Naraka: Bladepoint

The game’s subreddit is also popping. It isn’t as busy as Destiny, Elden Ring, or Pokémon, but with some 19,000 active members, Naraka: Bladepoint’s subreddit is full of memes, helpful guides and tips, and heated discussions about players being AFK and which weapons are OP. There’s also the official YouTube channel, which features looks at new characters, deep dives into weapon tutorials, and even cool little animated shorts for lore. In short, Naraka: Bladepoint is still going strong two years later, which is good to know when so many live-service games are getting killed off.

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There’s a campaign to go with that battle royale

Naraka: Bladepoint’s bread-and-butter is its frantically chaotic battle royale mode, but that’s not all the game has to offer you. Alongside variations of its standard mode, like a free-for-all that tasks you with getting the most kills in a limited amount of time, the game also features a PvE story mode called Showdown in which you can team up with two other players to fight progressively harder challenges.

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Similar to the main game, there’s no stamina bar to worry about, which means you can attack, climb, and sprint as much as you want. While you’re restricted to a handful of characters, progression with any of them carries over to subsequent runs, allowing you to grow stronger and learn new skills in preparation for the next showdown. You’ll battle AI-controlled characters, skeletons and zombies, and ethereal bugs. But the main difference here is that, aside from only being available on the weekends (dumb, I know), each Showdown chapter culminates in an epic and punishing boss encounter.

Two Naraka: Bladepoint warriors are staring each other down in a beautiful, flower-laden and tree-lined field.
I ain’t about to lose this.
Image: 24 Entertainment
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With a few different chapters currently available and more being added every few months (with new characters, maps, and weapons), Naraka: Bladepoint’s Showdown mode pits you against some truly maniacal jerks. Take Omnius, a black armor-wearing, flame sword-wielding warrior who’s both fast and powerful. Get hit a couple of times by this dude and you’re totally dead—he’s got a massive health pool, tons of defensive prowess thanks to his armor, and rarely relents on his fiery onslaught. He’s almost like a Souls boss in that way. And this is just one boss. The game features three different chapters, with three different bosses to fight. There’s plenty to keep you occupied outside of the main BR.

Read More: Naraka: Bladepoint, As Told By Steam Reviews

It’s hard picking up another battle royale when you’re already invested in one. It’s even harder when the game, like Naraka: Bladepoint, has intricate mechanics that require constant practice to get good. You’ll die a lot, but as the saying goes, it always gets worse before it gets better. And while it’s easy to write this off as yet another typical battle royale title, Naraka: Bladepoint’s unique melee-focused combat, grappling hook movement, and rich PvE story, makes it easily one of the coolest games in the genre.

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