Over a series of black and white dioramas floating in nothingness, our tiny avatar draws his sword. On his whites, wolves, bats, demons, knights! So many threats to purify with a good swipe between the eyes…provided you don’t get torn to pieces. Because Bleak Sword DX promises to be a very tough game that will test our nerves. Devolver does not hesitate to qualify it by Elden Ring lo-fi, just that. You will have understood that the comparison is worth more for the atmosphere and the difficulty than for the exploration.
Very Dark Souls
In all, twelve chapters will sequence our adventure, with, along the way, a lot of equipment, skills and magical powers to recover. This ++ reissue certainly refines the visuals and gameplay, but also adds three game modes: Arena, Boss Rush and Randomizer, which mixes our progress in every way to keep us on our toes. Dare we call these mechanics… roguelite ? It tastes and smells like it. Reworked particle and light effects build a beautiful setting for this Bleak Sword DXmade up by the filters to give it a hell of a face.
On the music, we find Jim Guthrie, prolific songwriter whose talents we heard on Sword & Sworcery EP or Nobody Saves the World. The sound effects are provided by Joonas Turner, who has Nuclear Throne and Cult of the Lamb in his portfolio. A nice duo that promises to wake up our eardrums.
Bleak Sword DX will be optimized for the Steam Deck upon release. The most curious among you can check the quality of the port through the demo available on the Steam page.