$14.99BLADECHIMERA A demon that is also your sword
Hunt demons through a cyberpunk ruin as an amnesiac slinger whose partner turns into blade, shield and stepping stone.
Is BLADECHIMERA worth it?
BLADECHIMERA is worth it if…
- you want a metroidvania that respects your evening and does not punish every mistake
- you like pixel art so detailed you stop mid-fight to look at the backgrounds
- you enjoy a demon sword that doubles as a shield, a platform and a ladder
- you want to explore most of a city at your own pace, with warp travel on demand
Screenshots
A sword that is also a demon
Lux is not a sword you swing, she is a partner who happens to be one. She attacks, shields you from harm, turns into a platform you can climb, and reaches back into the past to restore objects that no longer exist. Throw her into a wall and she becomes a foothold; recall her and she hits everything on the way back. Pair her with firearms, greatswords or whips and build a style of combat that is yours. The controls stay tight and responsive, and once Lux's tricks click, movement opens up in ways that reward going off the beaten path.
A ruined Osaka worth lingering in
Thirty years after the Demon War, a religious group called the Holy Union holds a small enclave of survivors while demons own the rest of the city. You explore that corrupted Osaka as Shin, hunting for what happened to him and the people he loved. The pixel art carries it: detailed sprite animations, layered backgrounds full of small details worth stopping for, and boss fights that are a spectacle in themselves. The map is Team Ladybug's largest yet, and once you unlock the Warp skill you can travel to any explored square, so backtracking never gets in the way of looking around. It is a fair bit easier than most metroidvanias, which suits a relaxed evening of exploring.
How long does it take to finish?
Do you need to have played other Team Ladybug games first?
No. BLADECHIMERA is an original story, not a sequel, and it starts from Shin's amnesia, so you learn the world as he does. Knowing the studio's earlier games like Touhou Luna Nights adds appreciation for how the mechanics have grown, but nothing in the plot or the map assumes it. Newcomers to metroidvanias in particular tend to get along well here, since the difficulty stays gentle until late.
How does the skill tree work?
Skills unlock as Shin levels up from defeating demons, rather than being tucked away as items behind bosses. The tree holds both combat abilities and the traversal keys to the city: double jump for higher ledges, and Warp, which lets you travel to any explored square on the map. That last one changes how you play. You can warp back to a save point to heal, warp out of trouble, and reach spots that would otherwise demand a long climb, so the city opens up at your own rhythm.
Is the story worth following?
Yes, and it is more considered than the genre usually manages. The setup is a demon war thirty years past, a church-state holding the last safe enclave, and a hunter whose past is the mystery. The dialogue and characters are handled with a light touch that does not bog down the exploring, and the ending lands. Some players find the twists easy to see coming, but the mystery of Shin's forgotten life is what pulls the whole city together.
