Merge & Blade Review | TheXboxHub

Have you ever ever questioned what would occur if somebody had been to fuse Tetris with an auto battling recreation? No? Me neither, however now there may be such a factor from the builders over at Magic Dice. Merge & Blade does precisely what it says on the tin – it allows you to merge troopers, after which get them to make use of their blades to win battles. Suppose it appears like an odd mixture? You haven’t any thought!

In need of “there are some monsters, make them not alive any extra” there isn’t any narrative kicking round in Merge & Blade, however that does imply we will get straight on to how issues are introduced. In that respect, the visuals are most positively sitting on the retro aspect, with cute pixel artwork representations of the varied models you can make, in addition to these of the enemies that they need to face. The remainder of the graphics are fairly bland, with a display the place you make your models, a display the place you combat enemies, after which a map display which helps you to dictate the place you need to go subsequent. It’s all useful and clearly exhibits you what is going on, so a superb mark there. 

Sonically, Merge & Blade is equally low key, with distressing squeaks as your models perish accompanied by nicer sounding ones because the enemies die. That’s just about it, to be sincere, and whereas it really works properly, a little bit of music would have been appreciated. 

The precise recreation itself is cut up into three sections: Story mode, a Problem mode, and a Versus possibility. All three modes play out the identical approach, however Story sees you progressing throughout the land, liberating cities one after the other; it’s only by making progress on this mode you can truly unlock Problem Mode. Problem mode then focuses on you making an attempt to finish totally different eventualities, however they’re very a lot a one hit and completed – it’s important to end every problem in a single sitting, and in the event you stop or die, then it’s important to begin once more from the start. Included in right here is an infinite possibility, the place it’s important to survive for so long as you possibly can. Lastly, Versus mode is just for native sofa based mostly gamers, as there isn’t any Xbox community play enabled. Weirdly, you possibly can play versus mode with just one controller hooked up, permitting for some straightforward victories. 

However how does Merge & Blade truly play? Properly, the primary part of the sport is a match three, Tetris-styled puzzler. Should you match three of the identical unit, they may merge into one of many subsequent rank up. So three Farmers will merge to kind one Footman, three Footmen will merge to make one Soldier, three Troopers will merge to make one Rogue, and so forth and so forth. You additionally must be conscious that merging greater than three models will nonetheless solely make one new unit, so watch out. Now, it is a nice thought, however it is advisable watch that you simply don’t simply find yourself with one unit left on the finish of the merging section – it’s typically higher to maintain the models away from one another with a purpose to have a little bit of depth in your defence. 

You additionally want to think about which models you make – as an illustration, Bishops are nice at therapeutic models round them, however don’t truly assault, so a staff of solely Bishops will battle. Every unit has its personal strengths – Troopers can assault in entrance and diagonally, whereas Rogues can assault twice, and Spearmen can fireplace out at two rows of monsters, and so forth. 

The problem I’ve with this a part of Merge & Blade is that irrespective of how fastidiously you prepare your models, maintaining Archers behind different models, for instance, after they run to the battle display, all bets are off. The models appear to reorganise themselves nonetheless they need, and whilst you can swap the models round, there may be solely a restricted variety of swaps potential. And simply to make it even worse, the models you select to swap can solely transfer one area at a time; in case you have three rows of fighters, and need to transfer somebody from the entrance to the again, they may want two swaps. The opposite factor to keep in mind is that if you do win a battle, and the models run to the merging display, any which might be adjoining will merge right away. 

As you combat, you’ll earn gold, and this may be spent within the improve part to make sure that your staff is all the time tip high. Placing gold into the Academy will get you new models, for instance, and these can then even be upgraded extra to make them stronger. Different choices embody the power to spend gold on getting extra swaps, or extra turns within the merging section, and so forth. Feeding the spoils of warfare again in will make your military stronger. 

Merge & Blade performs fairly equally throughout all of the modes on supply and it’s that which is each its power and its weak point. Enjoyable to play for brief bursts, there isn’t any doubt that incomes new models is nice, however it isn’t lengthy earlier than issues begin to really feel like a drag. As a brief time period proposition then, Merge & Blade works, however I’m unsure the long-term hook is there. 

Merge & Blade is on the Xbox Retailer