Creating swords as a game - that's the goal of Bladesong, developed by the German studio Sun and Serpent and published by the UK company Mythwright. Even in its Early Access version, the game impresses with its powerful editor.
Bladesong is a sword-making RPG/simulation game, and the blacksmith editor is currently its greatest strength. The powerful editor allows players to craft any sword they can imagine using blade-shaping tools and a modular building system divided into blade and hilt sections. Blades can be forged that look as though they come from the East or West, or from history or fantasy – even with runes. The only aspect the game leaves out is heating and cooling the material.
Bladesong © Sun and Serpent & Mythwright
There are two modes in Bladesong. In Story Mode, players experience the prologue and first chapter of a five-part story, which introduces them to the city of Eren Keep and its secrets. They must craft swords for a variety of customers, recruit companions, and encounter two factions: the murderous Crows and the Magisterium scholars. These swords must meet specific customer requirements regarding blade length, weight, balance, power, agility, speed, sharpness and hardness. Sometimes experimentation is necessary to fulfil certain requests, but information on how to influence each attribute is provided. Over time, players work in the smithy in Eren Keep and gain access to new smithing techniques via a skill tree. Although the smithing process lies at the heart of the game, Story Mode is essentially an atmospheric text adventure.
To make the most of the powerful editor, head over to Creative Mode. Here, players have access to a wide range of blade-shaping abilities, sword parts, materials and creative techniques. The swords created can be shared with the community or exported as STL files for 3D printing.
Bladesong © Sun and Serpent & Mythwright
Bladesong is the debut game from Sun and Serpent, based in Sickte, Lower Saxony, Germany. The indie studio was founded in 2023 by a team of developers from Moon Studios and Ninja Theory. The studio received several honours at DevGamm Gdansk in 2024, winning the Public Pitch (article in German) as well as the Upcoming Game Prize at the Digital Vikings Awards (article in German). The game received prototype funding of up to €72,000 from nordmedia.
The game is published by Mythwright, a UK-based company. This independent publisher was founded by industry veterans in 2024. It has already signed a range of titles, including Thronefall, Kaiju Cleanup, TerraTech Legion, TerraTech Worlds, TerraTech, Going Medieval, Cozy Marbles, Galacticare, War for the Overworld, Bladesong, Innkeep, Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts, Deadstick - Bush Flight Simulator and Touch Type Tale - Strategic Typing.
"With over 180,000 wishlists on Steam and a phenomenal response to the demo and playtests, we're so excited to share Bladesong with players today Blending rich creativity with deep storytelling and the thrill of swordmaking, Bladesong is a wholly original game that has already captivated the hearts of the creative game community. With big Early Access plans already in the works, we can't wait for players to jump into Bladesong and start providing us valuable feedback on what they would like to see added." - Stuart Morton, Publishing Director at Mythwright
Bladesong was released on Steam and the Epic Games Store via Early Access on 22 January 2026, priced at $19.99 / £16.99 / €19.99. A bundle containing the game, its soundtrack, and a bonus package of desktop wallpapers is also available. A playable demo can be downloaded from Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Early Access begins with a narrative prologue and the first chapter of the Bladesong story. Five chapters are planned in total. Two factions are included, with three more to follow. There are more than 150 sword parts, over 30 materials, and a variety of engravings. Sword-making will be constantly improved and enhanced with a growing library of parts and materials, as well as new features such as twisted blades, broken fullers, further options for part morphing, symmetry helpers, improved export options, and more. All major swordmaking features are expected to be implemented by the end of 2026. Also planned are Forge Room Decorations, plus expansions (Forge Room: Shop Floor and Garden), a compendium, a magic system, gamepad controls and ray tracing. The release of the full version is planned for 2027.
Can a game about forging swords really be fun and exciting? Yes, and Bladesong proves it – mainly thanks to its excellent editor.
