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It’s a good thing, then, that the game isn’t looking half bad. The short section we were able to play consisted of an early level sprinkled with tutorial-style hints, leading up to a boss fight. The game pretty much feels like a Devil May Cry homage, with the main character being equipped with a pair of swords that can also shoot bullets. Yes, you read that right. As well as the gun-swords, however, you’re also given a series of increasingly-powerful magic attacks as the game progresses, with each one being useful in different situations – fireballs, for example, are great for toasting foes that are a distance away, while the earthquake attack is brilliant when Ayumi is surrounded by about twelve different enemies, and you’re starting to feel a little claustrophobic. You can’t just fire off the attacks whenever you like, of course – in order to use them, you have to build up Ayumi’s ‘rage’, the red bar at the top of the screen that basically acts as a mana/energy bar, used solely for casting magic spells. Filling the bar isn’t difficult, mind you – it’s simply a case of smacking some enemies around with regular melee attacks.
The game is quite beautifully presented for such a relatively low-profile title, with a particular attention having been paid to the architecture and lighting of the game’s environments. While some may be put off by Ayumi’s rather generic and... well, ‘obvious’ appearance, it’s clear that the rest of the art team have done no wrong. The game’s story seems to be as predictable as you’d expect from such an intentionally shallow and action-based title - but there’s no harm in that, so long as you’re given an excuse to fight with a load of monsters who’ve clearly got it coming. It’s only meant to be a game, after all.
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Our main concern for X-Blades – aside from the fact that we’d feel a bit ashamed if our mums caught us playing it – is that the actual melee combat is pretty thin. You hammer the X button to dish out a default combo, and that’s pretty much it. While it’s clear that the game does still expand tactically through use of the magic system, it seems fair to assume that anyone who’s just come straight to this from Devil May Cry 4 or Ninja Gaiden 2 is going to expect a little more depth.
That said, it’s shaping up to be a pretty fun diversion for those of you looking for a less cerebral action experience, and it’s currently slated for the PC and 360, with a potential PS3 version in the works too. Fingers crossed, we’ll have a review of the full game before it hits the shelves near the end of the year.
