BLADE OF DARKNESS

Reviewed By: Jeremy Schulz
VOLUNTEER GUEST REVIEWER

GAME TECH INFO

Computer Platform: PC
Produced by: Codemasters
Price Range: $30-40
Learning curve time: 20 min.
Age level: 17+
ESRB Rating: Mature
Patches / Upgrades: Yes
System Requirements: PII 450 or equivalent, 64 MB RAM, 8X CD-ROM, 3D Accelerator, 8MB VRAM, 750 MB disk space, mouse, sound card, DirectX v8.0

Genre: Action/Adventure
Christian Rating: 2 of 5
   (offensive)
Gameplay: 4 of 5
   (good)
Violence: 1 of 5
   (extreme)
Adult Content: 3 of 5
   (mild)

"Blade of Darkness" is truly an interesting game. The story is relatively straightforward. A great goddess needs a hero to retrieve the blade of darkness so that he/she may destroy the evil that has come to their world.

You have 4 choices as to whom you may play as. The Amazon is an agile player whose primary weapon is a staff but has a low defense level. The Paladin is more of an all around character. His defense is good as is his agility. The Dwarf is quite slow but has great defense and powerful attacks. Finally is the ever-popular Barbarian. He is the complete package. His attack is powerful and he is very quick. “Blade of Darkness” has a character to fit whatever player type you are. If your a run-in-and-kill-everything type of person then the Barbarian or Dwarf would be a good choice. If you prefer a more strategic type of play then the Amazon or Paladin is a wise choice. As you progress through the game you will get stronger and your combos will last longer.

The more you kill the b

The game play is somewhat questionable. It's very awkward at first but as you go you get used to it and it really isn't an issue. "Patience is a virtue". “Blade of Darkness” uses the directional buttons to determine what type of attack you will do. Like most fighting games, a series of attacks will create a combo. These combos are very effective for taking an enemy down fast but at the same time they can be a weakness should your opponent anticipate that combo. This puts you in a very vulnerable position. You have a power bar that appears when you attack. You can do moves as long as that power bar is full. When it gets down to the end your player will tire and hunch over and breath deeply for a few seconds until the bar fills up again.

The visual appeal is enormous in "Blade of Darkness". You will not find better lighting effects and the water effects you'd have to see them to believe it. “Blade of Darkness” features real-time lighting and everything casts a shadow. When you throw objects, like a pot, it will roll around on the ground. If you're on a sloping surface it will slide or role down the slope. It makes you want to sit there and watch. The animations are superb!

The violence in “Blade of Darkness” is heavy, although it can be turned off. When left on the game leaves little to the imagination as you can dismember your opponents. You can even go as far as cutting their arm or leg off and then pick it up and beat another monster with the leg.

In conclusion, “Blade of Darkness” is a great game if violence does not bother you. From a Christian standpoint I cannot completely recommend the game unless the violence is turned off. The game is very realistic but not so much as too make it boring or ridiculously hard. As a Christian I found the game very fun and entertaining when the gore was turned off. The whole idea of slaying demons with weapons is still fun, even though it cannot be done by man alone but through the power of God.

Year of Release—2001

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Christian Spotlight review are those of the reviewer (both ratings and recommendations), and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Films for Christ or the Christian Answers Network.