Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War (Xbox 360) review on HonestGamers

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Review by Felix_Arabia
October 28, 2009

Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War is a game that will appeal to many, assuming that its own obscurity doesnďż˝t cast it as obsolete. The game is set in an altered medieval period where England and France fought for control of the latter's territory, in which countless men took sides for opposing monarchs, only to switch sides at a momentďż˝s notice, or when the booty from an opposing front promised to be more lucrative. Bladestorm . . . War places you into the role of a mercenary facing the rigors of daily battle, as well as the allure of power and fame. As a creatable character with no real loyalties, you are free to choose which side you would like to fight for, when you would like to fight for them. Purists may moan that this seemingly flippant flip-flopping is not historical, but then Bladestorm never strove to be a by-the-books recreation of the Hundred Years' War anyway. It contains camel-riding Saracens, lumbering elephant mahouts, magic conjuring wizards, gun-toting harquebusiers, and no fewer than another dozen and a half additional soldier outfits. It's really more about a celebration of combat than a faithful recreation of the Hundred Years' War.

There is one thing Omega Force did get historically right, however. The game is set in France, and there are no fewer than several hundred castles and forts dotting each region with the sole intention of seeing one side defend its walls while the other rushes in for the conquest. As an upstart mercenary, your unit options are limited at first. Swords and bows may be all you're given the option of using, but with battlefield success and making your name known across the four corners of France, added military units will be one of the many benefits from a seemingly never-ending single player campaign.

Bladestorm appears to be a hack and slash title akin to Omega Force's more famous Dynasty Warriors series, but it is far different in style and tone. Here you must command a unit, strategically implement maneuvers during the heat of battle, and, when necessary, swap your existing unit for a new one to better take advantage of the ever-changing battle climate. Common sense will tell you that not every unit is equal in all situations, and it doesn't take a genius to realize that lightly armored knifemen don't hold a candle to heavily-protected horse-riders. You need to pick your battles intelligently. Otherwise you may find yourself at a loss.

Fighting will break out in Normandy, Champagne, Brittany, and Gascony, to name a few areas. Your units will become more adept with practice and experience, and it wonďż˝t be long until you're tearing up the countryside with a heavy cavalry charge or a well-timed spear wall. The game makes it easy for you to change units on the fly. The only catch is that you must be near the unit you would like to command, and you must have the ability to wield it. Battles begin interestingly enough, with reports indicating your side's faults and successes with seemingly no pattern. Then they become more exciting as you obtain varied units to command and lead the onslaught with your own allied soldiers vying to follow your lead. The exhilaration mounts even higher as royalty personally rides onto the field to take control of their own side's war aims. And, before you know it, you'll come to realize that the whole of France is on fire, with a sea of swords and spears riddling the land with the corpses of the fallen.

Prince Edward the Black and his deputy, John Chandos, strive to take the northern coast of France for England, while the great French commander du Guesclin hopes to rid Flanders and Champagne of their bothersome English occupiers. Henry Percy, a stalwart English "knight" leads a rescue attempt into the heavily garrisoned French Pyrenees, while Philippe le Bon strives to crush the peasant resistance in Flanders, even if it means that everyone must die. Numerous real figures (now provided in a more contemporary light) leave their mark on the battlefield, just as your mercenary strives to do the same. There is also a bloated list of non-historical mercenaries added in for extra effect. To emphasize their anachronistic character, one such sword for hire hails from Japan. Another would be dubbed as a heathen from Mongolia. Units claim to originate from Abyssinia and Scandinavia. And still another brandishes a bow for France or England, even though she just arrived off a boat from Wales. Clearly the real Hundred Years' War wasn't as extravagant as the one Omega Force has recreated for us to experience.

Many games could take a real war, try to add additional flair, and come up falling short. Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War takes a grandiose and complicated series of campaigns and turns it into a battle of sides, ebbing and crashing into each other like random ocean waves. The presentation and characters, not to mention the scope of the battlefields themselves, make this a superb action title. The only real drawback is that it lacks multiplayer. Had Bladestorm implemented this seemingly necessary option, I think we would be looking at one of the absolute best games of this generation. Instead, we get a "merely" very good game that seems to be in all too short supply.

Rating: 8/10

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Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War (X360) game cover art

Staff Score (Avg): 8.0 User Score (Avg): 8.0 Press Score (Avg): N/A
Reviews: 2 Guides: 0 Cheats: 0 Ratings: 0	High Scores: 0 Screenshots: 10 Videos: 0

Title: Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War
Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Publisher: Koei
Developer: Omega Force
Release Date: November 7, 2007
ESRB: T
Save: 15MB
Platforms: PS3, X360

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