Naraka: Bladepoint Critic Reviews

Lamentum is equal parts frightening and enticing, serving up a scintillating world filled with Lovecraftian horrors and remnants of old school Resident Evil and Silent Hill. It is a must-play for any fans of the genre looking for challenging gameplay, deep mythos, and an alluring narrative.

NARAKA: BLADEPOINT remains a wonderful, fast-paced, and addicting experience. While it has plenty of room to grow, it holds its own against competitors like Hunter’s Arena: Legends and offers a polished experience to those who choose to join the fight.

Fast-paced battles for one of the most interesting battle royale games around.

Naraka: Bladepoint's movement and combat are beautifully fluid, and they give the battle royale more depth than any other. You will sink endless hours into soaring through above buildings and dueling with enemy ninjas. It only has a few minor technical issues that are bringing it down. If fixed, Naraka: Bladepoint will be around for a long, long time.

Naraka: Bladepoint is definitely one of the best titles that China has brought to screens in the last period. An original interpretation of the Battle Royale genre that takes advantage of the classic strengths of the multiplayer experience with many players, but which innovates in key aspects such as the combat system.

A fun battle royale and a viable alternative for Chivalry II and For Honor. Naraka Bladepoint puts emphasis on closed combat, not skulking around the bushes with a ranged weapon. It drips the atmosphere of ancient China and offers a great combat system, but also doesn’t shy away from spells and well-implemented parkour. However, said combat system along with the game’s fast pace sets the bar rather high for newcomers.

It's hard not to be charmed by Naraka Bladepoint. Its refreshing approach to the Battle Royale genre will convince the bravest, while the less patient will probably not have the temerity to go beyond a few hours. When we see the game design choices made by 24 Entertainment, we can only salute the nerve. It is therefore all the more regrettable to face a monetization unworthy of a paid game, present at all levels, and which will ultimately reward relatively little those who decide to really get involved.

Naraka: Bladepoint combines Battle Royale with tactically demanding close combat duels, but it is only worthwhile for patient players.

With daily challenges and quests that reward you the more you play, Naraka: Bladepoint is shaping up to be game that plans for set up shop and last for a while. No two rounds feel the same, and yet the familiarity of each one makes it easy to keep coming back for more. It’s not perfect, by any means, with its combat system offering a breath of fresh air but also leading to moments of frustration. Still, its emphasis on customization, melee combat, and some robust features turn it into one battle royale experience worth checking out.

Naraka Bladepoint is not a perfect battle royale, but it manages to mix a series of gameplay mechanics that make it frenetic, fun and above all immediate.

A battle royale game that's fun to play in a loose, aggressive style, with melee combat that's trickier than it may first appear.

Naraka is a breath of fresh air in the universe of battle royales, but it comes with compromises.

Naraka: Bladepoint offers a refreshing alternative to both the tired sci-fi or high fantasy settings and mechanics of familiar battle royale games, with a focus on fast and skillful melee combat and movement that can feel like an awesome martial arts film come to life. But the focus almost entirely on close quarters fighting can grow repetitive and frustrating, too, especially against the much better players that seem to dominate the space. Although it pushes microtransactions past the point of annoyance, they don’t radically impact the game, which is ultimately much more skill-based than that of other games in the genre.

With excellent combat and traversal mechanics and a unique atmosphere, Naraka: Bladepoint stands out from the battle royale crowd. Cluttered interface, controls that require some tweaking, the bad implementation of microtransactions, and general lack of content, however, damage the experience a bit, preventing it from becoming a must-buy for fans of the genre. The foundation is still extremely solid, so with proper support, Naraka: Bladepoint definitely has the chance to rival all of the most popular battle royale games on the market.

Naraka: Bladepoint does have a lot of cool and unique ideas for the battle royale genre. I love its melee-focused combat, I love the varied weapon selection, and I dig the durability system replacing the "limited ammo" functions of other games in the genre. However the game's longevity suffers due to becoming stale quickly, the lack of variance in the core gameplay loop rearing its ugly head quickly. It's the kind of game I would absolutely recommend to a friend, but only for one or two matches at a time. For long marathon sessions, there are far better options.

Naraka: Bladepoint may feature all the familiar trappings of a traditional battle royale game, but its combination of melee-based brawls, beautiful setting, and customizable warriors help to differentiate it from the well-established crowd. While Naraka’s combat may be far from perfect, there is enough depth here for those that are willing to scratch below the surface. If you’re looking for a BR with a unique twist, then Naraka: Bladepoint could be the game you’re looking for.

Naraka: Bladepoint is a beautiful-looking and sounding game with some neat battle mechanics and fun martial arts action that is challenging to master. Finding opponents in your area may be tricky so being put against players from a different region with a higher ping rate feels unfair.

Naraka: Bladepoint is an interesting spin on the classic battle royale formula. The combat and movement systems help keep everything feels absurdly fluid; the upgrades and hero customisation help you find a playstyle that fits you. It’s fun, but the technical issues need ironing out before it’s a whole-hearted must-play.

For an original take on battle royale and a truly special martial arts combat system, Naraka is worth checking out. But between stability issues, off-putting monetisation practices, and an unpalatable learning curve, there's plenty that gets in the way of the fun.

There’s a forethought and shrewdness required to be successful here that gives it a very different feel than any other battle royale title that’s out there at the moment, and the ancient Chinese aesthetic is a dazzling one. If nothing else, it’s enough to want to see what the game looks and feels like in the months to come.