It has never been my ambition or dream to forge my own swords. But to say that I am not fascinated by the art would be a lie. I have seen countless clips on YouTube where masters forge razor-sharp swords that they then use to cut watermelons, large pieces of meat and bottles filled with carbonated water. It's cool, for sure, and being able to simulate the art of forging has therefore been really stimulating. Not fantastic, but definitely stimulating.
Bladesong is basically nothing more than a sword-forging simulator, but it tries to be more than that. There is a campaign with a text-based story where you make different choices, forge swords, sell swords, buy materials, forge more swords and level up to unlock new abilities and cooler parts you can attach to the sword. It's actually a well-written story, but I miss the immersion that should be there when playing as a master blacksmith, because all you see outside of the actual sword forging is long texts with story. It would have been more fun to be able to walk around your smithy, chat with potential customers, and actually get a feeling of "being there."
But Bladesong is essentially a simulator, and it's clear that this was the initial focus, with the campaign added later. Because it's actually really fun to swing a hammer at metal and shape swords exactly how you want them. The creative mode gives you complete freedom without having to consider what potential customers might want in terms of the characteristics and functions of their sword.
Yes, in the campaign there are specific requests to take into account, where the customer may want a sword that is heavier and blunter rather than sharp and easy to swing. Other times, it might be a sword that can be held with one hand, weighs little, and has a razor-sharp tip. Like those swords the three musketeers wave around - you know? In any case, the campaign is an excellent way to learn the different ways available to make swords, and what the otherwise unfamiliar terms mean. For me, a lot of it is very new, at least, as I'm not very knowledgeable in this field.
Bladesong is currently in Early Access, so it's difficult to predict how it will develop in the future. But I find it hard to imagine that there will be much more than further expansion of customisation options, materials and accessories. The campaign will certainly get updates here and there to offer more variety, but otherwise it's most likely "just" this that we'll get: a very competent sword smithing simulator. We don't have many of those from before, and it's never wrong to try new things when it comes to gaming. There's bound to be someone out there who's been longing to forge their own Master Sword or something similar to the ones they carry around in the Final Fantasy games. Here, it's one hundred per cent possible.
Some of the swords I've worked on. I've added "Sword Master" to my CV, in case you're wondering.
Bladesong is incredibly niche. It does what it sets out to do with skill and polish - and I'm talking about the forging itself. The story feels like something that was added later on to make the game more substantial. It's not bad, but just a little too simple in its execution. But maybe you're the kind of person who's always thought, "I wish there was a game where I could make my own swords," and if so, Bladesong is definitely something you should check out. It's a perfect activity to pick up just to play around with the tools and laugh at how terrible swords you can actually make - or try to make really complicated and powerful creations. It's up to you.