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Indie developer Team Ladybug has carved out a niche by making the types of side-scrolling action games that Konami used to create. Best known for Metroidvanias Touhou Luna Nights and Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth (and the Gradius homage Drainus), Team Ladybug is attempting a new spin on the beloved action-exploration formula with Blade Chimera, which places a huge emphasis on its titular weapon: a multifunctional sword that also happens to be a nice demon lady.
Blade Chimera is full of interesting ideas (and less interesting execution of those ideas), with clever, compounding combat and exploration mechanics that unlock as you journey through a demon-infested Osaka, Japan. As Shin, a demon hunter who works for a highly questionable military organization, your job is to slay the monsters that have occupied the city. Using a variety of guns, swords, throwing stars, and (of course) a whip, Shin explores the mazelike city and the tunnels beneath on a mission to dispose of massive titan demons.
Early on in Blade Chimera, out now on Nintendo Switch and Windows PC, Shin encounters Lux, a shape-shifting spirit-sword and confidant who has broad-ranging powers. In addition to serving as a giant, demon-slaying sword, Lux can act as a shield; restore Shin’s health; rematerialize missing objects; turn into a rope for Shin to swing from; and serve as an ad hoc platform to jump off of. She can even become a jetpack.
Lux serves as a Swiss Army knife for the game’s traversal and exploration mechanics. But progression and map access elsewhere in Blade Chimera can sometimes feel like an afterthought. Much of Shin’s gated progress is simply unlocked by upgrading a security badge, and Shin needs only to find the right computer terminal to have an assistant upgrade his access level.
As Shin explores Osaka on his mission, he’ll encounter a wide variety of demons that are largely rooted in Japanese folklore, some of which are very visually striking. Shin has an equally diverse set of combat tools to dispatch them, including long-range rifles and close-quarters melee weapons. Early on, Blade Chimera encourages the player to experiment with a variety of loadouts, but some weapons easily outshine others, limiting experimentation in the later hours. Many of the game’s long-range weapons also trivialize enemy encounters; it’s too easy to simply spam a bunch of bullets or shuriken at monsters at the edge of the screen.
Progression throughout Blade Chimera is surprisingly linear for a game so clearly inspired by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. While there’s some backtracking early on, Shin ultimately gains the ability to teleport around the map, and the game often leaves a clear breadcrumb trail for the player to lead them to their next objective.
Despite some small nits I had with Blade Chimera, I still had a great time with it, largely because of the game’s well-designed boss battles and the clever use of Lux as an all-in-one tool. Graphically, the game can be quite striking; its pixel art is lovingly detailed and designed with a muted, distinct color palette. But it’s the precise, sometimes challenging combat and clever platforming that help Blade Chimera stand out in a very crowded market of indie action-exploration games.
Team Ladybug hasn’t reinvented the Metroidvania with Blade Chimera, but thanks to its core idea — tying its mystical sword into nearly every aspect of gameplay — it offers something that manages to feel fresh and lovingly designed. Anyone with a fondness for Konami’s catalog of side-scrolling action games should, at the very least, give its demo a try.
Blade Chimera was released on Jan. 16 on Nintendo Switch and Windows PC. The game was reviewed on Nintendo Switch using a pre-release download code provided by publisher Playism. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.
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