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Ember & Blade is full of bullet heaven combat, Soulslike bosses, and a twisting story
D
Dave Tach
That’s the sense you get while speaking with him, anyway. Ember & Blade—which has a demo you can play right now in the Epic Games Store—is the culmination of Director J. Kim's more than two decades making action games, a love letter to some of his favorite games, and a chance to push the genres he loves in new and interesting directions.
It's a story of success, inspiration, failure, and the conviction that sometimes a good idea needs time to germinate. Kim’s career began as the lead programmer for Mabinogi, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game from the developers at Nexon. After that game’s launch, he moved to another project.
"This game aimed to combine the fun of arcade brawler genres like Golden Axe with MMORPG elements," Kim told me. "What was particularly innovative was the reaction system, where multiple enemies would be pushed back and sent flying, much like the Dynasty Warriors series. This was a very challenging attempt at the time, when MMORPGs typically involved standing in place and trading attacks.
"Unfortunately, this highly immersive action didn't mesh well with the long-session nature of MMORPGs, so it never made it to release. However, the action in that game was incredibly fun, so I always wanted to revive that concept someday."
The feel of combat from that old project was based on Kim's love of 3D action games. He cites Super Mario 64, Devil May Cry, Elden Ring, and God of War as examples. But it took years and the invention of a new genre for Kim's ideas to find a new home.
"One day, I encountered Vampire Survivors, and I became convinced that I could implement Dynasty Warriors-style brawler combat within a short, repetitive structure," said Kim.
Vampire Survivors effectively created the "bullet heaven" genre, in which your character’s weapons automatically fire as hordes of enemies descend upon you. Inside every enemy is the potential for valuable drops. Each run is a fight for survival, loot, and leveling up.
"I believe this genre still has untapped potential," Kim said. And that’s how Ember & Blade began, merging an old idea with new mechanics, and layering on influences from some of his favorite games.
Kim refers to Ember & Blade as a "premium Survivor-like," meaning it contains more and aims higher than some of its competitors.
"I thought that by maximizing the visceral thrill of mowing down hordes of enemies and combining it with refined visual art, deep worldbuilding, and narrative, we could create a new kind of experience. That's what we consider a premium Survivor-like game, and it represents the small but beautiful, fun, and meaningful experiences that NineLives Studio strives for," said Kim.
From the first moments playing Ember & Blade, you’ll recognize that it’s cut from the same cloth as Vampire Survivors—though it differs on the graphical front, as it's set in an isometric 3D world.
NineLives Studio also put an emphasis on boss fights, which not only add big, challenging encounters to the game but also an element of strategy to character upgrades. Many of these bosses are inspired by FromSoftware's games and are based on "incorporating Soulslike elements—observing large boss patterns, retrying and mastering them, achieving victory through skill," as Kim put it.
"Ember & Blade’s boss battles are structured so that, within limited dodge attempts, you must learn boss patterns and dodge with precise timing, or you'll take heavy damage, bringing that distinctive Soulslike tension. This meshes well with the roguelite nature that assumes repeated playthroughs, making it what I consider the most solid foundation for implementing boss battles," said Kim.
"However, we didn't make it completely Soulslike," he continued. "Since there are no healing options, limited growth potential for dodge resources, and you can't retry boss battles separately, we tuned it to reduce the 'spice level.' Even so, the tension when facing bosses and the sting of defeat are certainly comparable to Soulslikes."
Kim said that the team at NineLives is hoping to strike a balance between these two seemingly disparate parts—battles against masses of enemies and single, strong boss enemies—by incorporating what he describes as a "strategic tension" for players.
"For example, the Blessings and Shay's Shop items you acquire during gameplay are largely divided between those favoring horde combat and those favoring boss battles. If you only collect the former, boss battles become difficult. If you only collect the latter, you'll easily be overwhelmed by hordes. Therefore, players must construct balanced builds within limited growth opportunities, creating Ember & Blade's unique strategic depth," said Kim.
"I imagine many players will get absorbed in the fun of sweeping away enemy hordes with god-like power, only to later face the moment of wondering ‘How do I beat the boss?’" Kim said with a laugh.
Narrative is also an important part of the game to Kim, and another reason he thinks of it as premium. It’s also a feature inspired by another game he admires.
"Survivor-likes often give the impression of being ‘games you play casually and quickly forget,’ Kim said, "but I wanted to turn that on its head. Just as Hades brought narrative innovation to roguelites, I believed Survivor-likes could absolutely go down that path.
"But more than anything else, it was personal preference. From Shadow of the Colossus, Silent Hill 2, and Prince of Persia to Elden Ring and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, what has always captivated me are tragic stories. As a game developer, I wanted to give players that kind of experience, and Ember & Blade felt like a good opportunity to attempt that."
Kim said that Ember & Blade’s story unfolds in concert with the trappings of the genre. There’s an expectation that you’ll need multiple runs and attempts to reach the ending. And each one provides an opportunity to learn more.
"In Ember & Blade, hidden secrets about the characters and world are gradually revealed like puzzle pieces through changing conversations across repeated runs. If the first run focuses on the mission to prevent the Archdemon's escape, the second run emphasizes the characters' past and relationships. Story delivery is designed to be short and unobtrusive, so even players who don't prefer reading lots of dialogue can naturally follow along," said Kim.
"I can't share details as they're spoilers, but each run's ending leads to completely unexpected developments."
Speaking with Kim, it’s clear that Ember & Blade is a heartfelt expression of the things he loves. His hope is simple: to make a single game that impacts players just like the games that have impacted him.
"I've always been deeply moved by experiences where game mechanics, story, and visual art come together as one. Throughout my career, I've wanted to make such games and tried several times, but things didn't work out as intended. This time, however, I was fortunate to work with talented and dedicated team members, and with lots of help from those around us, we can finally deliver a complete story to players. I hope Ember & Blade becomes a game that stays in your memory for a long time."
The Ember & Blade demo is available now in the Epic Games Store.