Stephanie Bendixsen: The Elder Scrolls: Blades a masterful game muddied by money
The Elder Scrolls: Blades is a masterfully-created mobile game with surprisingly sophisticated gameplay. But it drags you into this medieval paradise just enough, before locking the rest away behind timers unless you relent and hand over your cash.
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If you’re an Elder Scrolls fan, the idea of a mobile game addition to the franchise might sound kind of cool.
If you’re an Elder Scrolls fan, the idea of a mobile game addition to the franchise might sound kind of cool.
Though I’m not much of an on-the-go gamer, I’ve dabbled in mobile games here and there; puzzlers based on other big franchises, addictive time-wasters - that sort of thing.
But given the fact that modern-day smartphones are essentially small pocket computers - I shouldn’t have been so surprised that Bethesda’s foray into the world of mobile gaming with Elder Scrolls Blades would be nothing short of epic.
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You start your adventure by creating your character, a stripped-back version of the character creation experience you’ll get in something like Skyrim or Elder Scrolls Online, but still impressive.
A big part of the joy in these games is feeling like it’s your journey, one that your own personal Orc, or Khajiit or Wood Elf will participate in.
Visually, it’s impressive - like a more linear path through some verdant slice of developer Bethesda’s larger world.
The controls take a little getting used to, ‘virtual’ thumbsticks that have been implemented in other hi-fidelity mobile games of this nature but never, in my opinion, so well.
It does take time to fall into a good rhythm of effortless movement (sliding thumbs on a slippery touchscreen can make for some awkward character-manoeuvering) but it really is the best system for an RPG on this platform.
Combat, similarly involves well-placed screen presses on an enemy to attack, crafty use of spells and tapping a shield button for some cleverly-timed blocking. It’s simple but effective, and enemies you encounter provide a good range of easy fodder and more challenging opponents.
The ultimate goal of Blades is to restore a town destroyed after an attack to its former glory. It serves as your home base and employs a common design-hook that sees you quickly falling into a deliciously addictive desire to invest time and hard-earned gold into making everything look shiny again.
Some restorations are mutually-beneficial, like building a new smithy for the blacksmith who can make you some better gear for your adventuring. But everything costs money in this town, down to the cobblestones and shrubs.
And money is where things in this game start to get muddy.
Blades is free to download and play - which means that in order to make money (and a lot more of it than would be had from a one-off purchase), it employs a system of microtransactions in a model that has come to be known as ‘freemium’.
That is, the game is free, but if you want to progress at a rate that feels productive, you’re likely going to have to fork out a decent amount of cash.
To be clear, you can play this game and get everything you need to complete it without spending a cent - it would just take you a tediously-long time.
Freemium games like this one hook you with quick progression early on.
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For example, on your travels you’ll collect chests filled with useful items and rewards, along with materials needed to rebuild your town. You’ll also collect green gems, which serve as the freemium currency in the game.
Early in the adventure, if you don’t have the relevant materials to complete a structure, you can purchase more with green gems, or go out adventuring to find the supplies yourself.
No problem - adventure is my middle name.
Why would I want to skip the actual gameplay anyway? Also, chests can be opened after a five-second delay. Or you can spend a single green crystal to open it immediately. Pfft. Who is impatient enough that they can’t wait five measly seconds?! Well, let me tell you - things don’t stay that way.
The further you progress and the more of your town you manage to restore, the longer it takes for you to acquire what you need.
Suddenly you’ll pick up silver chests with even more exciting loot inside. But after opening one, you have to wait THREE HOURS before you can open another. Six, if you find a gold one.
And here’s the thing: you’re finding so many of these damn things and you can only hold a few at a time - so you need to open them or sacrifice the loot within. So, what’s the solution? Green gems to buy your way in. You’ll pick up a few here and there while out questing, but never enough to do anything useful. So, you’ll need to buy them from the store. With actual, real-world money.
Likewise with your building materials. What starts out as a plentiful bounty as reward for your perilous adventures, eventually becomes a much more meagre offering.
Barely enough to patch of roof or repair a window - let alone finish construction on an entire building.
It’s a grind. But you’re so close to getting that fancy fountain for your townspeople to enjoy! So… you turn to your old friends the green gems, shamefully pulling out your credit card once more.
Ultimately, Blades isn’t a bad game at all, and this payment model is nothing new. Many games have turned to this method in order to be successful - and it doesn’t change the fact that you can technically play the whole thing for free.
The question is, would you want to? And once you’re already hooked, will you be able to resist?
I can’t help but wonder what algorithms and research went into the moulding of this game into just the right level of addictiveness.
Just enough to enthrall you in the cultivating of this medieval paradise before locking the rest away behind timers until you finally relent and hand over the cash.
I can tell you, I’ve been down this road before, and it wasn’t fun for me or my wallet.
Ultimately, I am enjoying Blades, I think it’s a masterfully-created game; full of polish, mystery, surprisingly sophisticated gameplay and rich in Elder Scrolls lore. I am definitely keen to keep playing it...
...in six hours time when my next chest opens.
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