Wulverblade – Review

Brutal, bloody and barbaric, Wulverblade is a 2D side-scrolling beat ’em up set in 120 AD during a time when the Roman Empire was trying to conquer Britain from the South. With a very colourful yet dark artstyle, it blends the cartoon-y artstyle with a very authentic representation of the war-torn lands during that time period.

Character sprites are made in 1080p to have clarity and sharpness and is good but at times can feel a bit too cartoon-y for a game that is so gritty. The whole art style is beautiful and portrays the time period and setting really well, however some might feel it looks like a well done flash game but dont let that fool you since it is quite brutal with execution moves and lot of blood and dismemberment that doesn’t look gruesome with the artstyle but it still feels brutal.

The game features three playabale characters. Caradoc, the one with balanced stats and the main protagonist of the game, Brennus the tank character is extremely powerful but has low speed and agility and lastly, Guinevere who is the weakest of the trio but also the fastest and most agile one. The game itself feels like a classic 2D beat em up and features some really cool stage finishers where enemies can be executed using the environment i.e. Wooden spike barricades. Getting hit multiple times can lead you to get stun locked and you can die quite easily if you make too many mistakes. However there are health pickups available during levels to help regain your lost health. There’s also a “Rage Mode” that can be used after filling up the Adrenaline Bar which makes you invulnerable and increases the speed of your attacks. There’s also a special move, for Caradoc it is calling in wolves for help which basically kill and eat your enemies however, this move can only be done once per level. The game can feel repetitive at times but it is fun to play, especially if you’re playing it in co-op mode with a friend.

The game features 8 levels based on real life locations that are made beautifully. The overall length of the game is around 3 and a half to 4 hours. Besides the main story mode, it has an “Arcade Mode” that has limited lives and continues and, lacks checkpoints. It also has a “Horde Mode” in case you want to further beat the life out of some traitors and Roman soldiers.

The music is very apt and doesn’t stand out in a bad way. Very similar to what you’d hear in The Witcher 3 and The Elder Scroll games which is by no means a bad comparison. It is beautiful and adds to the overall look and feel of the game. The voice acting is impressive but at some points does fall flat with slight changes in the accent. The sound effects are phenomenal and 100% due to the accuracy and effort that was taken to replicate those sounds.

The authenticity of the game shows as it was made by passionate group of people, especially the Creative Director who is very passionate about ancient British history. The research for the game was done over a 5 year period.

Wulverblade is a fun game to play with a very authentic ancient British History experience. With the addition of couch co-op and an arcade mode, the game is absoloutely worth the price and is a must play if you’re a fan of 2D side scrolling beat em’ ups. Wulverblade is out now for the Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.