Game-News' interview with Enric Alvarez - Director of the upcoming epic, Blades of Fire

At Game-News, we were super lucky to get a chance to speak with Enric Alvarez - co-founder of MercurySteam, and the talented game director behind the upcoming fantasy epic, Blades of Fire. After having a chance to play a preview of his upcoming game, we wanted to know more about how Blades of Fire came to be, what we can expect from the final game, and the experience on working on an exciting new IP, and fantasy game since the studio's release of CastleVania: Lords of Shadows 2 back in 2014.

We would like to thank Enric for his time to take our questions, and you can find out more about Blades of Fire from our preview here - and check out the latest gameplay trailer with this interview.


1. Enric, thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions. I guess the most important would be what inspired Blades of Fire and its fantastic concept of forging your own weapons.

The emotional touchstone for Blades of Fire is without a doubt Blade of Darkness, the very first project some of us worked on many years ago—back when MercurySteam was just a dream. Ever since then, we’ve longed to return to that kind of universe, and Blades of Fire has been our chance to finally make that happen.

As for the forging system, it all started with a simple question: what if, in a world ruled by steel, a queen suddenly cast a spell that turned all steel into stone? How could anyone stand against her power without weapons made of steel, the mightiest of all metals? That single idea sparked everything else.

2. How does it feel for you and the team to be working on a fantasy game over 10 years since Lords of Shadows 2?

It’s incredibly exciting to return to environments, feelings, and gameplay styles that are so familiar to us—ones we’ve explored so many times in the past. As I mentioned earlier, the founding members of the studio went through their baptism by fire with Blade of Darkness, back in 2001. So in many ways, this feels like coming home.

3. It must have been nice revisiting familiar game design ground. Was there anything learned since LOS2 that you and the team used for the production of Blades of Fire?

In truth, Blades of Fire has little in common with any of our Castlevania titles. During development, there were very few moments where we looked back at structures or systems from those games to apply them here. On the other hand, times have changed—and Blades is a game that, in many ways, gives the player much more freedom and room for expression.

4. Were there any challenges, difficulties, or significant changes made to achieve the full vision of Blades of Fire?

The main challenge, without a doubt, was the Forging system and all the consequences it needed to have—both in combat and in the design of the enemies, aesthetically and in gameplay terms. It often felt like walking a tightrope, maintaining a delicate balance and carefully weighing every decision to make sure it made sense from every possible angle. Our goal was for the player to truly feel the weight of their choices in the Forge—and to experience, as clearly as possible, how those decisions shaped the flow of battle.

5. How did you manage to balance everything, from the forging, Souls-Like elements, massive world filled with monsters and progression system to keep it approachable and interesting?

By taking as many steps forward as we did backward! Let me explain: gameplay-wise, Blades of Fire is a unique beast, and that meant moving forward with extreme care—because the balance we were aiming for was incredibly delicate. The whole game orbits around the Forge, not just mechanically, but narratively too. I can say without hesitation that Blades of Fire is the most complex development we’ve ever undertaken at MercurySteam.

6. Forging your own weapons is such an innovative and interesting gameplay concept. In the preview it feels like we saw only a fraction of the bigger picture. What can we expect for forging and customising weapons in the full game? Are there any surprises we can expect? (If you can share of course)

The Forge is definitely the gravitational center of Blades of Fire. At the same time, its role in the game is entirely up to the player. You’ll inevitably need to visit the Forge from time to time, but how often and for what purpose—that’s your decision. The Forge will be whatever you want it to be. You might fall in love with three weapons and stick with them the entire game… or you might experiment with ten, twenty, even thirty—switching between them as you see fit. It’s entirely in your hands.

7. How did you approach designing your own version of a Souls-Borne style game? The genre is so massive but it feels like MercurySteam has found something new for the genre.

Blades of Fire certainly draws from some elements of the Souls genre, but for us, it’s more of an action-adventure with the Forge as its true center of gravity. I think that’s what gives the game its unique flavour—even narratively—since everything in Blades of Fire revolves around the spell that turned steel into stone.

8. Lastly, what would be the perfect outcome for Blade of Fire? Would you and the team work on a sequel to further explore the groundwork you made here?

Naturally, we’d love for Blades of Fire to resonate in people’s hearts—and for that connection to give us the confidence to keep exploring this fantastic universe.

Blades of Fire which will be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (Epic Games Store). The game is set to launch on May 22nd for $59.99 and £49.99. Pre-orders are available now on respected platform stores.You can see the latest gameplay reveal from MercurySteam and a combat trailer discussing in more detail the thrilling gameplay you can expect.