The new trailer for Update 8, the massive “Sorcery Update” for Blade & Sorcery just dropped yesterday with the reveal that it will hit both Steam and Oculus Home for Rift platforms on June 4th.
One of the recurring jokes about this game is that ever since it debuted in Early Access the title has been half a lie. It’s called Blade & Sorcery, but it’s really just focused on blades and other melee weapons with almost every single update. Now that’s finally changing.
In the trailer above you can see tons of new spells, like a Gravity spell that lets you levitate enemies and even push the air like a Jedi Force Push power. There are flaming swords, lightning staves, and so much more. It’s a lot to process, not to mention the brand new, massive, Citadel map.
One specific new feature I want to highlight is armor penetration. Now, enemies will wear three different tiers of armor (cloth, leather, and plate) and it’s all modular. A slash across leather armor probably won’t do anything, but a stab with something like a rapier could. And plated enemies require you to target the expose portions of their body like in the cracks of limbs and their neck/face. Here is a quick clip showing that off a bit more:
We mentioned the news earlier this month, but the new trailer really puts the cherry on top of just how massive of an update this truly is. Blade & Sorcery is one of my personal favorite VR games, even if it’s barely a game and is actually just an immensely fun wave combat sandbox experience. There is no story, no structured content like quests, not even a procedural dungeon to explore. You literally go to a map, spawn enemies, spawn weapons, and fight. But because of how intricate the physics engine is and how satisfying it all feels, I can get lost in this kind of blood bath for hours.
I’m honestly at a loss for additional words here after watching that trailer. It’s epic and full of amazing feats of creative violence. I’m extremely eager to dive back into this game and deep down I long for the day this sort of combat system can find its way into a larger, more proper adventure like The Elder Scrolls or Asgard’s Wrath.
