Summary
MercurySteam, the developer behind 2021’sMetroid Dreadhas announced its next project, a fantasy epic calledBlades of Fire. The studio also has some other well-known games on its resume, includingCastlevania: Lords of Shadow,Metroid: Samus Returnsfor Nintendo 3DS, and a co-developing credit forClive Barker’s Jericho.The upcoming action-adventure game byMercurySteamwill be published by 505 Games.
Developed alongside Nintendo EDP,Metroid Dreadis the game MercurySteam will be most recently known for. The title won numerous awards when it was released, including Nintendo Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards, Game of the Year from NME, and two accolades for Best Action/Adventure Game from The Game Awards andFamitsu’s Dengeki Game Awards. The huge success ofMetroid Dread, its engaging boss fights and combat, rich environments, and compelling gameplay led to high review scores and anticipation for MercurySteam’s next endeavor.
That game will be arriving on May 13, 2025, according to an announcement by MercurySteam and 505 Games.Blades of Fireis asingle-player experienceand will be released on Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and preorders are currently open. Those who purchase the game early will be rewarded with Iron Paladin and Lord of Steel Attires for the game’s protagonist, forging materials, and a weapon decoration.
Blades of Fireintroduces players to Aran de Lira, “the last hero who can wield steel,” on a mission to kill the queen, who has cast a spell that turns all steel into stone and thus renders her army invincible. Accompanying him is Adso de Zelk, a scholar who abandons his studies at the Abbey of Egion to help Aran on his quest. Adso uses his knowledge tosolve puzzles, decipher ancient spells, and build a compendium of enemies encountered along the way.
Throughout their journey, Aran will use his skills, along with uncovered Forge Scrolls, to craft different weapons to suit various playstyles.Blades of Firewill offer seven weapon families and more than 30 Forge Scrolls to find, allowing for great customizability and experimentation. The protagonist will then take his newly forged weapons to the game’s over 50 enemy types, where players will be able to select the body part they want to attack. And using the appropriate weapon type will be crucial to coming out on top.
This may not be the only game that MercurySteam has on its drafting table, either. In 2023, an earnings report by minority stakeholder Nordisk Games revealed that the studio is in fact working on two games. The fantasy project being published by 505, at the time known only as Project Iron, is surelyBlades of Fire.The second game is still an unknown, but rumors began swirling in February thatMercurySteam may be working on anotherMetroidgame. After players have jumped into the world of Aran and Adso, the developer will hopefully begin to share more about the its second project.
