The Hundred Years’ War was a quarrel
between France and England that lasted 116 years (1337 A.D. to 1453 A.D.). The
long, agonizing battle resulted from English kings believing they had the right
to succession to the French throne. This war created a dependence upon
mercenaries; warriors who did not care what side they fought on as long as they
received payment. Koei, the developers of famous franchises such as Dynasty
Warriors and Kessen, have used this conflict as the background for their latest
game, Bladestorm: The Hundred Years’ War.
Players begin the game by being
introduced to a barkeeper in a local tavern and immediately following, they will
get to customize their appearance in the game. The creation system is decent but
the lack of options is very disappointing. For instance, players can only modify
these options: gender, face and which irritating voice they will get to hear
throughout the entire game. Once players complete the creation of their
character, they will be immersed in a bountiful bowl of information about the
‘never-ending’ war. The tavern will then serve as the “central hub” for the
entire game, as this is where players will change various settings, learn more
about the story, buy/sell items, level up their mercenary, and accept missions.
The actual meat of this game occurs
once a mission is accepted and players are thrown into the battlefield. Before
players can start annihilating their enemies, they will first have to prepare
for battle. It is impertinent to make sure they are wearing the necessary
defensive and combative armor, which amounts to being the most powerful
equipment the player owns. It is also imperative to utilize all the skill points
acquired to become the most effective killing machine.
The calvary takes charge
Being allowed to prepare for battle
is a great advantage. Players receive the assurance they are using all of the
newest equipment to its fullest capacity. Even though players can do all of
these tasks in the tavern, it is great that the developers added this section in
because it can be easy to forget about spending new skill points and changing
out to the latest equipment. After players are sure they have every thing setup
perfectly, they can then deploy into battle.
Once players get on the battlefield
they will realize that the game plays very similar to both Kessen and Dynasty
Warriors. Players will have direct control over their main character, but if
they see an open squad, they can press the “A button” and gain control over that
particular squad. If there are multiple squads in the area players can cycle
between the squads by continuing to press the A button. Once in control, the
squad will follow the player anywhere they go. Once an enemy is located,
pressing the “RB button” will put every squad member in the player’s control in
attack mode, and the characters will perform a basic attack move. There are also
three other attacks that the squad can perform by pressing the X, Y, or B
buttons. Players can only use these moves in limited fashion because they
require a “cool down” between uses.
Not only does this game allow
players to get close in the action, it also requires strategic thinking in order
to succeed. Players have the option of attacking alone or choosing a squad to
take command of, which provides them with a better chance of defeating the
enemy. Also, each squad has its strengths and weaknesses. For instance; archers
are good at taking down enemies from afar, but if the enemy locates their
position and charges towards them, they will get taken out quickly due to poor
melee fighting skills. It is a game of balance and knowing which unit to use for
any given situation.
Which ones pays more?
In addition to knowing which squad
to use in any given situation, there are more options that give this game even
more depth. To become even more successful on the battlefield, players will want
to level up various abilities, which will not only increase the player’s
performance but also the troop’s combat effectiveness. In the options screen,
players will find a book for each type of combat – such as Swords, Spears,
Horses, Bows, and so on – and in each of these books there are various
statistics that can increase a player’s abilities. This makes the game extremely
substantial because the higher the level the players are the more effective
players will be on the field, which gives them more points to spend and in turn
means more money to earn.
One major frustration in this game
is the inability to restart a mission during the game. Instead players must quit
the stage and restart the contract manually. This is a bother; not to mention an
unnecessary obligation. Many times players will find themselves going strong
until they come across an enemy squad that will decimate them in a flash, since
they are using the wrong units at that time. Another complaint is the lack of
mission variety. Many of the missions have you capturing the same base numerous
times. This monotony makes the game feel incredibly redundant and ultimately
boring.
Lots of onscreen action
The graphics for this game are a
mixed bag. First off, the developers did a great job of populating the
battlefield with both enemy and allied soldiers but everything else in the game
is lacking. The various battlefield environments are particularly devoid of
details. During the game players will see the occasional town, forest, and
castle, but they are all very dull and plain looking. In addition, all of the
character models are gravely lacking any distinguishing characteristics.
Basically, it seems as if there are only a handful of enemies that have been
cloned numerous times for players to defeat. This is very disappointing as the
Xbox 360 is graphically capable of much more than this.
One thing that players will really
enjoy is the soundtrack. It is breathtaking. The melodic interlude holds
players’ attention while emitting blissful sounds that smoothly appeal to the
ears. The music will guide players through the game as they attack various
“lower-level” enemies and even overcome tougher adversaries in their path to
victory. The voice acting will have players reaching immediately for the mute
button as the voices distract from the seriousness of the gameplay. The dialog
feels forced and the voices simply do not fit the setting.
Bladestorm: The Hundred Years’ War
is rated Teen, and contains alcohol references, mild language, and violence.
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Gameplay: 6.1
This game succeeds at blending both action
and strategy to create a title that is enjoyable. However, the AI is predictable
and players will be able to exploit its weaknesses easily.
Graphics: 6.2
The developers did great by having large amounts of enemies on the
screen at once time. The problem is the lack of details from the character
models to the environments.
Sound: 7.1
The soundtrack for Bladestorm: The Hundred Years’ War is marvelous. On
the flipside of things, the voice acting needs serious work as it is simply
awful.
Difficulty: Medium
The learning curve for this game is not that steep. The first few
missions will introduce exactly what needs to be done in order to become
successful. Later on the game does ramp up in difficulty but it is nothing that
cannot be overcome with patience and strategy.
Concept: 7.2
Players will enjoy this nice mix of both the Dynasty Warriors and
Kessen franchises.
Overall: 6.6
Bladestorm: The Hundred Years’ War has a lot going for it, including as
the utime frame it is set in. Unfortunately, this game has several shortcomings
that prevent it from truly breaking out of the crowd this holiday season.
Hopefully the developers will fix these issues and come back next year with a
much stronger product.
