Being a big fan of MMORPGs it was impossible not to write a review about Blade & Soul. The game left me speechless when I first came across its powerful battle style and its beautiful open world.
You probably already know all that if you are into MMORPGs and gaming in general, but for those who don’t let me give you all the information you need about this beautiful game.
Game Overview
| Release: | June 30, 2012 |
| Developer: | NCSOFT, Team Bloodlust, netmarbleNeo |
| Publishers: | NCSOFT, Garena |
| Platform: | Windows |
| Genre: | MMORPG |
| Mode: | Multiplayer |
The game was first released in 2012 in Korea and other Asian countries and was released in the EU and NA on January 19, 2016.
Blade & Soul stands out from other MMORPG titles in the market because of the combo-centric action and the beautiful artwork! It introduces us to the Asian mythology and that alone makes it so unique. Another unique feature that the game offers is the Wuxia-style kung fu features.
Note
Wuxia is a form of historical fantasy literature that is being used a lot in games.
However, Blade & Soul’s quest system is not that great and most of its dungeons are boring. These two together make level-up feel like forced work. Not good huh?
Gameplay
Blade and Soul has a single-player campaign that prepares the player for PvP arenas. The anime-inspired story puts the player in the role of a mystical martial artist in training, whose school and revered master were destroyed by an evil sorceress, thus setting up the arc of revenge and retribution.
The game’s combat style is fast-paced and skill-orientated. That allows players to execute combos thanks to a dynamic skill bar that reacts to the current situation. That helps a ton when it comes to questing. Quests in Blade & Soul are grindy, but thanks to the impressive combat system, clearing mobs is way more fun.
Like most MMORPGs, Blade & Soul has both PvE (Player-versus Environment) and PvP (Player-versus Player) features and offers a stunning open world to explore!
The game does what it intends: presents a fantastic competitive landscape, while telling a story on the PVE side of things. That said, it’s hard to see the PVE as anything more.
Classes & Races
With 4 available races, seven classes to choose from, and a great character creator, you can tailor your experience to suit your style.
Here is the list of the available classes:
- Destroyer
- Kung Fu Master
- Force Master
- Summoner
- Blade Dancer
- Blade Master
- Assassin
Each race has access to three classes only and some of these are race-locked. Below you will find all the race-class combinations.
| RACE | BLADE MASTER | KUNGFU MASTER | FORCE MASTER | BLADE DANCER | DESTROYER | SUMMONER | ASSASSIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JIN | + | + | + | ||||
| GON | + | + | + | ||||
| YUN | + | + | + | ||||
| LYN | + | + | + | + |
Unfortunately, this means that someone wanting to play as a Yun could never be a Destroyer, and no other race but the Lyn can be Summoners, which is a bit disappointing.
Note
All Blade & Soul classes are similarly balanced. Their strengths are offset by their weaknesses.
Visuals And Sound
On the visual side of things, Blade & Soul looks great, because of the beautiful art style it uses. The Asian architecture and expressive character models also help to enliven the game world. However, the game’s textures are rather old, but the overall design of the world and the music are fantastic and high quality.
Below you can enjoy the official music of Blade & Soul:
Kung Fu Fighting
As previously mentioned, Blade & Soul has a remarkable action combat system. Unlike other MMORPG titles, Blade & Soul makes heavy use of its targeting system to both simplify and expand your combat options during battle.
Attacks are context-sensitive, and the handful of techniques available to you change depending on the situation. Learning which techniques to use is what makes Blade & Soul so engaging.
PvE & PvP
Many quests involve what Blade & Soul generously describes as dungeons. Most dungeons feel less like dungeons and more like enemy gauntlets. On top of that, the few dungeons that have substance don’t offer enough either, they are simply longer to finish and filled with more architecture.
Level-up is super grindy and you will probably get bored soon, but hey, at least the scenery pays out, right?
Once you reach a certain level in the game, you can participate in one-on-one or three-player tag matches.
The creativity of each player’s build truly shines in the arena, as no two players customize their character the same way and that makes the whole experience so unique and beautiful.
You can also choose between the Cerulean Order and the Crimson Legion faction. That adds an extra layer of depth to PvP encounters later on and unique uniforms for each faction.
Cash Shop
Blade & Soul launched as a free-to-play subscription model in North America and Europe. However, it is designed to accommodate free players by including an in-game currency called Hongmoon Coins. This currency is available for all players to earn, and can be used towards most of the cash shop items.
The standard cash shop currency used by NCSoft is called NCoins, which is purchased with real money and you will need those if you want to get a Premium membership.
System Requirements
| PC Requirements | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Memory: | 3 GB | 4 GB |
| Processor: | Intel Dual Core / AMD Athlon 64X2 | Intel Quad Core / AMD Phenom II X4 |
| Graphics Card: | nVidia Geforce 8600GT / AMD Radeon HD4600 | Nvidia Geforce 8600GT / AMD Radeon HD4600 |
| Storage: | 22 GB | 22 GB |
| OS: | Windows 7 | Windows 10 (64-bit) |
If stylized visuals, over-the-top action, and Asian fantasy are your cup of tea, Blade & Soul has something for you. Have you played this MMORPG and if yes what did you like the most about it? Let me know by leaving your comment below.
