Bladenite (game)

Bladenite is a fantasy action-adventure game released in 1984 on the TLB2 game console. It was developed and published by Murphy Computing.

It is the first title in Murphy's best-selling Bladenite series of video games.

Synopsis
In the Kingdom of Metigon on the continent of Raful, rumors run rampant of a swordsman in black who takes on the most dangerous of jobs posted on the bulletin board of the Mercenary Guild and always coming back alive to collect the reward money. He goes by the handle of "Bladenite", and is regarded by many to be one of the best swordsmen in the kingdom, and is the wielder of the legendary sword "Starshatterer".

One night, as Bladenite sharpened his beloved sword in a room at an inn that he is staying at after completing another dangerous job, he is intruded upon by a strange cloaked man, who informs him that the evil God of Darkness, Kherus, has reawakened from a 1000-year slumber and is unleashing monsters upon the land. In addition, he also informs Bladenite that the only thing that could harm Kherus is Starshatterer, which was used by the God of Light, Idar, to strike down the malevolent deity 1000 years prior.

Knowing that Kherus would see him as a threat for obvious reasons, he sets out the next day to stop the evil god from destroying everything with his monsters.

Cast of Characters
See Bladenite (game)/Characters for details

Gameplay
Bladenite is a top-down action-adventure game with similar gameplay characteristics to Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda for the NES, but with some things to spice it up, thanks to the extra two face buttons on the TLB2 Game Controller. In addition to using Starshatterer to attack enemies, as well as to block and parry against enemy attacks, Bladenite could also, when obtaining magical scrolls, cast spells with different temporary effects. He could also obtain different kinds of tools, whether for getting past obstacles or solving puzzles.

Tools can be mostly obtained at the Item Shop run by Teresa, using golds collected from defeated enemies. Certain tools can be found in certain dungeon levels within the game.

Also in the game are a type of rare item, Light Shards, which are found in secret rooms within the game's dungeon levels. They could then be used to enhance the offensive and defensive capabilities of Starshatterer.

The game also uses a 9-digit password system, so that the player can continue where they left off. In the pause screen, there is an option to generate a password for the player to use, while recommending them to write it down on a piece of paper. The player can also view the world map on the pause menu, as well as an inventory for the items that they have on hand, as well as the gold collected from slain enemies.

In-Game

 * D-Pad - Movement
 * A - Cast spell (selected from the inventory in the pause menu)
 * B - Use sword
 * C - Use tool (selected from the inventory in the pause menu)
 * D - Defense/Parry/Interact with NPC

Menu Screens

 * D-Pad - Highlight option
 * A - Confirm selection
 * B - Return/Back

Reception
Bladenite was met with critical acclaim at release, being praised for its unique mechanics, great graphics, memorable soundtrack and awesome replay value, although it is criticized for its high difficulty level, it's still considered a classic today.