If you have enjoyed classic beat-'em-up games such as Golden Axe or Final Fight, you will find a lot to appreciate in King's Blade. What is especially impressive is that the game was created by a single developer, yet it offers a surprisingly polished and engaging experience that captures much of what made these classic arcade-style games so enjoyable.

From the moment I began playing, the influence of Golden Axe was immediately apparent in both the environments and overall style of gameplay. At the same time, the tight and responsive controls often reminded me of a combination of Golden Axe and Final Fight. Attacks feel responsive, movement is smooth, and there are a surprisingly large number of offensive options available to the player.

Each character has their own attributes, strengths, weaknesses and special moves. These can be viewed from the character profile section of the main menu, which also includes a biography for each character you have unlocked. In addition to character-specific attacks, there are a number of general moves, including throws, special attacks and magic spells.

There are also magic books that can be discovered while playing. These should not be confused with the character's own magic attacks; instead, the books can add an elemental effect to your standard attacks, giving you another option during combat.

One feature I especially enjoyed was the ability to add AI-controlled companions. You can play with as many as three AI-controlled partners, allowing you to have a full party of four characters even when playing by yourself. You can also use any combination of human and AI-controlled players, and multiple players can even select the same character.

The AI is generally very impressive. Your companions usually make intelligent decisions and are genuinely useful during combat. They also tend to be rather considerate about health and restorative items, usually leaving them for the human player when needed.

They are considerably less restrained when it comes to weapons and magic books, however. If an item appears, your AI partners can sometimes race over and grab it before you have the opportunity. In that sense, playing with them can occasionally feel like playing a game with an enthusiastic younger nephew who wants to pick up every interesting item first. :-)

There are some understandable limitations to the AI. For example, if an enemy is standing near a pit, your computer-controlled companions do not always recognize the opportunity to knock that enemy into it. Considering how many other situations the AI handles competently, though, this is a relatively minor issue.

The characters also feel noticeably different from one another. The female Amazon, for example, moves considerably faster than some of the other characters, and several of her attacks give her an additional sense of speed and mobility.

Despite the wide range of attacks available, I would have appreciated a dedicated dash move. Unlike a character such as Percival in Knights of the Round, I did not encounter a character with a traditional dash mechanic. The Amazon's added speed helps compensate for this to some degree, but I still found myself occasionally wishing that the game had a universal dash option.

The stage design also deserves praise. Around Stage 4, I briefly began to wonder whether the experience might become somewhat repetitive. As the game continued, however, the stages, story and individual situations continued to introduce enough variety that this concern quickly faded. The adventure remained compelling and continued to give me reasons to want to see what came next.

The music is another major strength. The soundtrack is beautiful, energetic and impactful, and it contributes significantly to the atmosphere of the game. Rather than simply fading into the background, the music helps give each battle and environment additional personality and energy.

There is also a nice amount of exploration and hidden content. Some secrets require you to pay close attention to the environment and experiment with areas that might initially seem dangerous or inaccessible. Discovering hidden paths, characters, and abilities gives the game additional replay value beyond simply completing each stage.

Considering that King's Blade was developed by a single person, the overall level of polish is particularly impressive. The tight controls, varied characters, excellent music, intelligent AI companions and hidden content combine to create an experience that feels like a genuine tribute to classic arcade beat-'em-ups while still offering enough of its own ideas to stand apart.

Fans of Golden Axe, Final Fight and similar games should definitely find plenty to enjoy in King's Blade. It is an engaging and surprisingly feature-rich beat-'em-up that is very easy to recommend.

Want to learn more about the game's trophies? Read our King's Blade PS5 Trophy List.

Review copy provided by Sometimes You.

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