Earlier this week, Koei Tecmo released new details on its upcoming Xbox One action-strategy-RPG hybrid Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires. Among those details, we discovered that Empires would be releasing on February 24 instead of in January. I noted that it would be bumping up against BladeStorm: Nightmare's release date, and predicted that Nightmare would get pushed back as well.
Call me Nostradamus and bake me a pumpkin pie, because Koei Tecmo has just announced that BladeStorm: Nightmare will now arrive on Xbox One and Playstation 4 on March 17 instead of March 3. Nightmare is an exciting action-strategy game set within the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Even better, monsters and magic will stir things up in a separate campaign.
Check out our new screenshots and gameplay details to learn why BladeStorm: Nightmare will be worth the wait!
A very long war
The original BladeStorm: the Hundred Years' War debuted on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 all the way back in 2007. The new game can be viewed as either a sequel or a remake, as it once again takes place between the conflict between England and France that lasted over a century (1337-1453).
Players will start by creating their own mercenary who will then side either with the English or the French. The game offers a ton of customization options, so personalizing your character should be fun. Besides choosing a gender and skin color, you can adjust all of the mercenary's facial features right down to pupil size, chin length and flab, limb length, and more. The level of customization actually looks comparable to wrestling games, far beyond what we typically see in the strategy genre.
This personalized warrior will then take on a huge array of missions that will support either the English or French side over the course of the Hundred Years' War. Will you pick a side and stick with it, or take on missions for both sides in order to reap their rewards?
BladeStorm: Nightmare differs from other action games thanks to its clever mix of action and strategy. Instead of heading into a battle along or with a small team of characters, your Mercenary commands an entire army unit during the fight. Players can customize this team for the mission at hand, picking and choosing between foot soldiers, lances, light cavalry, ranged, and mounted units. Each soldier type has different strengths and weaknesses to consider.
Up to four army units can be directly controlled at once, but the strategic scope doesn't stop there. Your units can be ordered to attack specific targets, group with other units, and even join with the full 200-soldier troop for charged attacks. Jump into any unit in-real time or command the group from the battle map.
Monsters join the battle
Bladestorm: Nightmare introduces a new 'Nightmare' mode that breaks away from historical events. Players can choose from over 32 additional characters, including Joan of Arc (who already appeared in Warriors Orochi 3), Edward the Black Prince, and a French military commander called La Hire.
The real excitement of Nightmare mode comes not just from the historical guest stars, but the fantasy elements the missions are built around. In the first Nightmare mode mission, players lead a group of mercenaries who have acquired a sword that can control monsters. The warriors arrive in Gascony to discover the English and France forces under siege by a gigantic monster army. You'll have to rescue the human forces from the demonic threat and begin a campaign to discover its nefarious source.
It has been a long while since the last BladeStorm game, but this new one looks to have tons of potential. Besides the large-scale battles and strategic options, I'm especially excited for the fantastic elements of Nightmare mode. This way, even if you're not so much into the specifics of the Hundred Year War, you'll have an epic campaign filled with monsters and magic to keep you enthralled.
BladeStorm: Nightmare arrives on Xbox One and Playstation 4 on March 17. It will cost $59.99. Good thing we won't have to wait a hundred years for it!
