Blades of Fire's 2.0 Update Makes It A Must-Have Game For Steam Deck

If you haven't yet, follow us on X (Twitter), Mastodon, or Bluesky to know when we post new articles, and join our Reddit or Subscribe to us on YouTube to check out our content and interact with our awesome community. Thank you for supporting us!

Last year, I had the pleasure of reviewing Blades of Fire, which ultimately became one of my favorite games of the year. It emphasizes constant weapon crafting, as well as getting new materials to make stronger weapons to attack enemies. And with us being able to choose what direction we swing from, there’s a little bit of strategy when it comes to which weapon we use and how we use it. Developer MercurySteam crushed it, and one year after I launched, it’s getting a massive new update and finally coming to Steam.

The new update is massive, bringing with it a ton of new content, features, and enhancements. We have new game plus, a brand new difficulty, new weapon, parts, and skins (with some exclusive to new game plus), being able to transmute materials, a brand new game mode, and a wealth of improvements. With how amazing the game already is, seeing this fantastic amount of content get added to the game just gave me much more motivation to keep on playing. And that’s dangerous, because it will only eat my free time.

I love how much they added to the game. The new game plus and challenge level are awesome, and I liked that there are more reasons to play again (exclusive parts and skins) instead of just going back in with the weapons and progress we’ve already made. However, the Anvil Trials and Arcana are awesome, allowing us to enhance weapons with special effects further. These effects are varied, and I like that they are tied to how well we do in these trials. Even as someone who’s already played the game, I found a reason to spend a good chunk of time starting over again.

Now, apart from all the new content, we do have Steam Deck support, which made me extremely happy to see. I had a chance to talk to MercurySteam as well, who gave some insight as to where they were aiming for performance. They want to hit 30 FPS while still allowing the game to look good and feel stable. So, when I first started playing this version of the game, I wanted to see just how well they stuck to it and if it felt good to play on the go.

Honestly, I was more than impressed.

Blades of Fire feels amazing to play on the Steam Deck, and MercurySteam has easily hit the mark they were aiming for. The game sticks above 30 FPS almost the entire time, with only a few drops when loading into new places, dropping to 28 FPS. Even in larger fights, I didn’t see the frame rate drop below 30, and a lot of times, it would fluctuate into 40. However, it would always go back down, so sticking to a 30 FPS cap is the most stable way to play.

And even though the game is set to low settings (with its own Steam Deck preset), it still looks fantastic. I was surprised by how well it looked and felt as I played through and checked out a multitude of locations. There were a few times I was genuinely shocked by how well it was not only running, but how well it looked the entire time. I know MercurySteam did more than just lower settings, and it shows. They even worked some magic to make sure we aren’t always draining a ton of battery. Usually, I have seen around 12W - 16W of drain, which is wonderful for a title like this.

Honestly, I didn’t feel the need, or desire, to change anything. The fact that I can hit 30 FPS and above, even in larger fights, while still looking this good, is wonderful. It completely reinvigorated my desire to play, pushing me to continue playing as much as I could. I even took it out with me when I went grocery shopping and had some downtime, and it was just a blast. Even with the sacrifices compared to more powerful handheld or desktop PCs, I can’t imagine playing this any other way now. MercurySteam did fantastic work here, making this a game I would consider I must have for portable play on the Steam Deck.

Blades of Fire is on sale for $29.99 until May 21st and is rated Playable due to small in-game text and needing to set the resolution manually. However, I didn't have to set the resolution manually, so I am not sure why they mention it.

If you enjoyed this article, check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety of game reviews and news that will help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got you covered!