Team Ladybug has shown that it knows how to craft a solid Metroidvania with games like Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth and Touhou Luna Nights. The studio is almost ready to return to the exploratory genre with Blade Chimera, but a delay has moved it out of its previously planned spring release window.
With spring off the table, we’ll have to switch gears and look ahead to August 2024. There’s also a demo on the way as part of June’s Steam Next Fest event. For now, you can see more footage in the new trailer from the WSS playground below.
So far, Blade Chimera looks like it ticks all the right Metroidvania boxes. There seem to be varied areas to explore, little weirdos to meet, and plenty of bizarre enemies that somehow manage to peacefully co-exist in the same hallways. You can also apparently control a dog, slice through little chimps, and battle colossal alligators. There’s even an extremely Belmont-like swinging mechanic on display in the trailer.
Blast from the past
There are also, naturally, lost skills for the Demon Hunter known as Shin to acquire. Just as genre legend Samus foretold, Shin will gradually reclaim these skills as he progresses. He’ll also hopefully learn more about his own lost memories and discover the whereabouts of his missing wife while fighting alongside the Missa Association to take the world back from demons.
Shin’s amnesiac ways aren’t just a convenient means of explaining his initial lack of abilities. He can also use his demon blade to pull other things in from the past, including platforms that pave the way to new areas. It’s all delivered with the detailed sprite work we’ve come to expect from Team Ladybug, so if waiting a little longer is what it takes, that’s more than fine. When Blade Chimera eventually launches — fingers crossed for August — it will be available on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.
