Team-based melee combat from Frozenbyte.

Frozenbyte—developers of the Trine series—surprised us all this week with the announcement of Boreal Blade, a team-based melee fighting game that is now available for the Nintendo Switch. We in North American have a holiday weekend ahead of us (thank you, unions!), giving us a great opportunity to try out the game’s free demo.

The Boreal Blade demo offers everyone the chance to hone their team-based combat skills with basic weapons and armor. Players can join any type of game and even host their own with default settings. Even better, demo combatants will be able to square off against those running the full game.

And just what is Boreal Blade? Well…

Boreal Blade is a team-based melee fighting game with a focus on player vs player combat and gameplay consisting of both reactive and proactive elements. The game features various weapon types and three distinctive fighting styles, allowing players to choose between two-handed weapons, a shield and a weapon combo, or long thrusting weapons like spears and pikes. Three armour classes with their strengths and weaknesses are also included to guarantee a varied, everchanging fighting experience.

It’s worth noting that there is no block button in Boreal Blade. The game features a passive blocking system wherein you simply position your fighter wisely and properly time your attacks to let the blocking take care of itself. Attacking is done with a single button, but there are hundreds of ways to vary the attack.

Players can move their weapon and character around freely, turning an attack into a block – and back to another attack just in a blink of an eye. Strikes and blocks meld into a seamless continuity. Weapon movement feels very natural, allowing players to create and modify their signature moves and distinctive fighting styles. More seasoned warriors can spice up their game with dodges, sprints, blocks, powered attacks, feint attacks and weapon throws to confuse opponents and make the battle more unpredictable and exciting.

Boreal Blade is available now in the Nintendo eShop for $19.99. To get the free demo, launch the eShop from your Switch and check the Games With Demos or search for Boreal Blade. For more information on the game, visit www.borealblade.com.