Path Of A Warrior-Imperial Blood!

**Sephiroth** · 11-06-2009, 06:37 PM

Plot wise, Imperial Blood has a story so convoluted that it rivals that of the Star Wars prequel films. Great streams of plot introduce the game and continue to play their part before each mission, though they are all, thankfully, skippable. But as background, the gist of the game revolves around a civil war taking place in a fictitious Tolkien-esque realm, with you taking on the role of a combatant going freelance, able to pick and choose just who you want to fight for.

Each mission offers a different amount of reward, and you're able to preview just what will be involved if you accept the challenge. On the whole, said tasks usually focus on taking on a specific rival and decimating armies, enabling your chosen ally to take a step forward in their own particular battle and changing the make-up of your own story as a result. Indeed, Gamevil claims that there are a multitude of different paths your personal plot can take (with 24 endings available), and even the briefest dabble in Imperial Blood's early stages suggests that such declarations are fairly close to the mark.

This is not the revolution Gamevil would like to bill it as, however. While the prospect of online multiplayer battles may entice many, those on offer in the main game can be quite flat. Standard battles see groups of rivals approach in packs from all manner of directions, and fending them off is a matter of thrashing the '5' key to wield your weapon.

A variety of special moves can also be employed, to a degree, to wipe out rivals in a short and sharp manner – a factor that only aids progress, which relies on your ability to clear all foes on the screen so you can onto the next.

The successful completion of each task is rewarded with gold of varying amounts (depending on the particular level assigned) that can then be traded in for items to up your aptitude – bombs, health recovery, amongst others. You also have complete control over your character's attributes, able to up the strength of your attacks or add particular skills to your set, enabling the kind of personalisation of play that is the stalwart of all quality RPGs.

But, with 1,000 weapons available and the ability to combine items changing the very nature of the contests, this is a game that requires both sheer talent and a grip on strategy in equal measure. If you're someone who is desperate for a game to install your time and passion in, then Path of a Warrior: Imperial Blood is an RPG that has much to give in return. But if continuous battles against scrolling foes sounds like a chore rather than something to relish, then this won't be the game to change your mind. You see? It really is a pot of Marmite.

This game gets a rating 7/10