There is always a surprisingly good release from an independent game studio. IRE: Blood Memory by Tenbirds, is such a game. The game is ripe with action, akin to Diablo or Monster Hunter. The difficulty level is ramped up, the graphics are stunning, and the game reveals its depth, the more you play.
Tenbirds is an independent game studio that started back in February 2014 with four team members. Since then they have increased their staff to nine people and continue to grow. IRE is their first game. Tenbirds has crafted a game that is hard as nails, and that was the plan from the start.
“Ire-Blood Memory is a lot of great action, and the battles can get very personal. If the idea of hunting monsters, forging giant swords and armour, fighting against ghoslly fellow players’ AI’s that invad your game session, and ripping the head off of a pixie to replenish HP sounds like good fun then this game will not disappoint.” -Tenbirds
The narrative of the story slowly unfolds as you complete each quest. Make no mistake about it, this game is all about the action. If there is any foreshadowing to what the game play entails, the game developer says that you will die a lot in the game. After you see some of the enemies you will encounter, you will understand why. Most of them are gargantuan, and pack quite a wallop against your hero. Your hero starts off with dual-wielding blades that also fire shotgun type bursts at the end of a powerful melee strike. The good thing is that the more you play, the better your tactics become for vanquishing your foes. In an old-school style of game play, you will be starting over a few times to get your strategy together.
Each arena houses multiple enemies and they are uniquely designed. My first encounter with the Meadowmen early in the game, was met with amazement. It was difficult to not get caught up in the art work, but since I was taking a pounding, I figured I better get back to figuring out how to defeat these tall, lean and mean flora, which leads me to the controls.
Controlling your character is where I think the game needs some improvement. It is not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it can be difficult in the heat of battle. You control your hero with a d-pad that is pretty responsive. The only problem with that is that the attack button is not directional as well, so you have to make sure you are pointed in the right direction. Granted, there is a system in place where you can touch and target the enemy, but it doesn’t seem to work all that well, plus the action gets pretty intense. It is a small thing to tweak. The good thing is that Tenbirds is active in game forums that have been set up, and they respond to players comments. I am pretty sure it is something they are already working on.
IRE is a gorgeous looking game. There is an immense amount of detail in every pixel. It is hard to imagine that a small studio has crafted such a stunning game. It looks great, and the sound is good too. You can actually hear the footfalls of the beasts off-screen, as you wonder what is coming to attack you, just beyond the tall blades of grass. There is a small mini-map that helps orient you. It doesn’t tell you where the enemies are, but since you will more than likely be revisiting these arenas often, you can use it as part of your strategy.
Everything you would expect to be in an RPG is available in IRE. You have a forge to upgrade your weapons, and an inventory to house all the goods you will find in-game. You can upgrade your armor, accessories and use harvesting to gain additional power in battle. There are four chapters to play through, with multiple levels in each. There are also challenges to complete. They include events, daily challenges, battles, and completing quests.
IRE: Blood Memory Features:
– Welcome back to old school, DIY, hard A/RPG
– IRE requires a network connection to play.
– Call/summon companion to arms. (Boon: Friend/AI)
– Invasion, rewards and ranking
– Combat reward system
– IRE is game controller compatible
– The three tenents to advancing in IRE are tactics, upgrades and grit
– Know your foes, kite enemies, use your environment
– You will die a lot in this game.
IRE: Blood Memory is a free to play game, but it is not caught up in the trappings of pay to play walls. Tenbirds wanted to get the game into as many players hands as possible. Yes, there are in-app purchases available, but in my time playing the game, I didn’t feel they were immediately necessary. This game rewards you on being able to play skillfully, so grinding is expected, which is mentioned by the game developers. The game is integrated with Google Game Play Services and has fifteen achievements that can be unlocked.
If you enjoy action/rpg games, then you should check out IRE: Blood Memory. The game is well designed and has quite a bit to offer fans in this genre of game play. With fine-tuning to the controls, I can see IRE: Blood Memory staying on my device for quite a while. If you have a device that has excellent hardware, you owe it to yourself to see this game in action. You won’t be disappointed with what you see.
