Most of us Elder Scrolls fans have been craving for the next Skyrim for years. Does the latest instalment in The Elder Scrolls series deliver where its predecessors thrived? Or does Blades standalone as a good mobile game? What’s it …
Most of us Elder Scrolls fans have been craving for the next Skyrim for years. Does the latest instalment in The Elder Scrolls series deliver where its predecessors thrived? Or does Blades standalone as a good mobile game?
I figured we should start off here as many players downloaded The Elder Scrolls: Blades with an expectation to at least be able to play it. They left most of us disappointing as you needed to register for a Bethesda account and sign up for early access separately. After this, they sent me an email telling me I finally had access to Blades, and could not wait to pick up my mobile.
Immediate first impressions are promising as Blades seems to be very streamlined. They layout quests clearly and concisely, and they include relevant information like the difficulty and rewards. So you know exactly what you will be doing and why you are doing it. This is something that some users found difficult in a campaign as large as Skyrim.
The next feature worth mentioning is that lock picking is gone. So far I have yet to walk up to a door or chest that requires a lock pick. Instead, there are secret levers to open locked doors, or the doors just open when you click on them. Chests are no longer opened in the game instead they are picked up and placed in the game menu. Here you can open your chests, which by the way, are now equipped with wait timers.
Combat is easy to pick up but hard to master. Fighting is normally a one-on-one experience where you have to press and hold your attacks to damage. Letting go at just the right time ensures your hit is stronger than normal. But, some targets drop out of the attacking distance, so time you initial tap when the enemy moves towards you.
Yes, to put it in one word playing The Elder Scrolls: Blades is enjoyable. I would drop any Skyrim or Oblivion expectations as Blades has been tailored for a mobile experience.
So far, there has been no traversing in the wilderness, stumbling upon caves or other surprises. When you want to start a quest, you appear in the quest’s location. When you are finished, you can explore the area, or just return to your destroyed city.
One genre of games that has been hugely popular in the mobile gaming world is city building. Blades take place in a destroyed walled city, which used to be your home. It’s now your job to rebuild this city from the ground up, including the town hall, smithy and various monuments.
If you like quests, city building or just a fan of The Elder Scrolls universe, then yes. Blades tries to deliver a detailed storyline to the mobile gaming universe. There are many reasons to like Blades, and there are several features that will come out at a later date, like the PvP elements. What I am trying to say is enjoy it for what it is.
No, it doesn’t look like a game designed to be used with an MFi controller, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it. It’s free to play so there will be incentives to pay, but I am sure there is a wealth of content to enjoy here.
