Developer 24 Entertainment

Publisher NetEase Games Montreal

Format PC

Release Out now

Glimpsing a rooftop as we materialise on Morus Isle for the first time, our immediate instinct is to fly up there using Naraka: Bladepoint’s grapple. It’s here we’re suddenly reminded by our unimpressed blindfolded assassin Viper Ning that we need to pick up some spools first. Fortunately, they’re in plentiful supply, but even though you can hold six in a single inventory slot, space is still at a premium when you have to account for equally important consumables for healing or repairs, which makes us more cautious about nonchalantly zipping around. And that’s before we discover there’s a limit to how far you can grapple, as the reticule fails to pick up a cliff face just out of reach. Greater disappointment is to come: we find a forest of bamboo, only to find it can’t be targeted, dashing our hopes of reenacting that iconic sequence from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Just as Sony’s PS5 tagline jars in the face of ongoing console shortages, so there are limits to Naraka: Bladepoint’s promise of “unchained” play.

We can appreciate it’s probably for the sake of balance. After all, the grapple can get you out of a tight spot, but you can also it attach to an opponent and launch yourself towards them for a surprise strike, so it’s shrewd of 24 Entertainment to ensure it’s not abused. The same can be said for the weapon-based combat, which reveals depths beyond its initially straightforward rock-paper-scissors system: charged focus attacks can absorb and cut through standard attacks; parries counter focus attacks but are useless against normal attacks. A successful parry can be devastating, not just knocking down the opponent but also disarming them. While it’s easy to punish a novice who’s mashing simple combos where the third attack – or second for the Greatsword – automatically changes into a glowing blue focus attack, more mindful players can keeping holding down the charge in the hope their opponent whiffs the parry, or even cancel the animation with a crouch.