MercurySteam makes Blades of Fire after their success with Metroid Dread. This fantasy adventure happens during times when Steel becomes stone because an evil witch queen casts a spell. Only her father's brainwashed army keeps metal weapons. The main character, Aran de Lira, finds a special hammer that lets him create weapons to fight back against this threat.
The game changes how players think about action adventures. You build different weapons instead of growing one character. Each weapon comes out unique when you forge it. MercurySteam wants players to feel like they make their arsenal rather than follow the usual path of making one hero stronger through the story.
The team at MercurySteam started working together 24 years ago. They first made Blade of Darkness as part of Rebel Act studio back in 2001. Many fans see this old game as coming before Dark Souls because both have hard fights and dark stories. Rebel Act closed down when not enough people bought their game, but the team kept going as MercurySteam.
The Madrid studio went on to make Clive Barker's Jericho. Then they created Castlevania Lords of Shadow games for Konami, which sold better than any earlier Castlevania title. Next came Metroid Samus Returns on 3DS, followed by Metroid Dread. These games brought huge praise from players and critics, making the studio famous for its quality.
Enric Alvarez is the founder and game director of MercurySteam. He grew up loving fantasy movies like Excalibur and The Princess Bride, as well as comics like Watchmen. Alvarez says Blades of Fire brings his team back to what they love most—sword-fighting games with dark themes and tough battles.
Aran de Lira lives alone with many regrets. He once belonged among royalty before something terrible happened. The middle-aged hero has gray hair and a face scar. Alvarez wrote him as someone with history who never expected to become heroic. The story draws from The Count of Monte Cristo where someone pays for crimes they never did.
Aran meets helpful friends during his quest. Adso helps with knowledge and magic spells even though he cannot fight well. Players also meet a skeleton child who asks for piggyback rides. The game world feels fresh with strange creatures like shelled frogs and glowing insects. Players visit unique places, including a huge wooden castle called Crimson Fort.
The art team took risks with their designs. Many said castles need stone, but they made impressive wooden structures anyway. They skipped the normal graveyard, looking for something ancient and mysterious. Art director Arturo Serrano based the style on Frank Frazetta, who drew Conan, and Gustave Doré, who illustrated Dante. The game uses bright colors instead of realistic modern fantasy.
MercurySteam usually works for bigger companies using its famous game series. Alvarez describes this as having wings but not total freedom. Blades of Fire marks their chance to make something completely their design. The game will be released on May 22, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Epic Games Store, with both digital and physical copies available.
The game changes how players think about action adventures. You build different weapons instead of growing one character. Each weapon comes out unique when you forge it. MercurySteam wants players to feel like they make their arsenal rather than follow the usual path of making one hero stronger through the story.
The team at MercurySteam started working together 24 years ago. They first made Blade of Darkness as part of Rebel Act studio back in 2001. Many fans see this old game as coming before Dark Souls because both have hard fights and dark stories. Rebel Act closed down when not enough people bought their game, but the team kept going as MercurySteam.
The Madrid studio went on to make Clive Barker's Jericho. Then they created Castlevania Lords of Shadow games for Konami, which sold better than any earlier Castlevania title. Next came Metroid Samus Returns on 3DS, followed by Metroid Dread. These games brought huge praise from players and critics, making the studio famous for its quality.
Enric Alvarez is the founder and game director of MercurySteam. He grew up loving fantasy movies like Excalibur and The Princess Bride, as well as comics like Watchmen. Alvarez says Blades of Fire brings his team back to what they love most—sword-fighting games with dark themes and tough battles.
Aran de Lira lives alone with many regrets. He once belonged among royalty before something terrible happened. The middle-aged hero has gray hair and a face scar. Alvarez wrote him as someone with history who never expected to become heroic. The story draws from The Count of Monte Cristo where someone pays for crimes they never did.
Aran meets helpful friends during his quest. Adso helps with knowledge and magic spells even though he cannot fight well. Players also meet a skeleton child who asks for piggyback rides. The game world feels fresh with strange creatures like shelled frogs and glowing insects. Players visit unique places, including a huge wooden castle called Crimson Fort.
The art team took risks with their designs. Many said castles need stone, but they made impressive wooden structures anyway. They skipped the normal graveyard, looking for something ancient and mysterious. Art director Arturo Serrano based the style on Frank Frazetta, who drew Conan, and Gustave Doré, who illustrated Dante. The game uses bright colors instead of realistic modern fantasy.
MercurySteam usually works for bigger companies using its famous game series. Alvarez describes this as having wings but not total freedom. Blades of Fire marks their chance to make something completely their design. The game will be released on May 22, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Epic Games Store, with both digital and physical copies available.
