When I was first browsing the X-Box Game Demo Marketplace, I happened to stop on the March 2012 release, Blades of Time. Described as an action-adventure game that lets you rewind time, I thought to myself “Gee, I really liked this game when it was called Prince of Persia.” A long time fan of the franchise, my skepticism kicked in as I downloaded the game, wholeheartedly expecting a horrible PoP rip-off that would easily be torn apart in my review.
Surprisingly, I was wrong.
Now don’t misunderstand me, I’m in no way singing full praises of the game, but I 
will completely admit that my initial snap-judgment was way off and in fact, Blades of Time just might have something to keep you interested. Developed by Gaijin Entertainment and published by Konami, Blades of Time follows the story of Ayumi, an ass-kicking heroine with a decently stocked arsenal. The demo itself didn’t hint too much at an overall story, but realistically, if you’re expecting to picking up this game for any ground-breaking plot lines, you’re in the wrong place for sure.
In the tradition of most typical hack-n-slash action-adventure games, you have a multitude of movesets and ridiculously over-the-top combos to keep things interesting. And although I’m personally more of a “kick the door in” kind of player, Ayumi also comes equipped with long range weapons for those of you far more patient than myself. The ability to “dash” towards your enemies and cover a great distance seemed to trump the use of the rifle in my play-through.
Unlike Prince of Persia, where you rewind time to fix your boo-boos and repair your wounded pride, Blades of Time’s “Time Rewind” is used to clone yourself to give you the needed advantage over enemies and puzzles. Can’t step off the gate switch without it slamming shut? Simply recall time, let your past-self stand there for a moment and run on through the gates unharmed. Need an extra edge over a boss? Pull off some great combos to keep him distracted, recall time, then continue to tag-team him in both past and present.
The game boasts over 40 skill sets, encompassing close-combat, long-range, and magic….yes, magic. You didn’t really expect to be able to clone yourself and not have this be a magic based world did you? I didn’t think so. And although only a few sets of combos and magic skills were revealed in the demo, I definitely think this game has the potential to entertain.
If you’re looking for a few minutes of fun, and possibly frustration, I recommend downloading the demo so that you can make your own choice on whether or not to spend your hard-earned cash on this recent release. I don’t think this game will be topping any charts or epically be recalled in the volumes of Video Game History, but it just might be worth a few minutes of your time to enjoy some pretty moving colors and some hack-n-slash fun.
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