Naraka: Bladepoint
PC
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.
It’s these mind games that make Naraka comparable to a fighting game, especially if you encounter another player who’s willing to take you on, warrior to warrior, out in the open. How likely it is that you’ll see these honourable duels play out is questionable: this isn’t Dark Souls, where invasions have an unspoken etiquette within the community. Naraka is first and foremost a battle royale, where players do whatever it takes to survive to the end, and if they can get the jump on you first and stab you in the back, they will. And despite the obvious thematic Eastern shift and emphasis on close-quarters combat (although there are just as many ranged weapons available), plus the lack of a traditional drop into the action, this still follows much of the genre’s structure.
Up to 60 players spawn on an island map where the field of play shrinks over time, a purple toxic shadow draining the health of anyone outside the perimeter. The goal is to be the last player or team standing, and while there are no bathrooms to hide in, verticality (by way of trees and pagodas) offers more ways for the cowardly to steer clear of confrontation, especially when just about anything can be grappled or climbed. Scrounging loot from glowing troves increases your chances of survival, with everything from weapons and armour to buffenhancing Souljades (colour-coded according to rarity) to be found. Resource-intensive areas also present a higher chance of encountering other players and encourage more clashes, with environments such as an abandoned mine and a dilapidated village designed like arenas.
Combat can be over in a flash – a Great Sword’s focus attack is almost guaranteed to one-shot anyone with no armour
As in other battle royales, combat can be over in a flash – a Great Sword’s focus attack is almost guaranteed to one-shot anyone with no armour. With much of the match filled with the ennui of preparation, the no-nonsense deathmatch-style Bloodbath mode (unlocked after reaching Level 5) is welcome for those purely invested in mastering the combat. The frustration of early failures, meanwhile, is quelled in Trios, where fallen party members have one chance to resurrect their spirits at a nearby altar during the early phase of the match, and will even be provided with random basic gear to give them a fighting chance. Other features take a leaf from innovations introduced in Apex Legends, from the ping system for marking loot, waypoints and visible enemies to having a small but hopefully expanding roster of heroes to play, each with skills and ultimates that can easily shift the balance. Some feel particularly suited to a team dynamic, such as Kurumi, who has healing abilities, while Matari’s ultimate can make her and her teammates invisible for a clean getaway or a stealthy counter. In a solo match it’s perhaps too easy to have an ultimate banked, potentially making the next encounter horribly one-sided – especially since Viper Ning’s Twilight Crimson leaves visible opponents stunned for five seconds, which is often all it takes to finish them off.
While sticking together is recommended – there is no fun or honour in being outnumbered – group clashes can be too chaotic to parse, any attempt at skilful play giving way to blade mash-ups, which only get more confusing when hero skills are thrown into the mix. Traversal issues also abound: the price for being able to climb anything is that it’s too easy to get stuck in the scenery when you’re in a hurry, and there’s little worse than wasting a spool as your grapple path snags on a branch or rock. Rough edges are par for the course in a battle royale, but risk undermining the PlatinumGameslevel fluidity to which Naraka clearly aspires, especially when it’s been released as a paid title. Still, as we watch the shadow closing in on us from the top of a temple, or perfectly time a parry to swing a match back in our favour, that wuxia fantasy keeps us persevering with a game that may yet evolve and slice through the genre chains that keep it, for now, from greatness.