As a rule when a 10-foot-tall ancient god-beast tells you not to touch his orb, it’s a good idea to heed his words, but that doesn’t stop Gaijin Entertainment’s mall-rat-cum-treasure hunter exhibitionist, Ayumi, from snatching it up and absorbing its cursed dark power in the process. And so a-hacking, slashing, and shooting she goes, searching for a way to lift the curse, and with a little luck, make it to the sequel. Ayumi may not come across like your everyday treasure hunter but don’t let her valley-girl demeanor fool you. She’s just about everything you could ask for in a heroine: fast, nimble, deadly with a pair of Gunblades, and thanks to the orb, a wicked spell caster that can transform her gorgeous body into a vessel of dark rage. Speaking of her body, I’m sure you’ve noticed that Ayumi wears dental floss for underwear and likes to do battle dressed in as little clothing as possible. Makes you wonder whether or not there’s much of a game behind all that fan service, but I can assure you, if it’s lavish visuals and monster slaying you’re after, you can’t do better than X-Blades. The eye candy—and she’s just the beginning— is a bonus.
Although the crux of X-Blades’ gameplay is simple room clearing it’s produced on an epic scale with a level of detail and polish befitting far more high-profile (and expensive) games. Not only does the game look different, it feels absolutely foreign (because it is) beginning with a boss battle and then never letting up. From the moment you set boot into the first ruin the enemy AI is set on “chase and kill Ayumi.” It’s jarring at first but you’ll soon find that there’s a method to Gaijin’s madness. It’s just nothing like the heavily produced games we’ve become accustomed to. As Ayumi eliminates monsters and destroys various relics (if it breaks, break it), she absorbs souls that act as the game’s currency to acquire and bind spells, purchase items, and upgrade her guns and bullets as you piece together the necessary artifacts. To facilitate the exploration component, once an area is cleared and the barrier to the next ruin is down, you’re free to explore. And it’s a good thing because not only is exploration key but this is a world begging to be taken in. The creatures and bosses are unlike anything you’ve probably ever seen; and the game practically is a special effect.
Before long Ayumi’s Gunblades (and body) become pyrotechnic marvels wielding fire, ice, and thunder. There’s a new costume to unearth too, and be on the lookout for scrolls that temporarily slash prices, yet another strange aspect of the game. There’s no rhyme or reason to the cost of goods in X-Blades. The first few spells range from a few hundred to a few thousand souls, and then the next thing you know you need 300,000 which seems impossible…until you start to see millions. Once again however it all works out. I’ve got 5 million on me right now and I just bought the Ray of Light. Hey, only 4 million more for the Flash of Light! Success or failure relies on knowing what spells to bind, bullets to use, and attacks to wield as each new creation writes its way into Ayumi’s Bestiary (consult it often). Midway through the game when five or six enemy-types are coming at you from all angles, swirling in the air, charging on the ground and firing from afar simultaneously you need to transition between spells without hesitation. Fortunately, Gaijin puts as much thought into the control scheme as they did everything else, assigning jumping and slashing to A and X respectively (as it should be), shooting to RT (with the four bullet-types on the D-Pad), Lock- on to LT, and binding magic to the remaining four buttons for seamless transitions between various attacks and spells. Not that it matters all that much if you fail. Loading is practically non-existent and there’s no monetary penalty or ground lost. You go back to the beginning of the area and everything re-spawns, but any gained experience or souls are yours to keep.
Possible hitches lie in the game’s difficulty (but only well into the later stages, and not as far as I’m concerned) and Ayumi’s floaty jump, which is great for assailing hard to reach perches (the game has ample—although mostly voluntary—platforming) and annihilating airborne enemies, but troublesome when you’re trying to escape an overpowering horde of Pangolin Sorcerers or Pangos—fidgety little creatures that are all teeth and like to attack in large numbers. Once you attain the Teleportation spell, which instantly shifts you out of harm’s way, the problem is solved but it bears mentioning…I guess. Ayumi’s inflection is the only real fly in the ointment but thankfully she doesn’t speak all that much. X-Blades’ story serves more as a rationale to eliminate monsters than anything approaching substance (Gaijin reaches for something a bit deeper but it never really materializes) but I’ve got a stack of RPGs to finish if I want a story.
When it comes to action gaming I’m a one-trick pony kinda’ guy. Give me inspired level and character design, fun sticky gameplay, cutting-edge visuals and a soundtrack to drive it all home and I’m good. In addition to Ayumi’s exemplary animation which includes separate frames for walking, running and all out sprinting she changes direction on a dime, and once she’s locked-on to a target regardless of the direction she’s facing or whether she’s standing still or at a full sprint her guns stay fixed and firing, and when not locked on, by simply looking up, her reticule (which looks like something off a Ouija board) will immediately default to the closest threat. She’s also dynamic to every angle and step under her feet and looks around inquisitively with her independently moving eyes and head whenever she’s idle. Like the game that unfolds around her, Ayumi is all show, and all go.
Please note: if you have come to this page via Metacritic, please click this link before posting a comment. Comments posted after directly coming here via a Metacritic link are currently not showing up properly.
Words
