BLADE CHIMERA Download GAMESPACK.NET

This game is not great. There are some enjoyable moments, but for the most part this is the worst vania from Team Ladybug in every way. Level design is lacking. Most corridors are the same pair of enemies repeated three times, and most large rooms have similar layouts. The very light puzzle-solving elements in which you use your abilities are unfortunately all very samey. The combat design makes most encounters repetitive and slow. You have a shield that will absorb all projectiles, as well as a projectile weapon. This means that for most encounters you are encouraged to shield up against the projectile spam and fire back while enemies sponge up damage. Many fights are just hit>hit>shield>shoot>repeat until the enemy is dead. Unfortunately, boss encounters suffer the same issue. Most are 2-phase fights, with each boiling down to a repeated set of moves where you shield and wait for your moment to attack. Some fights literally devolve into kiting the boss in a circle and shooting them while they try to catch up. Spider-Man 3 PS2

Being able to warp to anywhere is an incredibly good idea, though while it saves time on backtracking it cannot fix the pacing of the game’s combat. The writing is very bad. This is immediately noticable and broke my immersion before the combat started to become a slog. The game’s plot telegraphs its twists from the start and relies heavily on tropes to maintain some semblance of cohesion. The bad guys are cartoonishly evil and lean heavily into the evil church trope. But the good guys contradict themselves and are strongly invested in social issues that make no sense for the setting, so I guess its important that the bad guys be over the top so that they look good by comparison. The weak character foundation has a domino effect as the plot progresses.

The art is gorgeous, and the music is great. The animations are awesome. And the variety of weapons and novel abilities have incredible potential. Unfortunately, nothing about this game makes it better than Team Ladybug’s other work or most other vania’s, and I struggle to recommend it to anyone. It’s a shame because many of the mechanics here are smart and have great potential.

ADD ONS/PATCHES AND DLC’S: BLADE CHIMERA