One of Koei Tecmo's flagship video games released in the last generation of consoles was certainly Bladestorm: The Hundred Years 'War, which narrated the events of the Hundred Years' War between France and England, in a unique style that cannot be it was very different from the big titles like Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. What made the game unique, however, was its strategic component, which combined with its action component, made the title unique in its genre. With the new generations of consoles Koei Tecmo has tried again with the remake of the title released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, offering the same contents of the original video game and adding a new mode that also gives its name to the title, Bladestorm: Nightmare. Find out what we think of Koei Tecmo's new work in our review.
The Hundred Years War
The title therefore allows us to enter the conflict between the French and the English as a mercenary that we will have to create through the editor offered by the video game. When we have created the mercenary we will find ourselves in the inn where our adventure begins. We will meet several characters among which the innkeeper is certainly the most important, in fact it will be the owner of the inn who will provide us with information about the war between France and England and will provide us with the contracts to sign to help one or the other force in a battle. Each contract is characterized by a different difficulty on which the monetary compensation we will get depends, as well as the length of the battle, which can be from a single day up to several weeks. One of the strengths of the game is that every time we will be able to decide which side to take sides, which not only extends the longevity of the title but also offers a variable level of challenge depending on whether you decide whether to serve a single nation or whether to prefer contracts that will fill us with money. In the inn there will also be a merchant who will sell us equipment and tools useful in battle. When we have finished choosing a contract and the strategy we will use in battle, which also includes our equipment, we will be catapulted directly onto the field under the command of our battalion.
Once on the battlefield we will immediately notice that the game system does not differ from its predecessor. Our mercenary will be in command of a battalion that will grow in units every time we unlock an upgrade becoming bigger and more powerful. We will also be able to change the battalion of which we will be in command passing from infantry to cavalry, or from spearmen to archers, or from spiked clubs to halberdiers to any other category we have available. There are no limits to the times we can change battalion, the important thing is to have the training tome available that allows us to take command. These tomes will be given to us by some of the innkeeper and others we will have to win as rewards on the battlefield. Each battalion has three types of action available, usually two attack actions and one defense or one support, which we will have to unlock from time to time always using the tomes. By acquiring different upgrades we will also be able to increase the skills of our battalion and the amount of troops that form it; in addition, we will also be able to summon a battalion of mercenaries on the battlefield who can help us in the conquest of a fortress or in the victory of a single battle against enemy armies. Each battle has its own peculiarity even if in the long run, once you understand how to deal with each type of enemy, the battles will all be quite easy.
Even the graphic style does not differ from the original video game and is certainly not particularly detailed, even if it must be said that the enormous environments and the large amount of troops on the screen do not make us notice the little detail of the settings, which very often therefore tend to be the same. Furthermore, the artificial intelligence of the enemies is still poor, which in many cases are really easy to beat. Even the bosses defending enemy fortifications won't offer a great level of challenge. The sound sector, however, is quite discreet even if perhaps it would have been useful to have some more music during each battle.
Dark Forces
One of the big news included in this title, as we told you, is the presence of a new mode called Nightmare. In this new mode we will face a different Hundred Years War, with an invented story, in which our enemy will be Joan of Arc at the command of an army of monsters ranging from simple goblins, to fortune tellers, passing through trolls and dragons . In this new scenario, the armies of France and England unite to face the common enemy. This new mode will allow the player to take control of an additional thirty-two playable characters, based both on fiction and on important historical characters of yore. With their help the player will be able to try to control the demonic armies, and restore the real Joan of Arc to the world.
There are few differences with the original mode other than the difference in the troops present in the field and a new and original story. In addition, we will also be able to choose to use the mercenary of the main story with all the skills unlocked and with all the equipment unlocked during the original campaign. A feature that differs from the original title and is innovative is that once we have conquered an enemy fortress and defeated the army of demons, we can recruit them in turn and deploy them on the battlefield to fight alongside us against the enemies.
[signoff icon = ”quote-circled”] Bladestorm: Nightmare is ultimately a successful remake. A video game recommended for lovers of strategic action and those who have also played the original title. The technical sector, even if not exceptional, does not invalidate the judgment of a stock that overall has been able to satisfy. We therefore consider the video game a must have for all lovers of the historical genre and Koei Tecmo video games. [/ Signoff]
