The Alpha for Skara: The Blade Remains includes two playable characters, free-for-all and team deathmatch game modes, and two arenas. The two characters fight very similarly with one wielding a club and projectiles and the other equipped with a short sword, shield and crossbow that isn't yet fully functional. The two arenas are much more diverse with one offering players a small island to battle in the Lava Coliseum, while the Zem Moorlands is a more open environment with plenty of obstructions to hide behind while looking for a weakened opponent. The game only currently supports up to eight players in a match, but there is bot support to help players learn the ropes before playing with others online.
Skara: The Blade Remains isn't just a button masher, and players will need to learn the various combos available to them in order to succeed in the game. There are three main melee attacks that include a stun attack, overhead smash and swipe for the two different characters in the game at the moment. Each can be used to varying effects, and once an enemy is stunned, it's time to attempt to land an execution attack. The one real problem with this battle system is that other players can wait around and come in to land the fatality attack on a stunned opponent and completely rip off a kill they didn't really earn, but the gameplay in Skara: The Blade Remains is so fast-paced that this may only happen a few times per match.
The early build of Skara: The Blade Remains isn't without some bugs and problems. We loaded into a level one time only to have the game be so completely laggy that it was nearly impossible to move around the arena, though this could've simply been a connection issue. The game does suffer from some frame rate drops and minor graphical glitches in other matches, but there don't seem to be any major bugs. When the game is running well, Skara: The Blade Remains is a great looking game with some really detailed character models that players will enjoy slashing and bashing with their opponents. Skara: The Blade Remains will add plenty of new features before release including 16-player matches, level progression, additional characters, new arenas and much more, so continue to check the site for more information on the development of the game and look for the free-to-play Skara: The Blade Remains to release later this year.
Skara: The Blade Remains is coming soon to Steam Early Access and will be available free-to-play. For more information on the game, check out the official Skara: The Blade Remains website.
Game Features:
- Online Multiplayer 1-16
- Free-to-Play
- Steam Early Access Coming Soon
- Future Tournaments Sponsored by Developer
- Level Progression
Game Information:
Developer & Publisher: 8-bit Studios
Available exclusively for PC (previewed)
Release Date: July 2014