Scarlet Blade

Scarlet Blade Classes

• Cyberblade – the only male class in the game. Cyberblades are melee DPS specialists.
• Defender – as the name implies, a tank that can absorb lots of damage while still being able to dish out damage.
• Medic – the main healer of the group, with offensive abilities taking the form of DOTs and debuffs.
• Punisher – a long-ranged assassin that specializes in eliminating high value single targets quickly. Very high damage, but low defense.
• Sentinel – a dual-wielding gun fighter with high accuracy and speed. Sentinels rely on their high mobility to get into and out of combat quickly.
• Shadow Walker – a stealth class, much like a rogue with powerful melee attacks. High DPS, low defense.
• Whipper – an AoE Specialist, with little skill variety. Can eliminate enemies from a distance with devastating AoE. Particularly useful in dungeons and large groups of enemies.

Scarlet Blade Review

By Albert Bassili

Developed by LivePlex and published in North America by Aeria Games Entertainment in 2013, Scarlet Blade features what can be called a very “bosomy” cast of character, something that neither developer nor publisher are shy about pointing out. A game that is still in development, Scarlet Blade features 7 classes as well as a level cap of 49 which should be increased as the game continues to be updated.

Essentially, Scarlet Blade is attempting to be a solid MMO with sexualized elements. With that in mind, this MMO is definitely targeted to a more mature audience. The character art style is very reminiscent of Anime, whereas the environments and mobs are closer to the more traditional Western style of graphics.

Strip Tease

In Scarlet Blade, you are the commander of an Arkana, which are cloned super soldiers. The Arkana represent the last hope of humanity after having been devastated by an alien attack. The players’ first choice in the game is to choose between the two eponymous factions: The Royal Guard and The Free Knights. The first represents honor, virtue, and the ultimate goal of restoring humanity. The latter, represents freedom, change, and the ideology of prying loose the chains of lofty and unattainable goals.

Once players choose a class, they play as a skimpily clad character in the starter area, which represents part of the beginning tutorial. After that, players are set loose in the world of Chromia, starting in an area called Enocia.

First impressions are good, with the graphics really holding up in relation to other modern MMOs of this generation. The hybrid art style of western and eastern seem to mix quite well, with nothing seeming too out of place. The sound effects are good - the gun blasts are striking and players can really feel the impact. Mobs in the starter area are usually set as passive, meaning they will not attack you and will generally ignore your presence. However, once players start entering dungeons, mobs are set as aggressive and mind needs to be paid as to where the player’s character is going.

To that end, all combat actions except basic attacks in Scarlet Blade require “Skill Ponts” or SP, which acts as mana in the game. This stat is depleted over time and must be replenished either through inaction, rest, or the use of a potion. An important thing to keep in mind is the difference between SP, action points, and skill points (points spent on the character in the game's skill trees).

The game features a multitude of skills to spend points on, divided neatly between passive and active. Passive skills are of the traditional RPG variety, such as increased max health, attack damage, or defense. Active skills, on the other hand, are much more fun, as these are the skills that will be equipped on the action bar and used in the majority of the gameplay. Of course, each class has its own set of skills, so there’s a lot to explore before having to settle down on a specific class type.

Therefore, Scarlet Blade seems to have a moderate rate of progression. As players finish the tutorial over the course of an hour, they will find themselves ending up at the starter town, called Enocia Glen. Here, the player gets accustomed to the questing system, as well as other systems, such as the market and teleporting.

Peripheral Attachment

Once players reach Level 17, they are given a quest that rewards them with a mech. This is where another player stat comes in called CP, or Cyber Power, which is eaten up when a player transforms into a mech. This transformation gives around double the normal stats. However, this transformation comes at the cost of CP so the player cannot stay in mech-mode indefinitely. In addition to this, there are increases to other stats such as movement speed, PvP damage, and protection.

Currently, there are 5 class-specific mechs to choose from and two non-class specific mechs. All of them are quite stunning visually, with the effect being more pronounced the higher the quality the mech is.

Boutique

Aside from the main gun-toting gameplay, Scarlet Blade offers a variety of different systems. Before touching on these, it should be mentioned that some of the content, although secondary, is somewhat locked behind pay-gates. Content like better pets, better mounts, and certain costumes must either be bought through the Item Mall or through the in-game auction house.

Unfortunately, some things are not readily available or listed in the auction house, which means players will either have to resort to waiting or spending cash to acquire them.

Enhancement

Scarlet Blade has a crafting system called synthesizing. Done at a specific NPC, synthesizing allows players to create items which are not readily available otherwise. However, most of these items are cosmetic and do not impact the game much.

Putting all that aside, a system that deserves mention is the pet system. Comprising of 1 free pet and 14 paid pets, these companions only level when they are summoned. They start out as nothing more than buffs for the character, meaning that they do not attack or take part in the battle in any way. However, as they level up they become more useful through the skills players teach them, which run the gamut of stat regeneration skills to aggro buffs. As of this review, there are 40 pet levels with a planned eventual cap of 45.

Scarlet Blade also offers two mini-reward games that center on collecting certain items and leveling up. The first is called "Four of a Kind" which, as the name suggests, is a card game. The player has to collect four of each of the offered cards as they journey and hand them in for a randomized reward based on the card tier.

The second game is a level-based picture puzzle. As players level up, they can uncover one of the blocks covering a picture at a cost of in-game currency. Once all blocks have been uncovered, players are rewarded with skill points, experience and, at later levels, items. Players are also rewarded with a lingeried pin-up model. In Scarlet Blade, there is always the impetus to level up for those who find scantily clad anime models as good motivation.

Sexy Intentions

It seems like one of Scarlet Blade’s big selling point is the underwear that the characters wear. While mostly wearing armor, the character itself is actually wearing some lingerie which can be removed using an item called a Lingerie Unsealer. This item can be bought through the Aeira Games shop or the in-game auction house. This allows players to let their characters go commando while they go commando. It also allows players to change the underwear their characters wear, something which can also be bought through the Aeria Games shop or the auction house.

In addition to this, Scarlet Blade features 11 bikes to use, although the speed isn’t as impressive as one might think when first starting out. Even so, the hogs do offer another avenue of “sexiness,” since, as we all know, there is nothing hotter than hot anime character riding a bike.

Another outlet for using dropped items.

The final interesting system in Scarlet Blade is the enhancement system. Almost all items in-game, with the exception of pets, can be enhanced to increase their base stats. The enhancement system works on Levels from 1-10 upon which the cost, success rate, and the actual enhancements are based on. The enhancements are wide ranging and, with too many to list here, almost any stat that an item has can be enhanced in some way or another.

Last Minute Thoughts

Despite billing itself as a “sci-fi” themed MMORPG, much of my experience with Scarlet Blade felt like I was in a typical fantasy environment killing stray animals and monsters. The only sci-fi element was the mechs and towns, but the game still felt very much like a fantasy-themed game. Like in other MMORPGs, questing felt incredibly easy. Just click on the monster name in the quest tracker and bam-your character automatically brings you exactly where you need to be. This feature feels a bit too convenient but it is something practically every new free-to-play game does now.

Final Verdict - Good

While Scarlet Blade seems to have potential, it's gimicky "adult" theme may make it difficult for some to take the game seriously. This game is not bad by any nature and can stand on its own two feet. The combat is fun, the environments (and characters) are pretty, and there’s a lot to explore in the world of Chromia. If you’re a fan of the Sci-fi Anime genre, as well as RPG games in general, then Scarlet Blade is definitely worth trying.

Scarlet Blade Screenshots

1 2 ►

Scarlet Blade Videos

Scarlet Blade Links

Scarlet Blade Official Site
Scarlet Blade Official Wiki (Database / Guides)
Queens Blade Online Korean Portal

Scarlet Blade System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2 GHz / AMD Athlon 2600
Video Card: GeForce 7600 GT / ATI x800 or better
RAM: 2 GB
Hard Disk Space: 5GB

Recommended Requirements:

Operating System: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Intel Dual Core 2.5 GHz / AMD Athlon II X2 or better
Video Card: GeForce 8600GT / ATI Radeon HD4450 or better
RAM: 2 GB
Hard Disk Space: 5GB

Scarlet Blade Music & Soundtrack

Scarlet Blade Additional Information

Developer: LIVEPLEX Co. Ltd
Closed Beta Date: March 6, 2013 - March 26, 2013 (International)
Open Beta Date: March 27, 2013 (International)

Shut Down Date: March 31, 2016

Foreign Releases

South Korea: July 14, 2012 as "Queens Blade Online" through GameClub.com

Game Background

Scarlet Blade, known as Queens Blade Online in Asia, is one of the first "adult" themed MMORPGs to reach a large audience. The game was renamed to "Scarlet Blade" for international release in the US and EU. Despite the game sharing a name with the Japanese manga "Queens Blade," the two have nothing in common aside from the ecchi elements and title.

Aeria Games shut down Scarlet Blade on March 31, 2016 and gave players a welcome package to check out Echo of Soul.