Skip to main content

Castlevania fans, you need to play this killer new game

A dragon roars in Blade Chimera.
Playism

It’s been a long time since Konami has given us a new Castlevania game. Sure, we’ve gotten some great rerelease collections to help scratch that itch (and a solid Netflix adaptation), but the series hasn’t pumped out a fully new game in over a decade. Thankfully, indie developers have stepped in to satiate that hunger. Games like Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night serve as excellent alternatives that capture the spirit of Castlevania.

If you’re looking for another game in that vein, you’ll want to give Blade Chimera a shot. It’s the exact jolt of whip-cracking, demon-slaying 2D action you’re craving.

Recommended Videos

Released last week on PC and Nintendo Switch, Blade Chimera is the latest release from Team Ladybug. The studio previously released the absurdly-titled Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, a standout 2021 Metroidvania that drew inspiration from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Blade Chimera follows up on that success with another pixel art action game that riffs on Castlevania while adding its own spin.

Blade Chimera – Pre-order Trailer – Nintendo Switch

Set in a cyberpunk version of Japan, Blade Chimera follows a mysterious hero named Shin who is hired to kill demons. In a twist of fate, though, Shin befriends a demon named Lux who takes the form of a shapeshifting sword. That setup sets the stage for a typical action-adventure game where Shin slashes through hallways full of monsters and utilizes a slew of sword powers, from time manipulation to grappling, to explore a dark world.

While its story is a bit of white noise at times, Blade Chimera excels as a 2D action game with just enough RPG layers to call Castlevania to mind. That starts with Shin’s two weapons slots, which can be filled with either long or close range tools. In my playthrough, I’m using a full-auto machine gun in one slot and a long whip in the other. Those weapons work hand-in-hand with magic attacks and my sword powers. For instance, I can jab Lux into the ground to create a barrier around myself or toss them out to hit foes with a devastating attack. There’s a surprising amount of depth to combat thanks to mix-and-match customization. Of course, there’s classic Castlevania RPG progression too; killing enough enemies results in a familiar screen-freezing level-up.

Shin divekicks an enemy in Blade Chimera.
Playism

What I especially love, though, is that Blade Chimera goes out of its way to make sure players aren’t wasting their time. This is your typical Metroidvania where maps are filled with secrets that are locked behind doors that need keycards or unlockable skills like sliding. Rather than forcing Shin to constantly backtrack, players can fast travel to any square on the map instantly. That takes the arduous chore work out of exploration, as I can simply zip straight back to a locked area once I’ve gotten the right ability. It’s a streamlined game for those who hate that repetitive nature of late-game Metroidvania item-hunting.

I don’t expect Blade Chimera to become a genre-defining game; it’s another solid indie Metroidvania in a long line of them. Its weighed down by some stiff movement and a fairly typical sci-fi story, but Team Ladybug is a meat and potatoes kind of studio. It has the fundamentals of the genre down pat and knows how to create a 2D action game that gets a lot of variety out of its systems. Its fast, stylish, and filled with folklore-inspired demons that give it some unique, Japanese flair. In a more crowded month, it might get lost in the mix, but it’s a perfect release for a slow January. Give it a download if you’ve got a hankering for some Castlevania-style action and I’m sure you’ll find yourself losing a good weekend to it.

Blade Chimera is out now on Nintendo Switch and PC.

Topics
Giovanni Colantonio
As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…
3 games leaving Xbox Game Pass you should play this weekend (December 27-29)
A cast of Blazblue Cross Tag Battle pose together.

We're approaching New Year's Eve, and several games will be leaving Xbox Game Pass on that day. If you're wondering what you should play this weekend and are a Game Pass subscriber, you should give these games a shot before they leave Microsoft's video game subscription service. Specifically, I'm highlighting two charming indie games and a bombastic crossover fighting game this week.
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Special Edition
『BLAZBLUE CROSS TAG BATTLE Special Edition』 on Xbox — Announce Trailer | Xbox Game Pass

BlazBlue is a long-running Japanese fighting game franchise. It hasn't managed to break out worldwide in quite the same way Guilty Gear did, but the closest it got was with BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. This game took the hardcore fighting mechanics and stunning anime-inspired visuals of the series and used it for a 2v2 tag-team crossover game. While BlazBlue characters are still part of Cross Tag Battle's roster, it features several guest fighters from RWBY, Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In-Birth, Arcana Heart, Senran Kagura, and Akatsuki EN-Eins. It's an eclectic mix of fighters you won't find in any other game, so Cross Tag Battle is worth a shot if you're a fan of any of the franchises featured in this crossover.

Read more
Video games may actually be good for you, a new study claims
A person enjoys gaming with Viture Pro smart glasses and Pro Neckband.

Despite all the claims, playing video games won't rot your brain. More and more studies have shown that playing video games -- in moderation, of course -- comes with its own set of benefits, including improved coordination, better spatial recognition, and much more. Now a new study suggests that in addition to cognitive buffs, gaming can actually help improve your mental health.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, Japanese scientists found themselves with a bit of a natural experiment on their hands. Retailers had created a randomized lottery to fairly distribute Nintendo Switch consoles, and this lottery allowed the scientists to study the link between gaming and overall mental well-being. The study analyzed 97,602 responses from gamers between the ages of 10 and 69, according to The Brighter Side.

Read more
If you need a relaxing holiday vacation game, download this one
Key art for LOK Digital.

This has been the busiest December for games in recent memory. This month alone, we’ve seen the massive launches of Marvel Rivals, Infinity Nikki, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Those games have probably sucked up all of your time and attention, and that’s on top of The Game Awards 2024 flooding gaming spaces with several new announcements. That has caused games like LOK Digital, which launched in the thick of all this, to fly under the radar.

LOK Digital is one of the best puzzle games released in a year full of outstanding ones. It’s a glorified word search for a fictional alien language, but it's also ridiculously clever in how it bends its own rules to create some head-scratching puzzles. LOK Digital is a fitting game for the holidays, something that you can easily install and play on a laptop while hanging out with friends or family. It’s also a reminder to look outside the traditional gaming zeitgeist in its busiest moments. That’s often where some true hidden gems are waiting to be discovered.

Read more