A new weapon-based fighting game is coming to PC as Grindstone, Triple Hill Interactive and Toko Midori Games are preparing to launch Die by the Blade on May 16 (headed to consoles later this year).
The one on one experience allows you to select a character as well as a weapon to go into battle wherein superior positioning and parrying are the only things standing between you and a very swift death, because in Die by the Blade, a single strike is all it takes to win or lose.
Those who played 1997’s Bushido Blade may have just felt a nostalgic tinge as, just like in that experience, health bars are done away with as the tension immediately rises amid the constant threat of a one-touch kill.
Though the winning condition is simple enough, that doesn’t mean gameplay lacks a sense of competitive complexity. Move sets are widely determined by the weapon players choose, not the character they’re using, as character choice affects aspects like movement and attack speed.
Adding another layer of depth is the stance system as players can choose to be in one of four stances at any given time. Being in the same stance as your opponent causes you to automatically block incoming attacks, given you’re not locked into the start up or recovery animations of an attack of your own.
Your second line of defense is the tried and true parry, which you can use to thwart incoming attacks if your timing is tight.
You can also walk, dodge roll and dash in three dimensions around each fighting arena, making DbtB much more about maneuvering and quick execution rather than long combos and set play.
All your hard work under tense circumstances can be rewarded, though, as well-timed strikes can lead to awesome and brutal death sequences wherein you chop off important parts like arms, legs and heads, or deliver deadly stabbing blows.
Check out a handful of screen shots in the gallery and get an idea of how the game looks and flows in action with the basics introduction video below. Let us know what you think in the comments section once you’re acquainted with Die by the Blade.
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You can find more gameplay snippets and tutorials over at Grindstone’s YouTube page. Die by the Blade launches on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on May 16. It’s slated to head to consoles in October of 2024.
Cross play across both Steam and EGS will be supported, as well as current generation console controllers.