FLASH OF THE BLADE X

The traditional Japanese background music is soothing. It stands in stark contrast to the game.

I loved it. Pros +Short n sweet levels +Great weapons and melee actually feels satisfying +Played a 'secret level' with some great developer commentary +Secret level has a cursed DOSMan. Can you find him? +Secrets galore. (Ya found me!) +Music is high effort and seems like a different song for each level. All traditional Japanese +Short game. but bargain price Cons - A few options are missing that you'd find on later EFPS releases from DOSMan - No achievements (see above) Recommended

I played the game only after it got a big overhaul so I can't comment on how it was before that (though that should not bother new players anyway) So far I've played through the first five DOSman games on Steam and Flash of the Blade X was the best of the bunch. This is not a polished or innovative game, Dosman Games is upfront about that and the price should set appropriate expectations. Treat this game like a hamburger: cheap and not that great but satiates you until the next proper meal and you crave exatly that every once in a while. Some quick points to consider: [list] [*]few settings, no key rebinding [*]unexpectedly tough at first but pretty easy once you get the hang of it [*]it's short (my time was 2 playthroughs and finding every secret + a couple minutes being stuck by my own fault) [/list] In short: Get it if you want the gaming equivalent of a fast food snack or if you're a connoisseur of honest amateur games. Leave it be if you expect anything beyond that.

[b]Extremely[/b] short, at just under 1h, and super easy, but somehow satisfying and relaxing to play. Take the length into account compared with the purchase/sale price though. Resolution can be changed via the Config.ini file in the installation folder, but it messes with the mouse sensitivity so be aware of that.

I'm in the process of playing through all DOSman games. This is my 3rd one. Of the 3 I've played so far, this seemed to be the shortest. After starting a couple of times, I finished the game within an afternoon. Though it took a minute for me to get into it, so far, this is my favorite DOSman game. I think the level design is interesting and obviously involved some thought. There's a lot of use of hidden enemies to evoke the idea of the "invisible ninja" (in long bamboo, around corners in nooks, in darkened levels). Surprisingly, none of the hidden enemies feel cheap and you can still definitely avoid or kill them without just memorization of their spots. Unlike some of their other games, this does not appear to be a direct homage to any specific old FPS game. The slicing, dicing, and pixel gore is a bit like the original Shadow Warrior, but it has such a different overall feel, I wouldn't call it an homage. I thought the mixture of melee and shooting was more balanced than in prior games and it felt like the level design was more interesting (particularly better than later levels of "Reaper"). It is very short, but it's also inexpensive, so I would definitely recommend it.

Short and simple. I wish it had a bit more depth and challenge, but was fun for what it was.

A pleasant, short experience. Very bite size. I really enjoyed it. If he ever makes an expansion, I'll buy it day one.

Another fine addition to the Dosman Collection; FOTBX takes everything we enjoy in bite sized boomer shooters, and gives it to us in a fun, easy to access, simple package. Run, slice and dice and get out. Sure it's short, but that's perfect for the hard working middle aged gamer with bills to pay.