A New Adventure with an Old Soul
There is something that will always be more appealing about a well-crafted, single-player narrative adventure; a format I grew up with.
Before the modern landscape of ever-present multiplayer, live service games, or punishingly hard-as-nails roguelike experiences, the single-player story was the format that truly ruled the gaming world. On the Xbox 360, for example, it felt like there was a brand-new single-player adventure being released every week.
And entire franchises were born during that generation; at a time when some of the all-time classics of the medium were made. These days, because of exponentially higher production values and marketing costs, large gaming companies aren’t so willing to take a risk on a new, unproven intellectual property.
But now, with the release of Blood of Mehran, we have just that: a new game, with a new protagonist, and a new adventure. The question is, does it still feel a bit too much like it’s 2007?
Ancient Revenge
The game employs a narrative structure that starts midway through the story, with the preceding events then told in retrospect through a series of flashbacks. Set in the world of ancient Mesopotamia, you play the role of the titular Mehran, a man who is famed as a legendary warrior. Now, however, he is retired and living as a farmer, happily married with a wife and kids. An evil king takes all this from him, and so Mehran, finding himself locked in a prison, escapes and seeks revenge, embarking on a bloody rampage.
It’s a story that we have seen a thousand times before, from God of War to The Punisher. Unfortunately, Blood of Mehran doesn’t offer anything particularly new to this well-worn genre of revenge story, and at times, it feels like a simple rehash of familiar tropes. Yes, the dialogue is fine, but it can feel a bit old-fashioned and reads like a basic action movie script. I did, however, appreciate the visual storytelling of the world of Mesopotamia itself, with its sand-washed walls and stunning sunsets.
Hack, Slash, and Whistle
The game certainly feels like it belongs to an older generation in terms of its gameplay and sometimes stuttering visuals. It’s a hack-and-slash game at heart, where you move from one area to another, facing off against hordes of enemies before ending with a big boss fight at the end of the level. The combat system gives you a sword to attack with, offering a standard normal attack and a slower, more powerful heavy attack. You can also roll to dodge incoming strikes, while effective parrying and blocking are absolutely key to survival, especially against tougher foes.
The enemies you face aren’t the brightest though, and it soon becomes quite easy to learn their limited move sets and fall into the correct attack pattern to defeat them with ease. You collect orbs from fallen enemies, and these can be used either to heal yourself or to fuel more powerful attacks. There is also a rage bar that accumulates, which, when full, unleashes a powerful fury attack for a short amount of time in battle.
Stealth and Simplistic Exploration
Stealth is also a part of Blood of Mehran. You can creep up behind unsuspecting enemies and take them down silently with visceral takedown animations. You can whistle or make a noise to lure them over to your position and then do your worst.
There are experience points to collect that unlock new moves in your arsenal, and you can upgrade weapons and add a shield to help you defend against ranged attacks. Exploration is fairly simple too; the world is not completely linear, but it is heavily guided. There is also some climbing to be had, where you will encounter the famous yellow-painted ledges and handholds to make sure you always know where you are going.
An Unreal Engine Time Capsule
The overall feeling I had while playing the game is that it doesn’t do anything particularly badly; it just does everything okay. It very quickly loses its excitement, even when you reach new locations, and you can get a bit tired of the core gameplay loop. Further, the stealth system is fine in principle, but it’s not brilliantly implemented, and it feels far too easy to be spotted, often leading to frustrating open combat. As mentioned, the enemy AI is a bit rudimentary, and it’s simple to trick attackers into predictable patterns. Everything just feels okay, and it gives the impression of a game from a bygone era that has suddenly found itself released on the Xbox Series X. However, I did have a good time in stages, and my desire to see how the story would play out was the main thing that kept me coming back.
Visually, it is built using Unreal Engine 5, and at times you can really see that potential shine through, particularly with the detailed environment textures and some good lighting effects. But at other times, the character animations feel a bit average, and I noticed a bizarre bug where Mehran’s beard kept changing shape, length, and thickness mid-cutscene. I liked the different locations, and there were good arenas to fight in.
Soundtrack-wise, there is a lot to offer, with a great, atmospheric score that fits perfectly with both the action scenes and the more sombre moments. Sound effects are good, and the game features a fully-voiced cast who do a decent job with the material they’re given.
A Straightforward Hack-and-Slash That’s Stuck in the Past
As I said in the beginning, the single-player narrative adventure market is a hard one to work with, with audiences expecting big-budget experiences that are reflected on the screen in terms of visuals and gameplay.
Blood of Mehran has all the right bones for what a game of this type should be, and it plays fine, but it’s one that unfortunately never truly impresses. It is a game that genuinely feels like it belongs to a different time and probably would have done very well if it had been released back in the 2000s. But if you feel like you want a straightforward, simple hack-and-slash experience reminiscent of that era, then Blood of Mehran could be for you.
Important Links
Hack, Slash, or Slip By Like a Ghost in Blood of Mehran – https://www.thexboxhub.com/hack-slash-or-slip-by-like-a-ghost-in-blood-of-mehran/
Buy Blood of Mehran on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/blood-of-mehran/9P7ZBS1Q3K1W/0010
