At last a Diablo-type but in the martial arts vein!! Sadly, its a few steps short from reaching action RPG excellence.
User Rating: 7.7 | Blade & Sword PC
I'm a fan of everything purely traditionally japanese and chinese. I fully believe in that culture, and their whole philosophy towards life is accentuated in everything they put their hands on : Architechture, mythology, technology, way of talking, way of living, etc... As a martial arts student, I have always been waiting for a game that truly captures this escence on the PC, which hasn't been done before. There's something about games, that for some reason, they dont quite succesfully capture this escence, with a few exceptions (Tenchu, Shinobi, Bushido Blade, Samurai Warriors). Unfortunately, all of these games are not for the PC, and the PC has so much to offer. At last a Diablo-type but in the martial arts vein!! Sadly, its a few steps short from reaching action RPG excellence. To sum it up, the graphics could be waaaaay better, and the animation is really dissapointing. The strong part of this game is the soundtrack, the whole concept, many gameplay elements, like the ability to block, parry, make a quick turning dodge, and be able to make customized combo sessions. But the part that kills the game the most, is the technical one, the programming. The presentation is terribly made, with glitches everywhere. If this would have been made almost flawless, this game would take different heights. Although, it is a really happy day for action RPGers, for this one will give something to look for in upcoming, more well-made ARPGs. Rent it, see if you love it. If you dont, enjoy it for as long as it lasts you. Its worth a place in your collection if you want to have 3 steps forward to the Action RPG ideal. But dont be fooled, this is not the ideal, its just a transition; sadly, the outdated graphs and interface makes this one a few steps back. 
