The metroidvania genre is ubiquitous these days, especially in the indie sphere. A dime gets you a dozen. I get an appeal; it’s one of the best ways to tell a narrative in a 2D game. But with so many people showing up at any given time, which one do you choose? It’s straightforward to burn out on them.
That’s why I ignored many titles that boasted the metroidvania label in their press releases. I’ve probably missed some good ones, but I just can’t stand looking at another map screen dominated by rectangles. Okay, one more thing. Chimera of Blades caught my attention because it was created by Team Ladybug and WSS Playground, the creators Deedlit in the Wonder Labyrinth. No, it’s not my favorite game, but it’s solid and reliable. Plus it’s cyberpunk this time, so that’s always a win for me.
Chimera of Blades (computer, Switch)
Developer: Biedronki Team, WSS Playground
Publisher: Playism, WSS Playground
Release: January 16, 2025
Suggested retail price: $19.99
Plot in Chimera of Blades it’s strikingly formulaic, but the setting is unique to say the least. The action takes place in the near future in Osaka, where demons are rampant. 30 years earlier, people began transforming into monsters from folklore and legend, which caused confusion. During this time, the Holy Union, a pseudo-religious group, overthrew the Japanese government and took control in an attempt to protect people from demons.
Now things get a bit insignificant. You play as Shin, a guy recently found cryogenically frozen who, due to long-term stasis, has no memory of his life before being frozen. However, he kicks ass and quickly rises among the ranks of the Venatar, the guardians of the Holy Union. However, he is principled and often asks himself whether it is morally correct to indiscriminately destroy demons, especially when he encounters a demon that can turn into a sword.
So you can guess where this is all going from the beginning. I wish I could say that the characters and situations make up for the predictability, but that would only be partially true. There are some comical moments, but it’s clunky at best.
It starts off bad, but that’s the biggest problem and it’s not a huge deal. The game itself is butter. Like Deedlit in the Wonder Labyrinthit’s concrete Castlevania: Symphony of the Night-inspired. Forget about Metroid Hi; its entire frames are Symphony of the Night. Her hero even has long, gray hair.
However, Shin is proficient in firearms. I ended up with three attack buttons, two of which are what you want, and the last one is for Lux, the aforementioned gigantic sword. The game suggests using one button for ranged weapons and the other for melee, and this is sound advice. Before Chimera of Blades I even verbalized it, that’s how I mentally labeled the buttons.
Lux is more than just a greatsword; is also your source of magical attacks. You unlock them through the upgrade tree, and using them effectively can make a huge difference in boss battles. As a sword, you can place it in the wall or ceiling to hold a button or act as a platform. She also had the ability to exploit “time slots” that were scattered around the area. They do an inconsistent variety of things. They are often used for basic puzzles, but are mostly found as pull hooks, bridges, or hidden paths. It’s all basic, basic stuff, but it works as a way to mix things up a bit.
Exceptionally, Chimera of Blades it doesn’t actually utilize traversal powers to wall off your exploration. To some extent yes, but mostly for secret areas. As you level up, you unlock powers like double jump and dash, so it’s up to you to prioritize them. Instead, you’re mostly locked out with actual gates that you don’t have the keys to. However, actual closed doors are so sporadic that they have no chance of really feeling artificial.
It also encourages exploration very well. This is mainly due to the 56 hidden puzzle pieces. All over the world you will come across doors that can only be opened if you have enough pieces. If you make the effort to root them out, you’ll find some of the best weapons and items behind them. I feel like this is the silliest way to hide such gadgets, but it’s oddly satisfying.
Perhaps it’s the art style that does such a good job of hiding such artificiality. I didn’t pay much attention to the marketing, and Blade Chimera doesn’t openly talk about it until later, but I could tell by looking at the enemies and surroundings that this was the future Osaka. Considering that, like most Metroidvania games, you’re exploring an abstract 2D world, it says a lot that the city’s culture can be conveyed so clearly, even to someone who’s only visited the place once.
But the pixelated sprites are where it really shines. There is an incredible amount of detail popping out of each frame of animation Symphony of the Night inspiration. The same variety of great bosses that were so prominent in Deedlit in the Wonder Labyrinth they look unique here and are equally stimulating. But more importantly, for a geek like me, Biedronka doesn’t make any pixel graphics faux pas. There is no mix evident and everything appears to move in integers, which makes everything look genuine. It also speaks to an underlying passion when an artist goes to great lengths to showcase a particular aesthetic, and it was done so well here.
To extend the gameplay a bit, you can take on side missions, but this is where you’ll find another frail point Chimera of Blades. Initially, I tried to complete every side mission, but I found that they came in two flavors: an captivating story and a tedious grind. The immense majority fall into the latter category. You will be tasked with eliminating demons within specific criteria, such as those from a specific area or demons of a specific color. This often comes down to finding a point on the map where these demons exist, then exiting the screen and re-entering to spawn enemies and eliminate them until you reach your destination. Ideally, you would take on these tasks in parallel with your main goal, but for me they were only available in a few cases.
Other side quests are more valuable. These usually involve helping citizens search for items or investigate crimes. More importantly, they contain moments of character development. Perhaps the most captivating is Shin’s fight against a specific rival. Generally speaking, side missions can be identified because they provide a much higher payout than their grind-focused counterparts. I feel like this job could have been done away with completely without giving anything up, as I finished the game with way too much money and the game’s duration was appropriate for the genre.
Chimera of Blades it is exactly as I expected: solid and reliable. It’s not the most unusual game of this genre I’ve played, nor is it particularly inventive. Despite its cyberpunk leanings, it perhaps leans a little too heavily on it Symphony of the Night aspirations, which makes it tough to try to find your own identity. Not to mention the narrative is so predictable that the only thing that kept me guessing was whether it was trying to be subversive or if it was actually that obvious.
However, it is done with a lot of skill and a measurable amount of passion. If it’s something like a maple Symphony of the Nightit’s less plagiarism and more “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. This pays off with solid design and enjoyable combat. It hides many of its flaws under a communicative art style that captures the setting and characters so well. It may not be the first thing I reach for the next time I’m in the mood for a metroidvania, but it’s a symphony in itself.
