Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War

Last updated
Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War
Bladestorm The Hundred Years War decalless cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Omega Force
Publisher(s) Koei
Koei Tecmo (Nightmare)
Director(s) Kenichi Ogasawara
Designer(s) Shigeto Nakadai
Programmer(s) Atsushi Miyauchi
Artist(s) Nobuo Miyoshi
Composer(s) Jamie Christopherson
Series Dynasty Warriors
Platform(s)
Release
August 30, 2007
  • PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
    • JP: August 30, 2007 (PS3) [1]
    • JP: October 25, 2007 (X360)
    • EU: November 2, 2007 [2]
    • NA: November 6, 2007 [3]
    • AU: November 15, 2007 [4]
    Bladestorm: Nightmare
    PS3, PS4, Xbox One
    Windows
    • WW: May 29, 2015 [8]
Genre(s) Real-time tactics
Mode(s) Single-player

Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War is a historical real-time tactics video game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms. It was published by Koei and developed by Omega Force. An enhanced expansion remake, entitled Bladestorm: Nightmare was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in Japan on January 29, 2015, and in March 2015 for the rest of the world. The worldwide Windows release was on May 29, 2015. The game is loosely based on the Hundred Years' War between the Kingdoms of England and France in the 14th and 15th centuries. Just like the Kessen and Musou series from Koei, certain liberties are taken from the original history. For example, unlike what happened in real life, it is possible to save Joan of Arc from being burned at the stake. The Nightmare edition features creatures like dragons and goblins in an alternate storyline.

Contents

Plot

The game opens with a scene showing two anonymous mercenaries fighting each other during a clash between French and English troops. They converse as they fight, setting the tone of the game as they discuss the nature of mercenaries (who change sides as it suits them), how there is no real right or wrong in the war, and how time seems to be standing still (even though the game covers events across the entirety of the Hundred Years' War, the game does not strictly follow chronology; for example, the player can fight alongside Gilles de Rais in one battle and with John Chandos in the next).

The player character, a mercenary leader in the making, fights in battles to advance the plot. Much of the game's story comes from overheard conversations in the tavern between battles. While most missions do not contribute to the plot, the player will often be given the chance to fight in famous battles, typically on the side that historically won. These special battles are usually accompanied by cutscenes that build on the story arcs of the various characters in the game.

The story follows a large cast of characters both roughly historical and original. The two most prominent characters are Edward the Black Prince, introduced campaigning for England at the beginning of the game, and Joan of Arc, who is introduced fighting for France much later. Many of the game's characters are paired; for example, John Talbot and John Fastolf interact frequently with each other and their story arcs are entwined throughout the game, and Phillippe le Bon is always accompanied by his subordinate Marie.

The plot hinges on the key battles of Crécy, Poitiers, and Orléans. Unlike most special battles, the player must choose a side. Depending on the player's choices, either Joan or Edward offers a commission in their army for the climactic battle – Bordeaux for the French and Agincourt for the English.

Gameplay

The player starts the game by creating a customizable mercenary character. The player character must lead squads of troops to be effective; unsupported, the mercenary is very vulnerable. Over the course of the game, the player will improve the character by acquiring better arms and armor, improving leadership abilities, and learning how to command numerous unit types.

The gameplay takes place on battlefields in different regions of France and the Low Countries. At first, the player can only fight in the Normandy region, but as the game progresses the player can eventually fight in Brittany, Flanders, Champagne, Aquitaine, Gascony, the Île-de-France, and Auvergne. Battles are broken down by days (which last 10 real-time minutes), during which time the player can fight as he or she chooses. The player's objective is to fulfill the contract he or she accepted for that particular battle, typically by capturing a number of strategic locations for his or her side. Fighting frequently for one side in a particular region will result in that side dominating the region; as this reduces the opportunities to for capturing locations and gaining experience, players are subtly discouraged from favoring one side too much and benefit from maintaining a rough parity between the French and English.

Each battlefield has villages, castles, and cities that can be captured. Each of these has a defense value; small villages have a value as low as three, while walled cities have a value of nine. The player can reduce this defense value to zero by defeating the troops defending the location or escorting allied troops in assaults on the location. Once the defense value reaches zero, the base commander appears. When the base commander is defeated, the location is captured. Each side also has a variety of skilled officers leading troops. Capturing locations and defeating officers rewards the player with loot.

Combat takes place when opposing forces attack each other, whether under player control or not. To prevail in battle, the player must make use of appropriate units and abilities to fit the situation. In addition to a standard attack, each squad has three special abilities; for example, sword-and-shield infantry can stun enemies with a shield bash, raise their shields to sacrifice mobility for frontal defense, and can use a brief heavy strike to unleash wide-sweeping high-damage attacks. Special abilities operate on cooldowns. The more the player uses a certain unit type, the more experience is gained for that unit type. Experience points can be used to upgrade the passive attributes and active abilities for those units. [9]

The game includes a wide range of different warrior squads to command and recruit. The player can lead only one squad at a time, but may take command of any squad on the field unless it is a special base defense squad, already led by another officer, or is part of a unit type that the player has not yet learned to lead. At first, the player can only lead swordsmen, archers, and mounted warriors, but can find and purchase books that will let him or her lead other unit types. Unit types vary from historical (longbowmen, men-at-arms) to anachronistic (chariots) to foreign (ninjas, camels) to fantasy (magicians). Each unit type is broken down into a number of varying subtypes; for example, the Rapier group includes shield, two-handed, and dual-wielding squads, each with their own special abilities. Each unit type has a rock-paper-scissors relationship with other unit types. When the player has an extreme advantage over an opposing unit type, a greenish-blue light will appear over the enemy squad-leader's head. A reddish shadow indicates an extreme disadvantage. For example, cavalry are very effective against swordsmen, but can be defeated easily by pikemen.

Between battles, the player character spends time at a tavern which serves as a hub. Here, the player can converse with other mercenaries, purchase equipment from a merchant, recruit squads which can be called upon at any time in battle, and accept contracts.

Reception

The game met with mixed critical reception. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 65.44% and 63 out of 100 for the Xbox 360 version, [10] [12] and 60.17% and 58 out of 100 for the PlayStation 3 version. [11] [13]

Brett Todd of GameSpot gave the game a score of 5/10. [23] He said that "Fresh ideas can't save [the game] from mediocrity." Some of his complaints were that the campaign "just recycles the same style of battles over and over again," there was "no strategic depth or arcade satisfaction," the game suffered from an "ineffective artificial intelligence," and "dated visuals and sound." On the positive side, he said that the game featured "easy-to-use controls for commanding companies of troops," and he thought the game had a "great idea to blend arcade action with squad combat."

However, Dave McCarthy of Eurogamer gave the X360 version a score of 8/10. [19] McCarthy said "It's...a very, very good videogame: another brilliant evolution of Koei's unique interpretation of the real-time strategy genre, and every bit as satisfying as previous efforts. What it lacks in terms of the speed and immediacy of, say, Gundam Musou , it makes up for with strategic range, design ingenuity, and conceptual novelty."

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Burnout Revenge</i> 2005 video game

Burnout Revenge is a 2005 racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360.

<i>Chromehounds</i> 2006 video game

Chromehounds is a 2006 mech simulator video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sega for the Xbox 360. The game is set in an alternate universe where mecha known as HOUNDs battle for control of Neroimus, a fictional region near the Black Sea. Chromehounds features a system for personalized customization of the player's mecha and an online campaign mode where players wage war in a persistent world over Xbox Live. The game's online servers were shut down in January 2010.

<i>Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia</i> 2007 video game

Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia is a video game for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows, developed by Artificial Studios and Immersion Games. Players are able to combine objects found around the town to create bigger and better weapons with which to destroy the monster menace. The game includes five environments and hundreds of enemies. Four-player cooperative play is available as well.

<i>Dynasty Warriors 5</i> 2005 video game

Dynasty Warriors 5 is a hack and slash video game set in China and the fifth installment in the Dynasty Warriors series, developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game was released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is based on the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong.

<i>Tom Clancys Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter</i> 2006 video game

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GRAW) is a tactical shooter video game released for the Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows in 2006. As in previous Ghost Recon games, players command their team while neutralizing hostile forces and completing various mission objectives. These objectives can range from escorting friendly units across the map to rescuing hostages or taking out enemy artillery.

<i>Samurai Warriors 2</i> 2006 video game

Samurai Warriors 2 is a sequel to the original Samurai Warriors, created by Koei and Omega Force. The game was released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, and ported to Microsoft Windows in 2008. Like the Dynasty Warriors series, an Empires expansion was released as well, and an Xtreme Legends expansion followed on in August 2007, in Japan. The game, alongside its two expansions, Xtreme Legends and Empires also receive a HD-enhanced port for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita under the name Sengoku Musō 2 with Mōshōden & Empires: HD Version.

<i>Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII</i> 2006 video game

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII is a flight combat video game for Microsoft Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. It was developed by Ubisoft Bucharest during the second fiscal quarter of 2006 for both the North American and European regions. The game features 46 different World War II fighter planes and allows the player or players to take part in several World War II events as a fictional squadron. Online support allows 16 players to take part in head-to-head and co-operative battles.

<i>Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway</i> 2008 video game

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is a 2008 first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The game is the third installment in the Brothers in Arms series. Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway follows the men of the 101st Airborne Division in the later stages of World War II, during Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, with the player returning to the role of Staff Sergeant Matt Baker from the previous titles in the Brothers in Arms series.

<i>Clive Barkers Jericho</i> 2007 video game

Clive Barker's Jericho is a horror first-person shooter video game developed by MercurySteam and Alchemic Productions and published by Codemasters. It is produced by Clive Barker. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2007.

<i>Tom Clancys Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2</i> 2007 video game

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is a tactical shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Paris and Red Storm Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. It was released for Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. It is the sequel to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. High Voltage Software developed the game's PlayStation Portable version, while Grin developed the Windows version.

<i>Battlestations: Midway</i> 2007 video game

Battlestations: Midway is a video game developed by Eidos Hungary and released in 2007 for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The Mac version of this game was developed by Robosoft Technologies, based out of India and published in July 2008 by Feral Interactive.

<i>Dynasty Warriors: Gundam</i> 2007 video game

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, originally released in Japan as Gundam Musou, is a 2007 video game based on the Gundam anime series. It was developed by Omega Force and published by Namco Bandai Games. Its gameplay is derived from Koei's Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series. The "Official Mode" of the game is based primarily on the Universal Century timeline, with mecha from Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, and Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ appearing in the game, as well as a few units from Mobile Suit Variation and Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory appearing as non-playable enemy units. The "Original Mode" of the game also features mecha from the non-UC series Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Turn A Gundam. A newly designed non-SD Musha Gundam designed by Hajime Katoki is also included.

<i>War World</i> (video game) 2005 video game

War World: Tactical Combat is a 3D mech combat simulator game developed and published by Australian company Third Wave Games. It was released on Microsoft Windows in 2005, and 2008 for the Xbox Live Arcade service.

<i>Warriors Orochi</i> 2007 video game

Warriors Orochi is a hack and slash video game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, developed by Koei and Omega Force. It is a crossover of two of Koei's popular video game series, Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors and the first title in the Warriors Orochi series.

<i>Dynasty Warriors 6</i> 2007 video game

Dynasty Warriors 6 is a hack and slash video game set in Ancient China, during a period called Three Kingdoms. This game is the sixth official installment in the Dynasty Warriors series, developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game was released on November 11, 2007 in Japan; the North American release was February 19, 2008 while the Europe release date was March 7, 2008. A version of the game was bundled with the 40GB PlayStation 3 in Japan. Dynasty Warriors 6 was also released for Windows in July 2008. A version for PlayStation 2 was released on October and November 2008 in Japan and North America respectively. An expansion, titled Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires was unveiled at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show and released in May 2009.

<i>Warriors Orochi 2</i> 2008 video game

Warriors Orochi 2, known in Japan as Musō Orochi: Rebirth of the Demon Lord, is a 2008 video game developed by Koei and Omega Force for the PlayStation 2. It is the sequel to Warriors Orochi, a crossover video game of the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series. The game was released in September for North America and Europe. A version for the Xbox 360 was released on September 4 in Japan. A PlayStation Portable version has been released in Japan, North America and Europe.

<i>Brink</i> (video game) 2011 video game

Brink is a first-person shooter video game developed by Splash Damage and published by Bethesda Softworks for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in May 2011. In Brink, two factions, Resistance and Security, battle in a once-utopian city called The Ark, a floating city above the waters of a flooded Earth.

<i>Armored Core V</i> 2012 video game

Armored Core V is a mecha-based video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Namco Bandai Games for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the 14th main installment in the Armored Core series and a return to the more traditional style of gameplay found in the original series of games.

<i>Fist of the North Star: Kens Rage</i> 2010 video game

Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage, originally released in Japan as Hokuto Musou, is a 3D beat 'em up for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by Omega Force and published by Tecmo Koei. It is a spin-off of the Dynasty Warriors series based on the manga franchise Fist of the North Star by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara. It was first released in Japan on March 25, 2010, and it was released in North America on November 2, 2010 and in Europe on November 5. A sequel, Ken's Rage 2, was announced with a surprise trailer at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June 2012. New playable characters and story arcs are featured, and the game was released in Japan on December 2012.

<i>Armored Core: Verdict Day</i> 2013 video game

Armored Core: Verdict Day is a mech action game developed by FromSoftware and was published worldwide in September 2013 by Namco Bandai Games for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the 15th installment in the Armored Core series and a direct sequel to Armored Core V.

References

  1. ↑ Harradence, Michael (21 August 2007). "Bladestorm bundles headed to Japan". PlayStation Universe. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  2. ↑ "What's New? (2nd November, 2007)". Eurogamer . November 2, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  3. ↑ Bergfeld, Carlos (October 26, 2007). "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War Now Gold". Shacknews . Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War". The Gamesmen . Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Bladestorm: Nightmare pushed to January in Japan". Gematsu. October 10, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Bladestorm: Nightmare delayed two weeks". Gematsu. January 8, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  7. ↑ Wright, Steve (January 9, 2015). "Koei Tecmo confirms Bladestorm: Nightmare for a March release". Stevivor. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Bladestorm: Nightmare Coming To PC On May 29th". Siliconera. May 26, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  9. ↑ "press release". Archived from the original on 2006-12-06.
  10. 1 2 "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War for Xbox 360". GameRankings. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War for PlayStation 3". GameRankings. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  13. 1 2 "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Bladestorm: Nightmare for PlayStation 4 Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 2015-03-08. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  15. ↑ "Bladestorm: Nightmare for Xbox One Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 2015-08-31. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  16. ↑ Sterling, Jim (November 21, 2007). "Destructoid review: Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War (X360)". Destructoid . Archived from the original on July 17, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  17. ↑ Edge staff (December 2007). "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War (X360)". Edge . No. 179. p. 95.
  18. ↑ EGM staff (December 2007). "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 222. p. 109.
  19. 1 2 McCarthy, Dave (October 16, 2007). "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War (X360)". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1364". Gematsu. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  21. ↑ Gori, Andrew (November 7, 2007). "Review: Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War (PS3)". GamePro . Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  22. ↑ Tan, Nick (November 14, 2007). "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War Review (PS3)". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  23. 1 2 Todd, Brett (December 7, 2007). "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on March 31, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War Review". GameTrailers. November 16, 2007. Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  25. ↑ Knutson, Michael (November 18, 2007). "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War - 360 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  26. ↑ Grabowski, Dakota (November 20, 2007). "BLADESTORM: The Hundred Years' War - PS3 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  27. ↑ Clements, Ryan (November 8, 2007). "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War Review". IGN . Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War". Official Xbox Magazine . December 2007. p. 76.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.