Four characters, one objective. Severance: Blade of Darkness might be consider as the prototype of the Souls series
In 2001, the game—now described by its developers as the precursor to the Souls series—was released on PC. While that claim may be somewhat exaggerated, Severance: Blade of Darkness still managed to captivate many players.
The first decade of the 21st century was a period of glory for the slasher genre. Although most of these hits bypassed personal computers at that time (it was futile to look for the first installments of the Devil May Cry, God of War, or Ninja Gaiden series on them), PC players had no reason to complain. Other games were hitting their platform, allowing them to deal with opponents using a sword and an axe (but not only).
Not so long ago, we recalled Rune, in which we embodied a Viking burning with a desire for revenge. So it's time to recall another true "action game" released in 2001, Severance: Blade of Darkness.
Four characters, one aim
Severance: Blade of Darkness gave us four characters to choose from. My favorite was the knight Sargon, although I also fondly remember playing as the barbarian Tukurama. Also, Amazon Zoe and a dwarf named Naglfar were waiting to be checked out. Each character had their own strengths and weaknesses, fighting style, and preferred weapons. This last issue wasn't merely cosmetic, but had a real impact on what the gameplay looked like in the discussed game.
While my favorite character was holding a sword and a shield, the barbarian was using a two-handed weapon. Zoe preferred using polearms, and the dwarf was skilled with one-handed axes and shields. Why was the knight my number one? I thought he was the most versatile character; I felt like his abilities balanced speed, attack power, and defense. On the other hand, a barbarian didn't know what a shield was and was quite slow, but he could really hit hard.
The choice of character was crucial, also because, while technically each of them could use all types of weapons, equipping a given protagonist with a weapon other than their preferred one resulted in a big slowdown of their movements. Gotta admit, it was pretty logical, because I guess every warrior can swing an axe, but not everyone has to be a master at it.
Soulslike progenitor? Not really, but...
In the official game description on Steam (more on that in a moment), the developers argue that their work laid the foundations for the soulslike genre. I think there's a bit of an exaggeration in this statement, but you can actually find an element in Severance: Blade of Darkness that later became characteristic of Dark Souls.
The game from Rebel Act Studios was really hard; you couldn't just breeze through it. Instead of charging at every enemy with a battle cry, it was better to approach opponents with respect, dodging their attacks, looking for openings in their defense, and landing accurate counterattacks. I have to admit, my younger self had a bit of trouble understanding this (but eventually I got it).
All of this concerned both weak opponents and enemies more powerful than them. On our way, we encountered, among others, orcs, demons, and skeletons, but also trolls, golems, and other larger specimens serving as bosses. Enemies could be a real threat even when faced alone, and taking on a larger group usually resulted in a spectacular death for our character.
Concluding the topic of fighting, it's impossible not to mention its brutality. It is enough to say, the game allowed us to use severed enemy limbs as weapons, which was sometimes useful because weapons could get damaged and break unexpectedly.
Nonlinear adventure
Severance: Blade of Darkness takes us to a dark fantasy land engulfed in chaos, where the inhabitants struggle against monsters. So it is not surprising that Inana, the goddess watching over the world, decided to appoint her champion, whose quest was to deal with the danger coming from the Abyss and restore balance throughout the land.
The adventure prepared for us in this way led us through atmospheric locations, including gloomy dungeons and wastelands, impressive interiors of palaces or temples, and even the inside of a volcano. What's interesting, from time to time the game gave us a choice of where we wanted to go next. Well, in the end, we were all heading towards the same final outcome, but that bit of nonlinearity was actually a pretty nice touch.
There were also occasional deviations from fighting. Even though the combat was the main focus, there were also environmental puzzles that required us to interact with objects, manipulate hydraulic systems, or deactivate traps.
Character development
Severance: Blade of Darkness also had RPG elements. As we progressed, we gained experience and advanced the character, developing their skills. Besides, over time, we were looting better equipment.
The game implemented a kind of variation on the theme of level scaling, too. As time went on, the opponents also became stronger, so we never really felt like true heroic bosses.
What happened next?
Severance: Blade of Darkness received a warm reception from players and industry media. Nevertheless, the devs behind it didn't make any other titles. In 2002, a new game studio, Mercury Steam, rose from the ashes of that team. They later gained worldwide recognition with games like Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.
However, the game itself returned after years, as Blade of Darkness. First, it was released on Nintendo Switch in November 2022, and shortly after, in March 2023, it appeared on other platforms. Although the title has slightly changed, the devs left the gameplay untouched. They really put a lot of effort into the graphics, making sure they're compatible with widescreen displays and 4K resolution.
How to play Blade of Darkness today?
The physical version of Severance: Blade of Darkness costs a few bucks. Nevertheless, the title is also available in digital distribution. On Steam and GOG.com, you have to pay $14.99 for it, in the Microsoft Store and PlayStation Store it is also priced at $14.99, while in the Nintendo eShop it costs 14.99 dollars.
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Author: Christian Pieniazek
Started working with Gamepressure.com in August 2016. Although the Game Encyclopedia has been his pride and joy from the beginning, he also writes for the Newsroom and the Editorial section. Gained professional experience through a now-defunct service, in which he worked for almost three years. Graduated in Cultural Studies at the AGH University of Krakow. Runs his own business, jogs, cycles, loves mountain hiking, is a fan of nu metal, is interested in space, and of course, enjoys playing games. Feels best in action games with an open world and RPGs, although won't turn down good racing or shooting games.
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