After its PC debut back in 2019, Within the Blade is now finally released on all consoles and this is our review of the PS5 version of the title. Developed by Ametist Studio and published by Ratalaika Games, Within the Blade looks retro but it is actually a modern stealth ninja game under its retro skin. It also combines stealth gameplay with platforming and some mild RPG elements thrown in the mix, which all add up to deliver an extremely unique experience. In our review of Within the Blade, we use grass to hide and then spring out to cut some bad guys and fight some really cool bosses.
Within the Blade is set in Japan, 1560 A.D. and you step in the shoes of a Shinobi. You belong to the Black Lotus clan and since the whole of Japan is lost in a massive civil war, your goal in the game is to ensure the survival of your own clan for this purpose, you must defeat the warlord of the evil clan known as Steel Claw who has resorted to old forbidden practices and worshipping dark entities. Within the Blade has some really cool boss fights but apart from that, the story is not something that you will be really focused on during your playthrough. The main aspect where the game really shines is its stealth and combat.
The gameplay of Within the Blade has two aspects. It includes both combat and platforming so when you are not slicing the head off your enemies, you will be jumping around different platforming sections to reach the next area. The platforming sections are not too difficult but the somewhat clunky platforming controls might make it a little harder for you to complete these sections. These sections mostly involve just jumping around, using your double jump, and combining them to reach different platforms. One of the things that I found surprisingly good is that the game hides a few things from you so while going a little way off the normal path, you often find something such as coins to collect.
Now coming to the combat aspect of Within the Blade, you have your sword, and it comes with a basic three-hit combo. One of the things that I did not like particularly is that there is a small delay at the end of the combo which leaves you vulnerable to attacks if you miss the final hit. This was a real deal-breaker for me because, for some reason, this does not allow a fluid combat sequence and if there are multiple enemies attacking you at the same time, you are stuck in a post-attack animation where you just are vulnerable to enemy attacks.
Apart from this, you cannot turn while swinging your sword as well, so you cannot chain together attacks in different directions. This is where you understand that Within the Blade is not a slash-and-hack title, but it wants you to be patient and make sure that every hit counts. Most of the time, you will be using stealth to kill your enemies as you can sneak through grass and slit open your enemy’s throats, and sometimes you can land on them with a powerful attack slicing them in half.
The stealth kills in Within the Blade are extremely satisfying. There are a few tricks that you must remember to nab stealth kills because the enemy AI is not stupid in the game. Despite looking like a retro title, Within the Blade is essentially a modern release, and enemy AI will dodge and block your attacks. While I am not the most patient of the players out there, stealth is not my strong suit. This is why I had a difficult time playing the game when I first started it. The AI certainly gives you a tough time and if you keep slashing at them, they will block your attack and hit you back.
However, once I had played the game enough and understood the mechanics well, I actually started to enjoy the game because it actually gives you an option between stealth and head-on action. Both come with their own challenges so whatever decision you make; the game wants you to stick with them. The stealth kills are harder to nab but they are extremely satisfying. Normal kills are easier to manage but you might get surrounded by a large number of enemies and they might make quick work of you. Most of the sequences in the game can be completed if you are patient and take your time.
To aid you in combat, you can craft various recipes which include various thrown weapons and different types of poison as well. Each of these deadly items is extra useful in fights and you can really use them to bring pain to your enemies. Poisons work in various ways so you have to use them accordingly. Similarly, different thrown weapons work in various ways as well. You take a lot of damage too in the game especially if you love head-on combat so, for that, you can craft various healing items for yourself that can be a life-changer when your life is low. This is because if you die and respawn, the game does not grant you a full health bar. You are just two hits away from your death after respawning so you will need some healing items to restore your health. For crafting items, you will need recipes and you can purchase recipes from a shady merchant in your village.
Your village is your main hub. You perform various activities in the game in the safety of your village such as you have your very own cottage here where you can go and manage your inventory and craft various items. There are plenty of villagers here as well but you can only interact with a few such as your dojo master or the merchant who for some reason is sitting high above a tree making him a really suspicious character of the game but he has the goods and you’ve got the coin so it works out for you. Your dojo master will allow you to learn various new abilities and skills which is where the RPG element of the game kicks in.
Since there is no proper character creation in the game, you can have your own unique character by gaining experience and then unlocking tons of new skills and abilities from a hefty skill tree. You need experience points for purchasing these skills and you get them by earning experience during your missions. The better you perform in any mission, the higher the number of coins and experience you get at its end. The game details your result in a detailed sheet at the end of every level. The game wants you to play better to earn more experience. If you take too much damage and get spotted too much, you will actually lose all your earned coins and experience as well.
Overall, Within the Blade is a fun and challenging experience. It also comes with a perma-death mode if you really want to challenge yourself. The game was smooth for me on my PS5 however I will mention here that the game did crash at me randomly during my playthrough. It was a completely random crash, but I was shown the game crash screen once during my playthrough. Other than that, I loved the boss fights and the stealth mechanics of the title. It is brutal, but gets away with its retro visuals. The menu controls are weird, but you can get over them after some time. If you get tired of the story, you can test your mettle in 20 ninja challenges as well that I could not complete.
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Final Verdict:
Within the Blade is a great ninja title however the combat could do with some refinement. For its stealth part, it is extremely satisfying, and I absolutely loved the animations and just weirdly how satisfying it was to nab stealth kills in the game. However, the normal combat is not as fluid as I would I wanted it to be, and this is where the game loses some points from me. The RPG mechanics are a decent addition and add a little depth to the character and the overall presentation of the title with its retro visuals and the ninja-themed soundtrack is just amazing. Overall, Within the Blade is really a unique title that manages to pull off combining RPG and ninja-style gameplay in a pretty decent fashion. Within the Blade is certainly for a diverse range of players so if you love stealth, action, side-scrolling, platforming, and challenging games, Whin the Blade is right up your alley.
Final Score: 7.5/10
