We are in an era of prime gaming, where games are so prominent in terms of releases in the present, but also, in the immense amount of great games from the past that are now easily accessible. Companies like Epic or Amazon give great games away for free, and plenty of sites have deals on games where you can get them for fractions of their original price. I, for one, am grateful to experience gems that I never knew existed or to discover games that time has forgotten. I get to experience games that may have once been the talk of the town, that are now barely remembered. Allowing me to enjoy a game without prior knowledge. The Last Blade 1 and 2 are two such games that I have recently gotten the chance to play for the first time, and found the experience of them to be exciting.
I am not normally one for fighting games, having my previous experience with them solely based on arcade cabinets or Street Fighter 2 on my Dad’s Game Boy Advance. But I still want to grow my knowledge of games so I don’t become naive in the future. Knowing that I still enjoyed this take on the genre. With 12 playable characters in the first game and 16 available in the second, each using sword based combat, with the exception of one character in each. To me, this is a fresh take on the genre and is a beautiful take on it.
Music in the games fills the world with ambiance with its synthetic notes. Where each map has a different feel, sometimes with the absence of music to add to the momentous battles, that lack of music adds to the tension of the battles and lets you focus on the beautiful fights.
Within my brief playtime on each, I enjoyed the snappy combat using a range of attacks and dodges to rank up combos on the machine opponents. I tried each character, getting a feel for how they move and attack with a flurry of beautifully illustrated attacks. From the cherry blossoms’ effects on attacks to dynamic backgrounds, I felt a sense of nostalgia from the fighters I played years ago. With the art being such a strong focal point of the games, it truly feels great to pilot the characters. The sprites themselves are detailed and vibrant, making the animation feel smooth and dynamic.
Having only two attack buttons, a kick and repel, but a variety of combos that build off of that system. Allowing for strings of attacks that drive you through the battle with either Power or Speed. Which are the two different fighting styles you can choose from, changing how a character feels. Either having strong attacks with limited chain combos or quick combos with limited damage, making the skill ceiling rise even higher.
Once you master the first game or if you, like me, decide to move on after just a few hours, you can check out the sequel, Last Blade 2. This game iterates all the same great aspects of the first and gives it a fresh feel to the point of perfection, including new movesets, new characters, increased details within the stages, all with the same fluid animation, amazing score, and game that shone.
Now, both of these games are great and enjoyable to play, but they are not games that I would say are must plays. If you’d like, you can try to find them to play; otherwise, I would suggest you check out modern fighters like the Guilty Gear series or BlazBlue: Central Fiction to enjoy a more competitive scene.