, the controller-first layout and compact stages make it an easy fit for short handheld sessions. That is probably the best way to play it, one or two stages at a time, before the repetition settles in. Blades & Battles understands the arcade game it wants to honor, but it recreates the limitations along with the charm. It is functional, mildly enjoyable, and better with a friend, yet too shallow to leave much of an impression. Thanks for reading!
