Sports Games

Among the many games presented in Cologne difficult to detect because they occupied a secluded location, there were curious titles like Blades of Time, published by Konami. One location, hidden inside the stand public offering two playable levels: an exploratory phase and a fight against a boss.

The first appointment was as much chance: no one seemed to slip away, but only because there were other titles Konami booth holding court, and while we waited our turn with Silent Hill Downpour, we approached the screen.

Having vanquished the attackers first and bounced on some platforms, it's time to discover the salient feature of the game, the ability to alter time. As in Blinx: The Time Sweeper (anyone still remembers him?) the main character has a special ability, to rewind time, but leaving a space or more copies of the past. In other words, you can record an action after the other so, for example, to activate a device: you get on a pedestal and the action is recorded, the recording stops, comes back time and, while Our phantom is placed on a pedestal, with the protagonist activate the other. The same mechanism works with enemies armed with shield. At first seem invulnerable, but just to hit record the action in front and parry, and then resume the regular flow of time around them to hit them from behind. With the boss works the same way, you create simulacra of time to divert the attention and then it hits where it hurts most.

In half an hour we ended levels, we were really surprised by the potential of this dynamic game. We must also understand how they manage to sustain in the long run. Also because, properly documenting, revealing that the project is the Russian team Gaijin Entertainment, and this is the result of spiritual X-Blades , action game a few years ago whose main feature was the star half-naked. Well, the busty star Yuma is the (unrecognizable, except for the long blond pigtails - but it seems already confirmed a version with the "custom" original) of this too Blades of Time, which does not seem to even second cousin. Not only because instead of a style-like Mane (which says a lot) there is a universe far more grim and "realistic", but also for the consistency of game design. Beyond the valuable combat system, X-Blades left something 'to be desired in terms of game play: total lack of rhythm, level design, sloppy, predictable enemies. Respect, therefore, the previous attempt, Blades of Time seems that the development team has reached a prodigious maturity. At this point does not mean that it can run an amazing masterpiece, as was the case of Castellanies: Lords of Shadow. If nothing else, It embarked on the road seems to be right.