Blade & Soul was first released in Korea in 2012 but didn’t make it to the West for a further four years. By the time it did it already faced stiff competition in the MMO space from a multitude of other titles such as Final Fantasy XIV, with Black Desert Online arriving just after it to add further pressure. Despite this it managed to stand the test of time, retaining a loyal player base while other MMOs floundered. Its mix of Wuxia-style martial arts, interesting races, and anime artwork kept it afloat, but it’s fair to say that it’s showing its age a little now. Hence Blade & Soul NEO, a reworking of the original game set to launch on 25 February.
We were lucky enough to attend a reveal of Blade & Soul NEO courtesy of NC America, and the open world looks absolutely spectacular. A handful of tweaks and changes are included along with a full graphical overhaul.
Written in the wind
The first and perhaps biggest change is the addition of “infinite windwalking”. This is the art of parkouring up any surface and using special points on the map to leap vast distances. Previously, there was a stamina metre that would limit your movement, but in Blade & Soul NEO this has been removed, meaning you can go further for longer. Who needs a mount, right?
In motion it looks incredible, and the verticality of some areas makes it look an absolute joy to ride the wind from point to point at ridiculous speeds.
Free-form fighting
Something else Blade & Soul NEO does differently from other RPGs is its combat. The devs don’t want you to rely on rotating skills like many MMOs, which can make combat feel incredibly monotonous regardless of how flashy the attacks may be. It becomes mechanical and dull, whereas in Blade& Soul NEO, the combat is more like a fighting game.
So you’ll need to move, dodge and block in real time, utilising your skills as combos to juggle the enemy and punish mistakes. Not only does this make PvE combat more dynamic, but it means PvP combat is much more skill- and reflex-based.
Tell me a tale
While the story will remain largely unchanged, the new player experience has been improved. A revamped opening allows you to get familiar with the game systems before being thrust into a globe-trotting tale of revenge.
MMOs can sometimes struggle to tell a coherent story with so many players at different points along a narrative path, but NEO will work hard to get you invested in the story and world before cutting you loose to tackle the adventure in your own way.
And look good doing it
Well, what would any MMO be without a healthy injection of fashion-first thinking? Dozens of new outfits have been added to Blade & Soul NEO, and everything we were shown except a special pre-order outfit can be earned in the game without having to head to a real money shop. There may well be special outfits and cosmetics added later that you can buy, but the selection we’ve seen look pretty damn good, and you don’t need to buy any of them.
You can argue all you want that cosmetics aren’t important, but everyone knows MMO characters are all about that swagger.
Same world, new experience
And all of this is in aid of bringing Blade & Soul up to date. Improved graphics and tweaked systems are all well and good, but NCSoft know better than many that these elements have to gel together for it to work.
It doesn’t matter how great it looks if the experience isn’t enough to tear attention away from some of the long-standing MMO giants out there, but Blade & Soul NEO looks like it’s windwalking in the right direction – and we don’t have to wait long to find out.
Blade & Soul NEO will be available on PC on February 25, 2025 via Purple.
