Of Blades & Tails Review

Of Blades & Tails is a tactical turn-based RPG developed by Felix Laukel and published by Pineapple Works. It was released in Early Access on 19th October 2022, and over a year later, it has been fully released. The games page claims that it rewards thoughtful approaches but still delivers action-oriented gameplay, so let's see if it delivers.

In a world where humanity has disappeared and animals have been magically uplifted, you play as Reik, a clever fox who must leave their village and become the hero the world needs at its most dire hour. Checking the Steam page, it’s clear that the writing wasn’t the top priority, but the story is serviceable for what it is. I didn’t need anything too complex here to really draw me in.

As for the presentation of the game, it's fairly good, if somewhat simplistic. While the character portraits are lovingly detailed, everything else looks sort of like basic pixel art fantasy assets, which is not bad at all. It certainly fits the style and world Of Blades & Tails is going for. I do want to note that while the main character can display their currently equipped weapon and armour (which is a very nice touch), their animation is almost non-existent, only tilting side-to-side to indicate movement. It actually sort of feels like moving and animating a miniature figure on a board, which I kind of like. Really leans into it being an RPG and a charming one at that.

But enough about graphics. Let’s get into the gameplay, which is pretty simple to understand, even without going through the tutorial. You can play the entire game using only the mouse. Buttons can be used for accessing different skills and menus, but I found the mouse to be more than enough. If you have a touchscreen monitor, try it out. Anyways, your quest will have you move from one area to another in a grid-based manner, fighting monsters and meeting people in order to level up and get stronger. The map is fairly big with different biomes to explore, but there are also some distractions you can go and do if you spot a ‘?’ on the map, such as bandit camps to wipe out, spider nests to avoid, and randomly generated dungeons to loot. There is a main quest, but I often find myself doing something else. That’s a good thing, right?

Well, let’s get into combat. Fighting is all about what happens on your next turn. You’ll be moving on a grid, selecting attacks and skills to ensure your survival. You’re on your own for the most part, which feels kind of weird for this type of game, but it does force you to think hard about how you build your character with attributes as you level up and the types of skills you learn. You can equip two weapons that you can switch between in combat, as well as an additional hot bar of skills you can customise to your liking. It’s not a free action without the right skill, but it definitely opens up a fair deal of strategy. I liked this system; it somewhat makes up for the lack of party members, and there isn’t much stopping you from playing around with your build and adapting to the situation. Without class forcing you to choose a playstyle and stick with it, you’re free to change it up if you feel your current strategies aren’t working.

And that’s what I like most about the game: You are heavily encouraged to stop and think about your next move at every turn, especially after you learn a few skills and need to start worrying about your stamina and mana. With only a single character to control going against enemies that love to gang up on you, fighting your way out of situations just relying on pure stats will often end with you getting yourself killed or on low health, so something else can pick you off a little later down the road. You need to use your skills wisely, take advantage of the environment and blow up toxic bomb plants and explosive barrels, use items like globs of webbing to stun opponents, or simply stand back and watch as the enemies take each other out and then swoop in to deal with the survivors. I love this type of combat system where I have to sit back and think before I act. It’s certainly better than some combat systems that can easily boil down to hitting the confirm button until everything is dead at high enough levels.

Dying isn’t all that bad, though. You are just sent back to your last bonfire. One of the goals of the game was to be accessible for all skill types, but I think it could’ve been done a little better. Being pushed back from progress and needing to constantly save so that you don’t lose your looted equipment and EXP can be tedious and annoying.

I didn’t find anything wrong with the game on a technical level, so let’s talk about my general gripes with the game. I found the beginning of the game to be pretty difficult, with many of my early encounters forcing me to use items, and with the limited amount of money you earn, getting potions is a costly yet necessary expense. Bandits are especially tough to fight, and you encounter them early and frequently. It’s especially annoying when they cast this shield that negates damage for a few turns. It’s just free damage against you.

Overall, I found Of Blades & Tails to be fun, making me come back for more, but you’re definitely going to need to put in the work. I like the combat system and the world to explore, but the early game can be tough, with enemies constantly wanting to fight you when you just want to get to the next town without dying or using up all your items. It’s a game that respects your intelligence and makes you pause before taking action. I recommend this game for RPG lovers. At its current price point, there’s no reason not to get it.