Cyberpunk 2077 meets Mortal Kombat in brutal free Steam download

Taking bloody inspiration from Mortal Kombat, this 1v1 weapons-based fighter looks to be just the ticket for fans of fighters and gory action.

Die by the Blade, coming 16 May 2024 from Triple Hill Interactive, is a fighting game where technique wins out over button mashing. You’ll be learning an in-depth fighting system to ensure you can land your fatal blows, or defend against an opponent crazed with bloodlust. There’s a lot to unpack in the trailer as you also get a sense of the Ubisoft title, For Honor, in the way the combat flows.

The swish John Wick style of combat looks fantastic in Die by the Blade

As you can probably tell from the details on the Steam page, this is a brutally ‘realistic’ fighter where one good strike with a weapon can end your day. Literally, any sweep or poke from a sword can prove fatal so learning the intricacies here is essential and you can try out a demo right now.

The style of Die by the Blade is lush, with a visual flair that seems futuristic even when the action is taken into the countryside due to the weapons and costumes. This is a “Samuraipunk world that fuses traditional Japanese aesthetics with cyberpunk culture.” according to the developers, and the nod to Cyberpunk 2077 looks superb.

It’s those weapons that are key though, with each one coming with a full set of moves to be remembered - it’s not the character holding the weapon that matters here. “Will you sacrifice your speed for the powerful two-handed nodachi? Or will you overwhelm your enemy with a flurry of strikes from the nimble katana?”

Each moment in the trailers or gifs looks to be pulled straight out of modern Eastern cinema, or the latest John Wick movie. It’s slick, bombastic, while also being rather balletic, too. If you’re a fan of reaction-based combat and countering foes, you’re going to dig this one.