Battlesmiths: Blade and Forge

About Battlesmiths: Blade and Forge

Battlesmiths: Blade and Forge is an adventure RPG with strategy and simulation elements developed by Ragnarocket. Released in 2025, it blends crafting, town-building, and tactical combat. The story follows a young Earl who flees after his father is captured by a Duke, forcing him to rebuild a neglected estate and confront a growing threat. The game runs on PC, Mac, Linux, and mobile platforms. Its core loop revolves around gathering resources, forging weapons, and managing a team in turn-based battles. The setting is a gritty medieval fantasy world with a focus on resource management and strategic depth.

Gameplay

Players spend time managing a forge, mining ores, and crafting gear to strengthen their party. Combat is turn-based, requiring positioning, weapon types, and status effects to outmaneuver enemies. Each session involves balancing upgrades, training characters, and defending against raids. Multiplayer allows co-op building and shared campaigns. Controls are intuitive but require planning for optimal outcomes. The game emphasizes resource scarcity, with materials needing to be gathered, smelted, or traded. Missions involve exploring ruins, battling enemy squads, and upgrading the estate’s defenses. Strategy matters: a poorly balanced team or weak weapon can lead to quick losses.

What Players Think

Community ratings are 92% positive, with 8.9/10 on critic sites. 42% of players complete the main story, averaging 25 hours. Moods are split between determined (68%) and frustrated (22%), citing resource management as a challenge. One user wrote, “The crafting loop keeps me hooked, but the early-game grind is punishing.” Another noted, “Co-op feels underoptimized on mobile.” Achievements total 25, with 87% completion rate for top players. The $19.99 price tag has drawn criticism for perceived value gaps, but 63% say it’s worth the cost. Reviews highlight depth in tactical combat and a satisfying crafting system.

PlayPile's Take

Battlesmiths: Blade and Forge is for players who enjoy slow-building strategy and deep crafting systems. The price is low but the time investment is high, with many opting to play part-time due to its grind-heavy nature. While achievements are plentiful, the game lacks polish in multiplayer and mobile play. If you thrive in games where planning and resource management matter, it’s worth the 25-hour average playthrough. Stick with it past the first 10 hours for smoother, more rewarding gameplay.

Storyline

Young Earl and his father are ambushed at the Duke's castle. The father is captured, the son barely manages to flee for his life and run to a long lost family estate. Now he has to rebuild this town, and gather enough strength to save his father and fight the mysterious menace that threatens the entire land.