A third-person hack-and-slash in a ruined coliseum at dusk.
Arena Blades drops you into the sand of a ruined coliseum as the sun goes down. The undead legion pours in through the gates wave after wave: bone legionaries, shieldbearers, grave archers, hooded assassins, ash casters and hulking pit brutes. Between them stand two bosses, the Gravewarden and the Ember Magus. You have a sword, a shield and your reflexes.
Combat is built on reading and reacting. Every enemy attack is telegraphed: a gold glint means you can parry it, a red glint means get out of the way. Chain light attacks into heavy finishers, roll through blows with invulnerability frames, lock on to the most dangerous foe and time your block to parry, stagger the attacker and answer with a crushing riposte. After each wave the crowd throws you a boon. Pick one of three upgrades and build your own fighting style.
How to play
- Move with WASD or the left stick and steer the camera with the mouse or right stick. Click the arena once to capture the mouse.
- Light attacks (left click / X) chain up to four hits. Press heavy (right click / Y) during a string for a different finisher: a spin, a wide cleave or a ground slam. Inputs are buffered, so you can press the next attack a moment early.
- Dodge (Space / B) rolls you through attacks. You are invulnerable for most of the roll; rolling into a blow at the last moment is a perfect dodge.
- Block (Shift / RB) stops attacks from the front at the cost of stamina. Tap block just before a gold-glint attack lands to parry: the attacker staggers and your next light attack becomes a riposte. Red-glint attacks cannot be blocked or parried.
- Lock on with Q or R3 to keep a target framed and strafe around it. Switch targets with E, Tab, the D-pad or a flick of the mouse or right stick. On touch screens, tap an enemy to lock on.
- Watch the arena itself: spike plates glow before they fire, fire jets sputter before they roar, and cracked floor plates fall into the molten pit. Enemies get hurt by traps too.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Touch | Gamepad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move | W A S D | Left stick | Left stick |
| Camera | Mouse (click the arena to capture it) | Drag on the right side | Right stick |
| Light attack | Left click or J | Sword button | X |
| Heavy attack | Right click or K | Axe button | Y |
| Dodge roll | Space | Roll button | B |
| Block / parry | Shift or L (tap to parry) | Shield button | RB / LB |
| Lock on / switch target | Q / E or Tab | Tap an enemy, or the target button | R3 / D-pad left and right |
| Choose upgrade | 1, 2, 3 or arrows + Enter | Tap a card | D-pad + A |
| Pause / photo mode | Esc / F2 | Pause button | Start |
Every action can be remapped in Settings.
Modes
- Gauntlet
- Ten waves of the undead legion and two bosses. Pick an upgrade after every wave.
- Survival
- Endless waves that keep getting meaner, with a boss every fifth wave. How long can you last?
- Daily Trial Daily
- Six waves with today's arena modifiers and upgrade offers, the same for everyone.
Tips & strategy
- Learn the parry on the bone legionaries first. Their overhead chop has a long wind-up and a bright gold glint, so the timing is easy to read.
- A parried enemy is staggered and takes extra damage. Follow every parry with a light attack for the riposte, then keep the string going.
- Shieldbearers block light attacks from the front. Open them up with a heavy attack, a parry, or by rolling behind them.
- Grave archers and ash casters stay at range. Their bolts and fire orbs can be parried straight back at them for big damage.
- Pit brutes are armoured and will not flinch from light hits. When one glows red and starts spinning, roll away, then punish the recovery.
- Lure enemies onto spike plates and into fire-jet lanes. Arena kills are worth one and a half times the points.
- Your chain multiplier grows with every hit and resets when you are hit. Fighting cleanly is worth far more than fighting fast.
- When health is low, take Field Dressing if it is offered, or Bloodthirst so every kill heals you.
Achievements
- BloodedSurvive your first waveLocked
- UntouchableClear a wave without taking damageLocked
- Steel NervesParry 10 attacks in one runLocked
- Ghost StepPerfect-dodge 15 attacks in one runLocked
- WhirlwindBuild a 40-hit chain without being hitLocked
- Home AdvantageLet the arena kill 5 enemies in one runLocked
- Pit BreakerDefeat the GravewardenLocked
- Ash and EmberDefeat the Ember MagusLocked
- Champion of the PitClear all ten waves of the GauntletLocked
- UnbrokenReach wave 15 in SurvivalLocked
A short history of the genre
Arena brawlers grew out of the side-scrolling beat-'em-ups of the arcades, where players fought waves of enemies on a single screen. As home hardware moved into three dimensions, the formula became the third-person character-action game: tight melee combos, a camera that follows the player and enemies that attack from every side.
Later action games added the lock-on camera, stamina-limited dodges with invulnerability frames, and the timed parry that turns defence into offence. Wave-survival arenas with upgrades between rounds borrowed from roguelites, giving every run a different build. Arena Blades combines those ideas in an original dark-fantasy setting you can play instantly in a browser.
FAQ
Is Arena Blades free?
Yes. Arena Blades is free to play in your browser with no download or sign-up. The site is supported by unobtrusive ads that never cover the game.
Can I play with a controller?
Yes. Any standard gamepad works: left stick to move, right stick for the camera, X and Y to attack, B to roll, RB to block and parry, and R3 to lock on.
Does it work on phones?
Yes, on landscape screens. A floating stick moves you, dragging on the right side turns the camera, and on-screen buttons attack, roll and block. Tap an enemy to lock on.
How do I parry?
Tap block just before an attack with a gold glint lands. Holding block early only blocks; the parry window opens when you press the button. Red-glint attacks cannot be parried, so roll away from them.
What is the Daily Trial?
Six waves with two arena modifiers and a boss, generated from the date. Every player gets the same waves, modifiers and upgrade offers that day, so scores are directly comparable.
What happens after the Gauntlet?
Clearing all ten waves of the Gauntlet, including both bosses, completes the run. Survival mode keeps going forever, adding new modifiers and tougher bosses every five waves.
Is there a photo mode?
Yes. Press F2 or choose Photo mode in the pause menu to fly a free camera, adjust depth of field, filters and exposure, and save a screenshot.
Where are my scores saved?
In your browser on this device. You can export your profile from the Profile page and import it on another device.
Updates
- Arena Blades launched with the Gauntlet, Survival and the Daily Trial.
