X-Blades
Encyclopedia
X-Blades is an action-adventure game
for the PlayStation 3
, Xbox 360
and Microsoft Windows
. The player assumes the role of Ayumi who wields two pistol-blades
. The game was developed by Gaijin Entertainment
and was published by SouthPeak Interactive
and TopWare Interactive
. The game was originally released in December 2007 by 1C Company
in the Russian language for Microsoft Windows
, under the title Oniblade (Ониблейд).
The Japanese and UK box art for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 only differs in the coverage provided by Ayumi's underwear.
in which the player must fight monsters, using a pair of gun blades
and spells
, through indoor and outdoor levels in order to progress. Monsters are encountered in both preset numbers and in areas with Monster Generators which spawn
both standard and boss
opponents until they are destroyed. Power-ups and coin fragments which grant different upgrades are hidden throughout the game. Power-ups include combat techniques, magic, weapon enhancements, and teleportation. Also earned throughout the game are experience points which can be converted into skills. These skills are of either "light" or "dark" alignment and the use of them has an effect on whether the player receives the "light" or "dark" ending.
The player will only achieve success in the game if he makes use of the extensive system for the further development of the heroine Ayumi - Experience Points earned, for example, must be converted to Skills. There are various Power-ups available to help the player as well, like combat techniques, magic, weapon enhancement and teleportation and the right mix will lead to success. Apart from that, the use of skills on the "good or bad side" also affects the finale. Depending on player actions, two different game endings await the heroine Ayumi - and that in itself is a hook for players.
The game begins when a map which has been lost for countless years suddenly turns up - and it shows the location of the artifacts. The adventurer Ayumi starts searching for the immensely valuable stones. Powerful forces against which she is helpless threaten to awake in her body. Now it's up to her to discover what the secret of the curse is - and at last defeat the darkness.
Ayumi awakes on an abandoned coastline. She eventually makes her way to a gazebo in the nearby ruins and finds herself trapped in it as it is filled with spikes. She is rescued by Jay, an adept of the Light, who is searching for an artifact of the Light. Ayumi speculates that this might be able to cure her curse, and Jay offers to try to cure it himself. Instead, he provokes a violent reaction by the curse and flees. Ayumi makes her way to the Artifact and finds that it is guarded by the Dark, who is battling Jay. The Dark wounds Jay and then turns to attack Ayumi, hoping to regain his lost power. She defeats him and touches the Artifact. She finds herself once again in the white void, but this time is accompanied by the Light, who wakes her up.
She wakes up, discovering that the curse is gone. However, Jay is furious, saying that the curse had not been destroyed, merely, displaced. He then runs off. Ayumi eventually makes her way to the gates of a castle, where she again faces the Dark. The gates to the castle are broken down by Jay, who is now possessed by the dark magic of the curse. He destroys the Dark and takes its power. Ayumi and this Dark Jay fight, with Dark Jay retreating into the castle. Ayumi follows, facing him in the main hall of the castle.
The game's ending is dependent on the upgrades the player chooses during the course of the experience. If the player buys any of the Dark spells, then the "Bad" Ending is shown. If none of the Dark spells were unlocked, then the "Good" Ending is shown.
In the "Bad" Ending, Ayumi kills Jay. She mourns his death, wishing that she could have done differently.
In the "Good" Ending, Ayumi knocks back Jay and is overwhelmed by the power of the Light. This power overwhelms Jay as well. The two ascend in spheres into the sky. A flash of light then explodes outword, purging the power of the Dark from the world. Ayumi and Jay are then seen watching the sunrise together.
Oniblade was developed by Gaijin Entertainment as the first action / anime-style game in Russia and uses the Dagor Engine 3.
James Seaman, Managing Director at Topware Interactive, was quoted as saying "Our goal was to create stylistic characters and artwork and to mix that bombastic visual style with lightning fast action. The result is a killer title that gamers and animation fans won't be able to put down."
calls its "lead character, Ayumi...a typical sassy, scantily clad, smart-talking bad girl, who proves once and for all that a bikini-thong combination is suitable armor for taking on hordes of...just about anything." GameDaily featured Ayumi as one of their "Almost Famous Hotties" pleased with her artistic depiction yet dissatisfied with both the game and her personality.
X-Blades received average to negative reviews, garnering a 54/100 rating on Metacritic
. IGN
reviewer Nate Ahearn scored X-Blades a 6.0/10, being displeased with the repetitive hack-and-slash gameplay, mediocre special effects, annoying controls, and weak AI
. G4
's X-Play
rated the game 1 out of 5 saying "avoid, avoid, avoid." It also received one of X-Play's "Golden Mullet Awards" as one of the worst games of the year, that same year, in the category of game that "sounds like X-play when you say it fast". They noted that the main character's only power is that she does not wear pants, it was somewhat of a Tomb Raider knock off, as well as taking certain gameplay elements like switching from sword and gun attacks during battle from Devil May Cry. According to them the whole game seemed like something you'd expect to get from an amateur teenager game creator. They also noted that the game uses the overused "I'm the best there is" line.
The game was also mentioned in Zero Punctuation
, when Graham Stark of LoadingReadyRun
made a brief negative review noting both the similarities to previous games God of War
and Heavenly Sword
as well as the use of female anatomy. It was also the subject of Unskippable the following week, making light of the game's stilted dialogue and confusing chronology in the opening cutscene.
at the end of March 2009, as the "Sky Levels". CEO of Topware Interactive
, the game's lead designer, has stated that an expansion pack for X-Blades is being developed, though no information about what the pack will contain has been released.
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. The player assumes the role of Ayumi who wields two pistol-blades
Pistol sword
A pistol sword is a sword with a pistol or revolver attached, usually alongside the blade. It differs from a rifle with a bayonet in that the weapon is designed primarily for use as a sword, and the firearm component is typically considered a secondary weapon designed to be an addition to the...
. The game was developed by Gaijin Entertainment
Gaijin Entertainment
-Overview:Origins of the company were established in 2002. Gaijin team specializes in creation of games for various platforms . It also pays attention to technology-related research work. Gaijin team is represented by six departments and over sixty employees...
and was published by SouthPeak Interactive
SouthPeak Interactive
SouthPeak Games is a video game publisher of titles in Europe and North America.-History:SouthPeak Games, which was originally a subsidiary of SAS Institute, has been publishing games since 1996 and has worked with multiple development studios, including EAI Interactive, Psyonix Studios and...
and TopWare Interactive
TopWare Interactive
TopWare Interactive is a video game publisher and developer located in Paradise, Nevada.TopWare Interactive started out in 1995 as a video game publishing subsidiary of the TopWare CD Service AG based in Mannheim, Germany— which included a inhouse development studio based in Poland. In...
. The game was originally released in December 2007 by 1C Company
1C Company
1C Company is one of the largest independent Russian software developers and publishers. Its headquarters are in Moscow, Russia. It is best known outside of the former Soviet Union as a video game developer whose presence has come to dominate events like the KRI, and whose products have begun to...
in the Russian language for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, under the title Oniblade (Ониблейд).
The Japanese and UK box art for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 only differs in the coverage provided by Ayumi's underwear.
Gameplay
X-Blades is a hack-and-slash style action-adventure gameAction-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
in which the player must fight monsters, using a pair of gun blades
Pistol sword
A pistol sword is a sword with a pistol or revolver attached, usually alongside the blade. It differs from a rifle with a bayonet in that the weapon is designed primarily for use as a sword, and the firearm component is typically considered a secondary weapon designed to be an addition to the...
and spells
Magic (gaming)
Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
, through indoor and outdoor levels in order to progress. Monsters are encountered in both preset numbers and in areas with Monster Generators which spawn
Spawning (computer gaming)
In video games, spawning is the live creation of a character or item. Respawning is the recreation of an entity after its death or destruction....
both standard and boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
opponents until they are destroyed. Power-ups and coin fragments which grant different upgrades are hidden throughout the game. Power-ups include combat techniques, magic, weapon enhancements, and teleportation. Also earned throughout the game are experience points which can be converted into skills. These skills are of either "light" or "dark" alignment and the use of them has an effect on whether the player receives the "light" or "dark" ending.
The player will only achieve success in the game if he makes use of the extensive system for the further development of the heroine Ayumi - Experience Points earned, for example, must be converted to Skills. There are various Power-ups available to help the player as well, like combat techniques, magic, weapon enhancement and teleportation and the right mix will lead to success. Apart from that, the use of skills on the "good or bad side" also affects the finale. Depending on player actions, two different game endings await the heroine Ayumi - and that in itself is a hook for players.
Plot
Long, long ago, in an age that only the gods can now remember, the universe was ruled by two powerful beings that were revered and worshipped by all races - but the brotherly relationship between these two creatures was always in question from the beginning of time, simply because no one knew who the real number 1 was. While the Enlightened was on the side of good, helping his people how and when he could, the Dark One was quite the opposite, full of hate and devilish works - and so the never-ending battle between the Enlightened and the Dark One persisted for centuries. Humans suffered terribly thanks to this constant combat between the two - combat which shook the universe to its very core. Finally, thanks to a trick, the Enlightened succeeded in banishing the divine power of the Dark One, imprisoning it in an Artifact - but in doing so, the Enlightened lost his own divine powers, because the two divine beings were inseparably linked to one another. This is how two Artifacts came to be hidden in a huge Temple - and how the Enlightened prevented the downfall of the entire universe. However, these two artifacts contain total, absolute power - both good and evil. Any human being who comes in contact with the powerful stones will be horribly cursed - and the power of darkness will once again be awakened.The game begins when a map which has been lost for countless years suddenly turns up - and it shows the location of the artifacts. The adventurer Ayumi starts searching for the immensely valuable stones. Powerful forces against which she is helpless threaten to awake in her body. Now it's up to her to discover what the secret of the curse is - and at last defeat the darkness.
Synopsis
Ayumi uses the map to find her way to some ruins. In the heart of the ruins lies an artifact guarded by the Light, a lion-like being, who warns her that the power of the artifact is life-threatening to humans. Ayumi ignores the warning and touches the artifact anyways. A black ooze infects Ayumi with a curse, causing the Light to try to kill her. She fights the Light but is defeated when she is overwhelmed by the agony of the curse. She finds herself in a white void but is overwhelmed by the black ooze.Ayumi awakes on an abandoned coastline. She eventually makes her way to a gazebo in the nearby ruins and finds herself trapped in it as it is filled with spikes. She is rescued by Jay, an adept of the Light, who is searching for an artifact of the Light. Ayumi speculates that this might be able to cure her curse, and Jay offers to try to cure it himself. Instead, he provokes a violent reaction by the curse and flees. Ayumi makes her way to the Artifact and finds that it is guarded by the Dark, who is battling Jay. The Dark wounds Jay and then turns to attack Ayumi, hoping to regain his lost power. She defeats him and touches the Artifact. She finds herself once again in the white void, but this time is accompanied by the Light, who wakes her up.
She wakes up, discovering that the curse is gone. However, Jay is furious, saying that the curse had not been destroyed, merely, displaced. He then runs off. Ayumi eventually makes her way to the gates of a castle, where she again faces the Dark. The gates to the castle are broken down by Jay, who is now possessed by the dark magic of the curse. He destroys the Dark and takes its power. Ayumi and this Dark Jay fight, with Dark Jay retreating into the castle. Ayumi follows, facing him in the main hall of the castle.
The game's ending is dependent on the upgrades the player chooses during the course of the experience. If the player buys any of the Dark spells, then the "Bad" Ending is shown. If none of the Dark spells were unlocked, then the "Good" Ending is shown.
In the "Bad" Ending, Ayumi kills Jay. She mourns his death, wishing that she could have done differently.
In the "Good" Ending, Ayumi knocks back Jay and is overwhelmed by the power of the Light. This power overwhelms Jay as well. The two ascend in spheres into the sky. A flash of light then explodes outword, purging the power of the Dark from the world. Ayumi and Jay are then seen watching the sunrise together.
Development
X-Blades was originally published under the name Oniblade as a PC exclusive on November 28, 2007, in Russia by 1C Publishing. On Feb 29th, 2008, Southpeak Games announced that X-Blades would also be released on seventh-gen consoles late '08.Oniblade was developed by Gaijin Entertainment as the first action / anime-style game in Russia and uses the Dagor Engine 3.
James Seaman, Managing Director at Topware Interactive, was quoted as saying "Our goal was to create stylistic characters and artwork and to mix that bombastic visual style with lightning fast action. The result is a killer title that gamers and animation fans won't be able to put down."
Reception
Electronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
calls its "lead character, Ayumi...a typical sassy, scantily clad, smart-talking bad girl, who proves once and for all that a bikini-thong combination is suitable armor for taking on hordes of...just about anything." GameDaily featured Ayumi as one of their "Almost Famous Hotties" pleased with her artistic depiction yet dissatisfied with both the game and her personality.
X-Blades received average to negative reviews, garnering a 54/100 rating on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
reviewer Nate Ahearn scored X-Blades a 6.0/10, being displeased with the repetitive hack-and-slash gameplay, mediocre special effects, annoying controls, and weak AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
. G4
G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
's X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
rated the game 1 out of 5 saying "avoid, avoid, avoid." It also received one of X-Play's "Golden Mullet Awards" as one of the worst games of the year, that same year, in the category of game that "sounds like X-play when you say it fast". They noted that the main character's only power is that she does not wear pants, it was somewhat of a Tomb Raider knock off, as well as taking certain gameplay elements like switching from sword and gun attacks during battle from Devil May Cry. According to them the whole game seemed like something you'd expect to get from an amateur teenager game creator. They also noted that the game uses the overused "I'm the best there is" line.
The game was also mentioned in Zero Punctuation
Zero Punctuation
Zero Punctuation is an ongoing video game review series created by comedy writer and video game journalist Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw and published by the online magazine The Escapist.-Background:...
, when Graham Stark of LoadingReadyRun
LoadingReadyRun
LoadingReadyRun, often abbreviated to LRR, is a Canadian sketch comedy website, based in Victoria, British Columbia, founded by Graham Stark and Paul Saunders...
made a brief negative review noting both the similarities to previous games God of War
God of War (series)
God of War is a series of action-adventure video games based on Greek mythology.The main trilogy—God of War I, II, & III—in the series were developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's Santa Monica division , with Ready at Dawn Studios developing the PSP and Javaground the mobile phone installment...
and Heavenly Sword
Heavenly Sword
Heavenly Sword is a video game developed by Ninja Theory exclusively for the PlayStation 3 console and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe...
as well as the use of female anatomy. It was also the subject of Unskippable the following week, making light of the game's stilted dialogue and confusing chronology in the opening cutscene.
Downloadable content
Three levels, already packaged on the PlayStation 3 version of the game, were released on Xbox Live MarketplaceXbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
at the end of March 2009, as the "Sky Levels". CEO of Topware Interactive
TopWare Interactive
TopWare Interactive is a video game publisher and developer located in Paradise, Nevada.TopWare Interactive started out in 1995 as a video game publishing subsidiary of the TopWare CD Service AG based in Mannheim, Germany— which included a inhouse development studio based in Poland. In...
, the game's lead designer, has stated that an expansion pack for X-Blades is being developed, though no information about what the pack will contain has been released.