Developer Gaijin Entertainment's Blades of Time is the spiritual successor to 2009's critically-panned and sadly misunderstood, third-person hack-and-slash adventure game, X-Blades. Usually, when a game is poorly received, the chances of a sequel diminish, but believing they had a solid foundation, Gaijin took that opportunity to retool and improve their concept, and reintroduce their nimble treasure hunter to the world.

X-Blades relied on its attractive female lead to lure in gamers, but it did not have much in the way of lasting appeal. Ayumi returns in Blades of Time, continuing her curious treasure-hunting ways and sporting a new, even less subdued look that harkens Tomb Raider's Lara Croft rather than a generic anime character. Finding herself stuck on a possessed island while seeking untold fortunes, Ayumi discovers and implements exceptional powers that fuel her new adventure.

X-Blades' combat was based on earning and subsequently developing a variety of melee moves, magic spells, weapon enhancements, and light vs. dark / order vs. chaos-based skills that affected the game's ending. That basis returns and expands as more than 40 sets of skills will be available to Ayumi for slick customization, allowing you to tailor her to your specific play style.

Blades of Time is aptly named, as its main gameplay hook is evident in its title. With the ability called "Time Rewind", the player can turn back the clock, producing tangible clones that replay the actions that Ayumi previously committed. If you have played the downloadable indie darling Braid, you should have a fair grasp of how that works, as well as the potential it pledges. This gift will be useful in taking on flocks of enemies and giant bosses in intensely furious and beautifully destructive fashion, but it serves another more promising purpose. The unique nature of this ability should give the developers room to toy with and offer inventive environmental puzzles that require precise timing and smart use of your doubles. 

While X-Blades was energizing and colorful in palette, it was painfully bland in its environmental settings. Each location was squared off and the surroundings were woefully devoid of inhabitants, leaving the entire experience feeling both effortlessly linear and unmistakably shallow. Fortunately, Gaijin's modern artistic direction ensures that Blades of Time receives a healthy upgrade. Sweeping vistas and plenty of vertical movement along snow-covered lands, ancient cities, and sky-floating islands allow for an open, grander, and more epic journey. The game will also support both cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes.

Gaijin Entertainment hopes to correct the mistakes of Ayumi's first adventure, making good on that game's early promise with an astounding-looking reboot of sorts. By offering not only a visually appealing character and settings with a ridiculously improved graphics engine, but also the promise of fluid and versatile combat and innovative puzzles, Blades of Time should please both pugilists and thinkers when it releases in March.

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