Blades & Battles Review - Xbox

Blades & Battles is a knowingly retro brawler that's an affectionate throwback to Golden Axe‑era hack‑and‑slash design that embraces chunky combos, pixel‑filtered visuals, and a proudly old‑school Arthurian fantasy setup. It’s a game that understands exactly what it wants to be: short, loud, straightforward, and drenched in arcade nostalgia. But that clarity of identity comes with limits, and whether you enjoy it depends entirely on how much you value that 1990s simplicity. Blades & Battles drops you straight into a pulpy Arthur‑and‑Lancelot rescue quest, where Morgana has kidnapped Merlin and unleashed monsters across Camelot. The story is intentionally light and cheerfully absurd, more a framing device than a narrative you’re meant to invest in. The tone leans into campy fantasy, with exaggerated bosses, silly dialogue, and a sense of humour that fits the game’s arcade roots.

The combat is the core of the experience, and it’s built around simple chains, aerial juggling, screen‑clearing specials, and a handful of unique moves for each hero. Arthur hits harder with brute‑force combos, while Lancelot mixes in elemental magic, giving each character a slightly different flavour even if they ultimately play similarly once the action gets hectic.

Mechanically, the game nails the feel of a classic brawler with its big swings, knock‑ups, desperation moves, and that familiar rhythm of crowd control followed by a boss encounter. But it also inherits the genre’s clunkiness. Hitboxes can be unreliable, dodging isn’t always dependable, and some attacks simply don’t land when they look like they should. This inconsistency is part of the retro charm for some players, but it can frustrate anyone expecting modern precision.

Progression is where the game shows its age most clearly. There are no upgrades, no new skills, no evolving move sets, and no unlockable characters or modes. What you see in the first stage is essentially what you’ll be doing for the entire campaign. For purists, this is a faithful homage; for others, it’s a missed opportunity for depth.

Visually, Blades & Battles uses a 2.5D presentation with pixel‑filtered characters and simple low‑poly environments. It’s clean, readable, and nostalgic without being messy. Performance is smooth, and the chiptune‑inspired soundtrack reinforces the retro vibe with dramatic flourishes and intentionally over‑the‑top effects.

The campaign is short finishing around 45 minutes to 3 hours depending on difficulty and if you play through co‑op, and while there are branching paths, there’s little incentive to replay beyond curiosity. No unlocks, no new modes, no cosmetic rewards. It’s a compact experience that delivers its throwback fantasy, then bows out.

Pros

• Strong retro atmosphere with clear Golden Axe inspiration

• Simple, satisfying combos and aerial juggling

• Two characters with distinct visual styles and move flavours

• Smooth performance and clean pixel‑filtered presentation

• Local co‑op adds energy and makes the short campaign more fun

• Campy, humorous tone that suits the arcade pacing

Cons

• Hitboxes and dodging can feel inconsistent

• Very shallow progression with no upgrades, unlocks, or evolving mechanics

• Short campaign with limited replay value

• Bosses lack memorable patterns or challenge variety

• Combat depth plateaus quickly, especially for modern brawler fans

Blades & Battles is a fun, faithful homage to early‑90s hack‑and‑slash games that's compact, nostalgic, and knowingly simple. It’s enjoyable in bursts, especially with a co‑op partner, but its lack of progression and brief runtime keep it from standing out in a crowded modern beat‑’em‑up landscape. For retro fans, it’s a charming throwback; for everyone else, it’s a pleasant but limited slice of arcade nostalgia.

XPN Rating: 3 out of 5 (SILVER)

Blades & Battles is available now!