Castlevania dev's vicious new RPG underperforms, blaming "selective consumers"

MercurySteam's brutal 2025 action RPG Blades of Fire has fallen short of expectations, with its publisher remarking that competition is too tough in a flooded market of new releases. The former Castlevania developer's latest is a vicious blend of soulslikes and modern God of War, with you escorting a young, exuberant charge across a hostile fantasy land. It's a game I've really enjoyed the early hours of, but it appears the initial response has been rather muted.

While I'm still in the opening act of Blades of Fire, I'm planning to play more. It might not have the polish of Sony Santa Monica's father-son tale, but its exploration and the wide range of weapon variety at your disposal was enough to pull me in. Grace delivers a more definitive verdict in our Blades of Fire review, praising its weapon crafting and deliberate combat, which sees you targeting individual body parts to exploit weaknesses. The verdict? A game that "feels unique, but just can't get weird enough."

With such strong competition to be found on our lists of the best action games and best RPGs alike, including Blades of Fire publisher 505 Games' newest release, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, carving your own spot to stand out is tough. Now, 505's parent company Digital Bros says it expects its 2024-2025 financial results to be down on the previous year, "impacted by the underperformance of new title Blades of Fire."

The company notes that Blades of Fire, which was launched exclusively on the Epic Games Store for PC alongside console versions, "underperformed the group's expectations despite receiving generally positive reviews from both the industry press and players." It cites a market "affected by challenging competitive dynamics, driven by an oversupply of new releases and increasingly selective consumers," as a blocker to successful launches and reliable sales forecasting.

Digital Bros says this performance "confirms the challenges faced by most industry peers and competitors in attracting consumers to new titles, particularly when these are not backed by an established brand driving a loyal player community." There's of course potential for a second wind, especially if the Epic-exclusive deal ends in the future and the game comes to other platforms such as Steam and GOG, putting it in front of players who might have missed it the first time around.

If you're curious to try it, the good news is that you can do so for free. A Blades of Fire demo is still available on the Epic Games Store, giving you a taste of what to expect before diving into the full game. If you want to buy a copy, Blades of Fire is 20% off until Thursday July 31, meaning you'll pay $47.99 / £39.99.

Looking for more of the best single-player games in 2025? We've picked out the essentials, along with a guide to the best GPU for your budget to ensure they look as good as possible.

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