MercurySteam, the studio behind Metroid Dread and Castlevania: Lord of Shadows is back with Blades of Fire, an action title with an active blacksmithing system and challenging combat. Its release is scheduled for May 2025 on current-generation platforms and PC.
It’s available for pre-order on all major platforms. Here’s what you’ll get as a pre-order bonus for Blades of Fire, along with the system requirements for the PC version.
Blades of Fire Pre-Order Bonus
If you pre-order Blades of Fire, you will receive the Adventurer Pack, which includes the following items:
- Iron Paladin Attire for Aran
- Lord of Steel Attire for Aran
- Hammer Head for Hyssop weapon
- Additional forging materials
So it’s at least two cosmetic items, some forging materials, and the Hammer head weapon, which might also be a cosmetic item. It’s not a bad deal, but the more useful incentive is the discount. PC, PlayStation Plus members, and Xbox users can also enjoy a 10% discount, which brings the price down to $53 from its regular $60.
Blades of Fire System Requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | Recommended 4K | Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target Resolution | 1080p – FSR Performance | 1440p – FSR Balanced | 2160p – FSR Balanced | 2160p – FSR Quality |
| Preset | High | High | High | Ultra |
| Target Framerate | 60 FPS | 60 FPS | 60 FPS | 60 FPS |
| OS | Windows 10 – 64-Bit | Windows 10 – 64-Bit | Windows 10 – 64-Bit | Windows 10 – 64-Bit |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-11700KF AMD Ryzen 5800X | Intel Core i7-11700KF AMD Ryzen 5800X | Intel Core i7-11700KF AMD Ryzen 5800X | Intel Core i7-13600K AMD Ryzen 7600X |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, 8GB AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, 6GB | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, 11GB AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, 12GB | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, 12GB AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, 16GB | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, 16GB AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, 24GB |
While I appreciate that the developers have mentioned the target performance and resolution, it’s very worrying that none of the resolutions mentioned are native. The minimum specifications are for 1080p with FSR set to “Performance”, which means that the internal resolution is actually 540p. This will not output a reasonable image, and it’s a bit shocking that this is what’s considered a minimum playable experience by the studio.
Even if you have an RTX 4080, you’re looking at just 60 FPS at 4K paired with FSR Quality, which means it’s not true 4K either. I’m a bit concerned with this growing trend of requirements that don’t list the native resolution, as this doesn’t paint the right picture or set the correct expectations from users. All this points towards a likely unoptimized game.
Outside of that, the CPU requirements are fairly manageable across the board and a Ryzen 7600X is recommended for 4K ultra. The storage requirements have not been shared as of yet.
Is Blades of Fire Coming to Steam?
Blade of Fire is not coming to Steam at launch, and it’s an exclusive title for the Epic Games Store. We expect it will eventually come out on Steam when the exclusivity deal expires.
Blades of Fire Release Date
Blades of Fire is coming to PC via Epic Games Store, PS5, and Xbox Series S|X on May 22, 2025.
I’m cautiously optimistic about the PC port of Blades of Fire because the system requirements don’t exactly inspire confidence. If you’re interested in pre-ordering the title, the discount is pretty sweet.
Published: Mar 17, 2025 06:08 pm