Info about Bladesong:

Official game description:
Discord
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Roadmap
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About the Game
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The Songs have fallen silent and the world lies in ruin, lost to madness and despair. But within the high walls of Eren Keep, life persists – held together by unbreakable will and the iron fist of the Masked King, ruler and tyrant, savior and messiah.
As the swordsmith of Eren Keep, you turn steel into something more precious than gold. Customers come with coin in their hands and demands on their lips, seeking blades of deadly precision, balance, and beauty. Meet their requests, perfect your craft and find trusted companions in one of the last beacons of civilization.
Yet in the dark corners of Eren Keep, whispers of rebellion stir. The former blacksmith’s mysterious disappearance looms as an ill omen over the role you play. But play it you must, for in Eren Keep, the right blade in the right hand will change everything.
Craft swords your way using freeform blade shaping and an intricate modular building system. Create the weapons of any world – East to West, history to fantasy – with every detail customized, every piece meticulously crafted and adorned. Explore a vast library of sword parts and engravings, with plenty of materials like metal, leather, wood, obsidian and ivory to choose from. No two creations are the same.
Take commissions from warriors, nobles, and mercenaries. Use innovative tools to design and craft each sword, balancing ratings and requirements with precision to meet your customers’ specific needs and expectations. Learn how to curve blades and carve engravings, acquire rare materials, and expand your arsenal of sword parts. Keep up with demand by hiring unique characters to your forge, each with their own ambitions and stories.
Visit beautifully illustrated locations around Eren Keep, from the bustling Citadel Square to the local tavern The Den, to find opportunity, alliances, or merely a moment of respite. As you craft blades for Eren Keep’s various factions – like the scavenging Crows or the scholars of the Magisterium – will you be drawn into their visions for reclaiming the fallen world? Or will your growing influence risk attracting the Masked King’s silent gaze?
Grow your collection of sword parts in Campaign Mode and forge without limits in Creative Mode, a deep swordmaking sandbox featuring a vast library of sword parts, tools, materials, and engravings. Use Magic Words to easily share creations among Bladesong’s active community of swordsmiths, and print models of your in-game creations by exporting STL files for 3D printing. Find inspiration in regular community challenges and join the club of champions!
_**We think you'll love Bladesong if you enjoy…**_
_Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, Baldur’s Gate 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Hellish Quart, Half Sword, Blade and Sorcery, PC Building Simulator, Potion Craft, Disco Elysium, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Total War: MEDIEVAL II, Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder._

Release date: Jan 22, 2026

Categories: Crafting, Character Progression, Choice-based Narrative, Resource Management, Customization, Dark Fantasy, Story-driven Gameplay

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 10; verdict: Fair; summary: Reviews explicitly mention no microtransactions.
- Steam Deck: score 10; verdict: Seamless; summary: The game performs well on Steam Deck with minimal configuration required, providing a seamless experience. Users have also reported a positive experience with the game's controls, graphics, and story, indicating a high level of satisfaction.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $15.00 - $25.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence shows that multiple users find the game worth the price, even in its early access state. The general sentiment is that the game offers good value for money, with specific mentions of it being worth the price point. The positive reviews outweigh the negative ones, and even those who mention the price do so in a context that suggests they find the game worth the cost.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 17.0h
  - Story completion: 9.0h
  - Session length: 3.5h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several data points regarding playtime. One user spent 3.5 hours on the demo and nearly 9 hours on the full game, indicating a session length of around 3.5 hours and a story completion time of approximately 9 hours. Another player mentioned losing almost 8 hours in a single session, suggesting a long session length. Additionally, a user reported 17 hours to exhaust early access content, which hints at a longer game completion time. Finally, another review mentions putting in hours on the creative mode, supporting the idea of extended playtime for those deeply engaged in the game's creative aspects.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game becomes fun and engaging primarily due to its compelling story and progression system, despite a slow and somewhat repetitive start.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Unlocking new skills and progressing through the story
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: Slow start; Unclear tutorial; Repetitive gameplay; Energy system limitations
  - Unlock drivers: Story progression; Skill unlocks; Resource management
  - Conditions: Engaging with the story; Mastering crafting mechanics; Exploring creative freedom in sword design
- Player Archetypes:
  - Sword Enthusiast Crafter (buy)
    - Motivation: Creative freedom and detailed crafting mechanics.
    - Playstyle: Focused on crafting and customizing swords, often spending a lot of time in creative mode.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: sword enthusiast; crafting fan; blacksmith
    - Reference games: Minecraft; Kingdom Come: Deliverance; Warframe
  - Story-Driven Roleplayer (buy)
    - Motivation: Engaging story and role-playing elements.
    - Playstyle: Focused on progressing through the story and making narrative choices.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: story enthusiast; role-player; narrative fan
    - Reference games: Disco Elysium; Baldur's Gate 3; The Witcher
  - Casual Relaxation Seeker (sale)
    - Motivation: Relaxing and casual gameplay experience.
    - Playstyle: Casual and relaxed, often playing the game in the background while doing other activities.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: casual gamer; relaxation seeker
    - Reference games: Stardew Valley; Animal Crossing; Minecraft


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Detailed sword crafting (weight 0.96): The game features advanced and intuitive sword crafting mechanics. Players appreciate the ability to create intricate and complex swords with a wide range of materials and parts.
- Engaging and immersive story (weight 0.84): The story mode is highly praised for being well-written, engaging, and immersive. Players find it fun, fulfilling, and beautifully illustrated, with a good mix of narrative and world-building.
- Fun and enjoyable gameplay (weight 0.59): The gameplay is described as fun, easy to understand, and engaging. It offers a mix of story-driven experiences and creative freedom, making it enjoyable and worth the money.
- Well-crafted characters and world-building (weight 0.29): The game features well-crafted characters and compelling world-building. Players find the characters authentic and the world-building engaging and immersive.

Common complaints:
- Not a realistic forging simulator (weight 0.22): The game is criticized for not being realistic enough as a forging simulator, with simplified and unrealistic sword forging mechanics.
- Story is too short and simple (weight 0.22): The story is perceived as too short, simple, and aimed at a younger audience. It is also seen as incomplete and rushed.
- Story mode is unfinished (weight 0.15): The story mode is seen as incomplete and not fully implemented, with content being too little and scattered.
- Repetitive gameplay (weight 0.15): The gameplay is described as repetitive and monotonous, lacking variety in activities and descriptions.
- Lack of voice acting (weight 0.15): The game lacks voice acting, a narrator, and verbal dialogue, which detracts from the storytelling experience.
- Text-based story mode (weight 0.15): The story mode is heavily text-based, which can be tedious and boring due to the amount of reading required.
- Creative mode limitations (weight 0.15): Creative mode is seen as inefficient, difficult to use, and lacking in precise forging options compared to story mode.
- Limited language support (weight 0.13): The game lacks support for multiple languages, including Russian and Spanish, and can be confusing for non-English speakers.
- Interface improvements needed (weight 0.12): The game's interface, including the hilt UI and engraving tools, needs improvements and better organization.
- Game needs polishing (weight 0.11): The game is seen as not very fun and needs some polishing, with some bugs and fine-tuning required.
- Skill checks mostly fail (weight 0.08): Players report that skill checks mostly fail, making it difficult to pass associated checks.
- Not worth the price (weight 0.07): The game is criticized for not being worth its price, with some players finding it slightly overpriced.
- Handle wrapping issues (weight 0.07): There are issues with handle wrapping, such as it not following the blade shape well and materials not lining up properly.
- No way to save swords (weight 0.07): There is no way to save swords or look back at previously made swords without manually saving them.
- Limited variety in sword repairs (weight 0.07): There is a limited variety in swords for repairs, making the repairing process monotonous.
- Story mode lacks excitement (weight 0.05): The story mode is criticized for being slow, monotonous, and lacking excitement.
- Stat system needs improvement (weight 0.05): The stat system is not obvious and needs tuning or further development.
- Insufficient variety in blade crafting (weight 0.05): There is a need for more variety in sword-making and blade crafting.
- Generic commissions with conflicting requirements (weight 0.05): Commissions are seen as generic and have conflicting or unsatisfactory requirements.
- Commissions don't reflect material usage (weight 0.05): The estimated requirements for commissions do not accurately reflect the actual material usage needed for the final product.
- Lack of rewards for detailed swords (weight 0.05): The game does not provide reasons or rewards for creating detailed swords.
- Limited color selection (weight 0.05): The game has a limited variety of colors available for selection.
- Early Access limitations (weight 0.05): The game is in Early Access and has limitations associated with this status.
- Slow update speed (weight 0.05): The game is criticized for having a slow update speed and being generally slow.
- Issues with sharpness mechanics (weight 0.04): There are issues reported with the sharpness mechanics in the game.

Gameplay feedback:
- Story mode with RPG elements (weight 0.46): The story mode integrates role-playing elements, allowing players to make decisions that affect the narrative and character development. This includes branching decisions, multiple endings, and consequences for player actions.
- Comprehensive blacksmithing mechanics (weight 0.42): The game features an extensive blacksmithing system that allows players to craft and design weapons creatively. This includes various aspects of smithing, such as forging, hammering, and creating custom sword designs.
- Creative sword crafting and design (weight 0.42): Players can engage in creative sword crafting, which involves puzzle-like mechanics and allows for a high degree of customization and creativity in sword design. This feature is central to the gameplay and character progression.
- Text-based narrative and storytelling (weight 0.39): The game employs a text-based narrative structure, presenting the story through well-written text and illustrations. This choice-driven gameplay enhances the role-playing elements and immerses players in the game's dark fantasy setting.
- Dark fantasy setting (weight 0.2): The game is set in a dark fantasy world, which includes elements of medieval and post-apocalyptic themes. This setting is integral to the story and visual style of the game.
- Complex mechanics and progression (weight 0.19): The game features complex mechanics that involve improving stats, solving mysteries, and progressing through scenarios. These elements add depth and challenge to the gameplay.
- Character development and interactions (weight 0.13): Character development is a significant aspect of the game, with players able to interact with various characters, each with unique personalities and attributes.
- Resource and economic management (weight 0.11): Resource management is a key aspect of the gameplay, requiring players to think strategically about which jobs to take and how to manage their resources effectively.
- 3D modeling and exporting (weight 0.07): Players can export their sword designs into 3D models, allowing them to create real-life replicas using 3D machines. This feature adds a unique dimension to the crafting system.
- Early access content (weight 0.07): The game is currently in early access, providing players with a glimpse of the content and mechanics that are still being developed and refined.

Performance notes:
- High hardware resource usage (weight 0.12): The game uses an excessive amount of hardware resources, leading to performance issues. This includes high PC specifications and overheating problems.
- Game crashes frequently (weight 0.08): The game has significant stability issues, causing frequent crashes on various devices. This includes multiple reports of the game crashing PCs and devices repeatedly.
- Performance issues (weight 0.08): There are various performance issues reported, including stuttering and grainy graphics after extended play sessions. General optimization issues have also been noted.
- Buggy gameplay experience (weight 0.08): Players have reported encountering bugs during gameplay. These bugs affect the overall gaming experience and can be quite frequent.
- Graphics and display performance (weight 0.08): The game has mixed reviews regarding graphics performance. Some players report it looks good on low settings, while others mention issues with FOV and camera during forging.
- Touch screen compatibility (weight 0.03): Players have requested improvements for touch screen playability, indicating that the current setup is not optimized for touch screens.
- Runs well on Linux (weight 0.03): The game runs great on Linux, indicating good compatibility and performance on this operating system.

Recommendations:
- Highly recommended game (weight 0.29): Many players fully recommend this game, describing it as well worth the price and a must-play for those interested in swords and related themes.
- Suggestions for gameplay improvements (weight 0.19): Several suggestions have been made to enhance gameplay, including adding a quenching system, improving camera operation, and introducing new game modes and customization options.
- Desire for additional features (weight 0.13): Players have expressed a desire for various additional features such as a museum to review past works, an exhibition hall, training dummies, and more weapon types beyond swords.
- Anticipation for future updates (weight 0.12): Players are eagerly looking forward to future updates, story releases, and additional content, indicating a strong interest in the game's ongoing development.
- Recommendations for specific audiences (weight 0.08): The game is particularly recommended for fans of specific series like The Witcher, Fallen London, Sunless Sea, and Sunless Skies, as well as for those interested in forging games and creative storytelling.
- Positive reception with reservations (weight 0.07): Some players find the game worth trying but suggest waiting for major patches or full release, indicating that while the game is promising, it still has room for improvement.
- Miscellaneous suggestions and feedback (weight 0.07): Various other suggestions and feedback have been provided, such as adding voice acting for the main story dialog, recommending songs to listen to while playing, and trying the demo.

Other player notes:
- Workshop Support Needed (weight 0.03): Players have expressed a desire for workshop support, which would allow for community-created content and mods.
- Early Access Status (weight 0.03): The game is currently in Early Access, which may affect the overall gaming experience and stability.
- Russian Language Support (weight 0.03): The game includes an AI localizer for the Russian language, which can enhance the gaming experience for Russian-speaking players.

Emotions:
- Enjoyment (weight 0.18): Players appreciate the game's engaging story, creative freedom in sword-making, and the relaxing yet detailed blacksmithing mechanics. The combination of RPG elements, character progression, and the ability to export creations to STL for 3D printing adds to the enjoyment.
- Excitement (weight 0.16): The anticipation for future updates, story progression, and the potential of the game's creative modes and story modes excites players. The engaging story, vivid world-building, and the unique features like the smithing system and 3D printing export feature contribute to this excitement.
- Frustration (weight 0.08): Players are frustrated by various issues such as game crashes, performance problems, unclear tutorials, and repetitive tasks. The lack of key rebinding, limited customization options, and unrealistic blacksmithing mechanics also contribute to this frustration.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.08): The high freedom in blacksmithing and sword customization, along with the detailed and creative gameplay, provides a satisfying experience. Players also appreciate the engaging story, the ability to create and export swords, and the overall quality and freedom the game offers.
- Surprise (weight 0.06): Players are pleasantly surprised by the depth of the game's story and its various systems. The unexpected enjoyment of the story mode, the compelling world-building, and the game's overall excellence and creative freedom contribute to this surprise.
- Disappointment (weight 0.05): The lack of true blacksmithing simulation, repetitive gameplay, and limited content lead to disappointment. Players also express dissatisfaction with the game's current state, performance issues, and the lack of interaction with crafted swords.
- Excited (weight 0.05): Players are excited about the game's potential for future development and the detailed mechanics and gameplay it offers. The extensive customization options for weapons, the aesthetic, lore, and the unique game aspects contribute to this excitement.
- Hopeful (weight 0.03): Players are hopeful about the game's potential for future updates and improvements. They anticipate more narrative content, additional features, and faster updates, showing a positive outlook on the game's development.
- Anticipation (weight 0.03): Players eagerly await future updates, new content, and the next chapters of the game. The anticipation for more story content and world interaction keeps them engaged and looking forward to what's next.
- Hope (weight 0.02): Players have high hopes for the final product, including a multi-ending approach and more weapon variety. They hope for improvements in mechanics and express a desire for the game to evolve beautifully and darkly.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): The ability to make swords real and the creative aspects of the game generate enthusiasm. Players are excited about the game's potential, crafting mechanics, and the overall positive experience it offers.
- Frustrated (weight 0.02): Players are frustrated by commission requirements, color customization limitations, and glitchy sword mechanics. The inability to complete tutorials and the lack of NPC interactions and variety in daily tasks add to this frustration.
- Love (weight 0.02): Players express overall enjoyment of the game, particularly appreciating the gameplay and story mode. The game's features and the engaging experience it provides foster a sense of love among players.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the detailed crafting system, engaging story mode, and the game's suitability for blacksmithing enthusiasts. The compelling story, freedom in the game's text, and the high-quality music also contribute to this appreciation.
- Engaged (weight 0.02): The story and characters, along with the sword crafting and smooth gameplay, keep players engaged. The progression system, good writing, and bladecrafting mechanics also contribute to this engagement.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): The immersive story, character interactions, and captivating storylines keep players engaged. The dark fantasy story and solid story elements add to the overall engagement with the game.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Players experience joy from the game's ability to greatly exceed expectations and the high degree of enjoyment it provides. The captivating plot and inspiring setting contribute to this joy, making the game one of their favorites.
- Interest (weight 0.01): Players are interested in future updates and the story mode's choice-driven elements. The complex smithing and interesting story keep them intrigued and wanting more.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): The game evokes nostalgia through branching decisions reminiscent of CRPGs and comparisons to classic games like Need for Speed Most Wanted. Reminiscing about childhood dreams of making swords and doodling sword designs adds to this nostalgic feeling.
- Amazement (weight 0.01): Players are amazed by the incredible and gut-wrenching writing for the story. The ability to 3D print parts and create amazing swords and shovels also contributes to this sense of amazement.}