LIBLADE

Absolute doujin surprise of 2021 for me. This game came out of nowhere and surprised me at just how engaging the crazy mechanics are and how neat the overall direction is. It's a beat 'em up that is played almost strictly with twin sticks so a controller is a must. (Note: I'm using an Xbox One wired controller.) Sounds a bit odd, yes, and it takes some time to get used to the controls but, oh boy, once you click to this system it's a zen of crazy combo chain hits in the several hundreds non stop. I think we could draw some similarities to Fairy Bloom Freesia, which also has a stage progression and bosses but Liblade combat feels tremendously more impactful and there is a bit more dramatism in the battles, especially thanks to the great music selection and sleek enemy and boss design, each one requiring you to attack differently to counter their abilities. Suddenly you'll be chaining and combining all these attacks, all at the same time and dishing out incredible damage: you can parry some enemies and projectiles and send them back to their rightful owners and, well, it can get quite exhilarating. It is not without a few issues, especially performance-wise as when the chaos and action is extreme there are some weird and random frame drops but this may vary depending on your PC and what things you have running in the background. There is also the initially confusing (due to the sheer amount of things it has) skill tree that you can develop by obtaining points from defeated enemies. If you die, you can pay up some of those points to have partial or full recovery, or lose half and pick them up later if you go to the spot where you died. YES; it's "like that one FROM game" in that regard and an incentive to try to clear the rooms in one go. Back to the skill tree, you get a lot of insane attack abilities but understanding them takes a while. Luckily you are provided with a well made training room where you can practice everything before venturing into the stages, which are short but tough as nails so be prepared. So lastly, the story, which is kind of there, is quite strange indeed so I'll leave that to you to discover. It left more questions than those that it answered but, well, I wouldn't mind a sequel with even more refined mechanics, a custom OST and a more fleshed out world that expands on it. All in all, very recommended!

Play through with all the hard achievements to get 100% here (No Hit Bosses Etc.) w/ time stamps: https://youtu.be/fTl6SJ9Bllc Full play through here (once it uploads) https://youtu.be/XlOMHOSi14I This game is freaking phenomenal worth every penny it's a bit short, but god does it play smooth. The boss's are challenging and it does one of the best things a video game can do which is make you feel over powered and awesome while challenging you with great mechanics. I cannot recommend this enough do yourself a service and treat yourself to this masterpiece.

I feel dumb leaving a review so fast, but I haven't figured out if there is a way to not have to constantly flick the joystick to attack (I'd like to be able to just hold it in a direction and have it keep slicing) So yeah, if that truly can't be changed, I can't recommend this at all for people with wrist issues. Had to refund, but the game is great if you get past that!

From the 67 mins I put into the game so far, I can say this game is already godlike, the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ main gimmick of big dumb slashes gets better and better with the skill tree. And moving around having jumps that are basically air dashes plus with the hype soundtrack is the hook indie games can only provide! For the price it is at, it's a good way to let time pass by!!!

Liblade is a 2.5D corridor hack&slash platformer which lives on its intuitive control scheme optimized for gamepad (it does *not* support kb&m, mind.) One flick of the right stick is mapped to a swing of your blade, plus there are three modifiers at shoulder/triggers (one shoulder button is for jump.) It's direct, intuitive, and very satisfying to execute. The rest of the game is basically an excuse to demonstrate your growing awesomeness as you traverse its deep skill tree, but that's perfectly fine when the fundamental manoeuvre is so gratifying. The boss fights are fun to figure out as well. There's not much replayability but there are no-damage clear achievements if you care for that kind of stuff. It's short, sweet, and to the point - the best kind of indie. I heartily recommend it for its modest asking price.

Note: As it's mentioned on the game's Store Page. You MUST have a controller to play this game. It does not support KB/M. LIBLADE is a twin-stick hack and slash sidescroller. I'm not very good at reviewing games, but I'll give it my best shot. I personally enjoyed this game. It feels nice to play a game where you can just go nuts and slash everything in your path. You also have lots of mobility via multi-jumps and air dashes. The bosses aren't very frustrating either. The music is great too and I hope there will be a soundtrack released alongside it eventually. If you plan on playing the game in one sitting, it'll take you at least 3 hours to complete. It took me 4 hours to clear the game because it does get pretty grindy near the end if you intend on completing the skill tree. The game is about 7 USD on Steam, if you need something to play to pass the time. This is one game I recommend.

The game is a nice change of pace. It is the first game for me where you attack with the joystick. The controls took a little getting used to. Especially my aim was not good, but with a little practice it worked. The visuals of the game and the music are nice. In the course of the game you can level up and you get new abilities. This makes the gameplay interesting and fun. Separately, I must praise the developer, because he responded very quickly to a problem of mine. I had rendering problems and he eagerly sat down with me until we found the problem. The game is definitely worth it. I highly recommend it.

ゆびがいたい

One of the most fun action games I have ever played. Supremely flashy with an incredible weight and feel to each hit. An actually rewarding skill tree where getting a new ability is legit exciting. Cannot recommend it enough

Super fun core mechanic. A perfect example of a game that is easy to play but hard to master. I love the VFX and the music too!!!