The year 2024 has been eventful in the world of Naraka: Bladepoint. Since its release in August 2021, the numbers have kept rising and have shown no signs of ever going down. With the game presented as a whole, the review will focus on the game’s mechanics, narrative, design, story, and gameplay objectively. With that said, let’s delve into the breathtaking world of the Eternal Calamity. 

About Naraka: Bladepoint

NARAKA: BLADEPOINT Free to Play Launch Trailer

Naraka: Bladepoint is set in a beautifully historical world that matches the current lore of the eternal war of two ancient gods: Sunwing and Moonbane. Their war has led to the Mask of Immortality, a legendary artifact that all heroes hope to claim. In this 60-player battle royal, players are thrust into the heat of battle with nothing but their wills and wits. As everyone starts from point 0, players must work their way up by gathering equipment, slaying other heroes, and ultimately being the last one alive.

Naraka: Bladepoint Story

Naraka’s story is about the aftermath of the fight between the 2 great gods, which split the world into yin and yang with eternal odds. People looked up to these god-like beings and formed tribes that worshiped Sunwing and Moonbane, which set the stage for a series of power struggles and sacrifices. 

The  Mask of immortality is now passed to hero after hero, trying to keep it away from Moonbane. After winning the battle in Naraka, there is a unique opportunity to engage. In a PvE boss fight against Moonbane, the God of Yin. This is a rare chance to earn exclusive rewards. Adding this boss fight adds an exciting twist to the game’s conclusion, offering a challenging yet rewarding experience for those skilled and lucky enough to face Moonbane. 

Naraka: Bladepoint Gameplay

Characters in Naraka: Bladepoint are already available to use at your disposal. The game constantly adds new characters to the mix, as well as customizations that make your character look more appealing and awesome. You can purchase new characters by using Hero Coins or gold. The customizations can be bought with gold or can be obtained by specific events. The game currently houses 18 heroes who are each unique in their own ways, which lets the player decide what role is the best for them.

The game is a PvP battle royale type of game that consists of 60 players. There are three modes to choose from: Solos, Duos, or Trios. All these modes present a similar type of gameplay, which involves fighting to be the last man or team standing. Looting, exploring, and fighting are all the stuff you could expect from this game. 

Naraka: Bladepoint has two maps in its arsenal: Morus Isle and Holoroth. While the game has elements of fighting, teamplay, and looting, several niche little things make the map all the more fun. Puzzles, stories, lore, and exciting details await players on these maps, making the game as immersive as possible. The game also allows you to collect Darktide Coins to purchase upgrades in-game.

With such great detail embedded into these maps, Naraka: Bladepoint’s extremely beautiful graphics support not only its characters but also the maps upon which they fight.

Naraka: Bladepoint Combat

NARAKA: BLADEPOINT LAUNCH GAMEPLAY TRAILER

The basic fighting and movement points to a combat that is divided into 3 categorical actions. There are 2 basic attacks that land into a blue strike focus. While focus attacks are holding it down into 3 series, each has its own unique form. Each of these attacks can be horizontal form or vertical, depending on what your combo will be. 

Parrying your opponent is a big boost in skills. This can be done by tapping both buttons at the same time in the battle. Famously described as a rock paper scissors. Parrying at the right time can counter a focus attack, which ultimately disarms your enemies with a follow-up attack.

The game doesn't offer a traditional “Max level;” rather, it's all about mixing up your fighting style with weapon combos and its specific soul jade together with clashing different ultimates that spice up the gameplay.

Weapons and Souljade are categorized based on how rare they are, which also ties into how much damage they can dish out. Start from the common and then work your way up through rare, epic, and legendary. The real game-changer is acquiring the extremely rare items. They’re super tough to come across but pack the biggest punch in terms of damage and combo possibilities.

Naraka: Bladepoint Quest/Mission System

The game starts off with choosing your landing spot, each city on the map has its own lair packed with chests bursting with rare loot, giving you a leg up against the competition right from the start. 

The quest system can rack up Dark Tide coins by completing quests like praying, hunting bounties, being valiant, or just completing stash tasks. These coins are like gold dust. Having the ability to buy in the nearest Dark Tide shop like a lucky souljade bag which is basically a loot box that can drop anything from common to extremely rare souljade. With enough money, you can also buy additional weapon bags, tem bag upgrades, and souljade bag upgrades. 

Here is the most exciting part: MoonBane Charms. This is a ticket to victory and it comes with 3 different variations, each lasting for different durations. They’re game-changers. So landing in the right spot, acing quests for dark tide coins, and spending them wisely is the ticket to dominate in Naraka: Bladepoint. 

Naraka: Bladepoint Graphics

"Intersection" - New Map: HOLOROTH Cinematic | NARAKA: BLADEPOINT

The graphics in Naraka: Bladepoint is certainly one of the best. Despite its early age, the game boasts some of the most beautifully concocted visuals and effects. Naraka: Bladepoint is set in a mythical fantasy world inspired by Asian folklore and mythology. Through this, the game has been able to expertly showcase a very historical theme coupled with elements of magic and wonder. 

The graphics quality tops even most games as its ultra-realistic visuals provide a very immersive experience. All the movement, fighting, abilities, and other actions feel so fluid and smooth. The world is just a beautiful blend of man-made and natural. elements, which just go so well with the theme of the game.

Naraka: Bladepoint DLC and Expansions

The game is still in its earliest stages, which is why updates are constantly getting patched to optimize the player experience. In recent months, the game has been updated at least once every month. Main updates contain new hero releases, events, and new features.

Naraka: Bladepoint is a battle royale with beautifully ancient and historical elements. But while a base game wouldn’t be enough, the game boasts four DLCs that make your gaming experience better for a price. The DLCs are the following: 

Gossamer Iris Pack

• Valda Cui Legendary Outfit [Justice·Gossamer Iris]
• Valda Cui Legendary Hairstyle [Justice·Raptor]

Flying Squirrel 

• Grappling Hook Legendary Skin [Flying Squirrel]

Iris’ Whisper Pack

• Tarka Ji Legendary Outfit [Justice·Iris’ Whisper]
• Tarka Ji Legendary Hairstyle [Justice·Hue]

Phoenix Princess Pack

• Justina Gu Legendary Outfit [She Ethnic·Phoenix Princess]
• Justina Gu Legendary Accessory [She Ethnic·Phoenix Crown]
• Justina Gu Epic Hairstyle [Phoenix Song]

Naraka: Bladepoint Developer

The newly developed battle royale was developed by 24 Entertainment, a gaming developer based in Hangzhou, China. Since it is still in its early stages, the game is filled with lots of updates and bug fixes that improve the quality of gameplay. Naraka: Bladepoint’s website holds all the news regarding updates and changes to the game, making players well-informed of the game’s new features. 

Through their various social media platforms, especially on Discord, 24 Entertainment constantly looks for player feedback in order to improve their game. They have established a close relationship with their player base, which is a good sign of a growing game. By using the input they get from the community, they can efficiently fix their game to a state that makes players enjoy and love the game even more.

Naraka: Bladepoint Price

The game is free on several platforms, such as Steam, PlayStation 5, Epic, and Xbox. There is even a mobile version that can be played anywhere with a phone. With its availability on several platforms and game consoles, the game boasts a very high player count, which is complemented by its crossplay feature. Although it is still limited, this presents a potentially good future.

Currently, the game has no pay-to-win elements and only boasts monetary advantages on cosmetics and costumes for the game and its characters. While these are optional, they do add a significant flare to your gameplay which really makes it look very fun and entertaining. But with that said, the game is entirely free, and its only transactions are purely optional.

Final Verdict

Pros:

• Offers a unique melee-focused combat, setting them apart from other battle royales 
• The importance of skill parrying, dodging, and striking makes each fight extreme.
• Weapon and Souljade rarity setting expansive playstyles, players have plenty of options to find their perfect match.
• The chance to fight Moonbane and other PvE elements adds a rewarding twist.
• The recent update to a free-to-play model makes it accessible to the general public.

Cons:

• Limited map variety.
• The unique combat system may be challenging for newcomers.
• Ping sensitivity during the battle leads to unbalanced combat actions.
• Technical glitches.
• Issues with launching the game.