Bloodforge
| Bloodforge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) |
Climax Studios Microsoft Studios Imagination Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Studios |
| Director(s) |
Roger Carpenter Glenn Brace Earnest Yuen |
| Producer(s) |
Murray Andrews James Sharman Rhys Cadle |
| Designer(s) |
Craig Ledski Leigh Alexander Taylor Károly Kasszián |
| Programmer(s) |
Dave Owens Gareth Lewis |
| Artist(s) |
Mike Oakley Nick Hodgson Joel Mongeon |
| Writer(s) |
James Smythe Richard Bryant |
| Composer(s) | Aaron Miller[1] |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3 |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 |
| Release date(s) | April 25, 2012 |
| Genre(s) | Action, hack and slash |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Bloodforge is a third-person view hack and slash action game developed by Climax Studios, Microsoft Studios and Imagination Studios, and published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox Live Arcade in 2012. The game follows a warrior named Crom, who lusts for revenge against the Celtic gods that betrayed his life of peace, making him slay his own family.
Gameplay
Bloodforge is a hack and slash game in which the player must combat his enemies with an array of weaponry. The player uses an equipped weapon to attack opponents until they are defeated or get until they get disoriented (signaled by an icon on the head), where Crom can then perform a gruesome finishing move on the opponent. This gives the player more Blood which is the currency in the game. The more damage done to the enemy, the more Blood that is spilled, thereby rewarding the player with excessive amounts of Blood that can be then be used for purchasing upgrades for special abilities. The main weapons of the game are sword, war hammer, claws, and crossbow. All which have three available weapon upgrades. The Health Bar is shown at the top left of the screen in green, along with a Rage bar in red. Health and a variety of Runes can be found in breakable cairns, the player can also find Mana runes which recharge the Rune Bar.
Plot
Crom is a powerful and brute Celtic warrior who abandoned his life of battle to dwell in comfort with his beautiful wife, Alena. The story begins with Crom on a hunting trip as he dreams a horrific encounter with Arawn, the king of the netherworld realm of Annwn. Crom hastily returns home, only to find his village seemingly attacked by demons. Crom, consumed with rage, begins searching for his beloved Alena, he drives his sword into yet another demon, which transforms back into Alena. Disoriented and stricken with grief, Crom encounters the goddess Morrigan, who then leads him to the shrine of his ancestors, where he finds a mysterious gauntlet. She informs Crom that if he wants to exact his vengeance upon the god, he must traverse the Bloodforge. Crom accepts his overturn with fate and unleashes his unrelenting fury on all those who oppose him. Crom ventures off to discover the Bloodforge, massacre legions of demons, warriors, monsters, and butcher the very gods who betrayed him, including Aerten, the goddess of fate.
History
Bloodforge was developed by Climax Studios who collaborated with Microsoft to work on the game to only be released on Xbox 360 for the Xbox Live Arcade. After the game was completed, Microsoft decided to publish the game themselves and complete it under Microsoft Studios. Bloodforge was then released on April 25, 2012 on XBLA. An update on July 27 dramatically improved the camera, re-balanced difficulty and corrected issues with awards and achievements not unlocking.[2]
Reception
Critical reception towards the game was generally unfavourable. Bloodforge received a low rating of only 42/100 at review aggregation website Metacritic.[3]
References
- ↑ "Composer Profile: Meet the composer behind XBLA's Bloodforge". gamemusicfans.com. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
- ↑ Christine Mitchell (2012-08-27). "Bloodforge reforged with new title update". xblafans. Retrieved 2014-11-07.
- ↑ Metacritic staff. "Bloodforge for Xbox 360 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-05-05.