Saturday Casual Gaming 222: Blacksmith Merge Idle RPG

Game: Blacksmith Merge Idle RPG
Type(s): Casual, Idle, Merge
Rated: E - Everyone
Developer: Fumb

I had a hard time finding non-promotional images.
This is what the icon on my phone looks like.

If you know me, you know I love merge games and idle games. I love it when the two go together. I just love sweeping things together and creating something new. That's why I cook - you take base items and combine them in particular ways to make something different (and tastier).

I also love blacksmithing. Like. A lot.

And I also, if Wednesdaymania was any indication, love wrestling.

So when I saw this ad, I knew I had to play this game.




Yes. That's the "Vince reacts" meme.

Yes, this game has nothing to do with the WWE.

Yes, I enjoyed it immensely :P

So what is this game?

Blacksmith Merge Idle RPG is a game where you are a blacksmith, and you crank out weapons like crazy. You can combine two of the same weapon to make a new one, and they're pretty up front about how nonsensical it can be. You combine two short swords and get a curved dagger? Two curved daggers for a broadsword? Two broadswords for a mace or wand or bow?! It don't make no sense, but it sure is fun.

This might be the only time you ever see this screen so empty.
The timer runs down steadily, and when it fills with orange, a new weapon is deposited.

Every so often, you'll get the chance to use powerups (the lightning bolt with "READY" underneath) and occasionally (but not too often) these powerups ask if you'd like to watch an ad to extend the duration or compound the strength of these buffs. So far, I've seen buffs that increase the money your weapons generate per second, the speed at which you forge new weapons, or the level of weapon you either generate or merge into being.

The little shop icon in the bottom left is where your basic "levels" are. Every so often, you'll gather enough gold to improve your crafting speed, the level of weapons you generate on the timer, chances to gain gems, chances to forge two weapons at the end of the timer, or even the chance that a higher level weapon will spawn.

On my screen, there's a purple key next to the chest, and that button lets you select a shop, though I have not yet accomplished the goal of Weapon Level 50, and so I cannot enter.

The green button with the chest is where you can spend for real real world money to buy in-game buffs, lucky boxes, gems, etc. The gems are used to buy gold or lucky boxes or permanent buffs. You can earn gems over time or through the ads or just... I mean, merging and spawning weapons can sometimes grant you gems. I haven't spent any real money yet.

My screen bottom does not have the trophy button. It does, however, have an anvil on the brown button, which tells you which weapons you've earned so far. I'm up to #25, a bow called "Heartstring".

In the upper left, on my screen, there are four buttons: Options, Bonuses, Soul Gems, and Achievements.

The Options button gives you some pretty standard choices: Sound, Music, Quality, Notifications, a link to the Discord channel for this game, the Credits, and a Cloud Save option. I like the sound and music, but I usually play on silent. I don't like too many notifications, so I turn them off.

The Bonuses button lets you watch ads to buff your game. You can instantly fill 12 slots in your inventory, double your income for 15 minutes, or automatically merge things for 5 minutes.

The Soul Gems are a kind of permanent buff that you generate over time but can only collect when you soft-reset (or "prestige" as it's called in idle games) your game.

Achievements can give you gems, so they're pretty great, and you earn them through normal gameplay, as far as I've experienced. It's pretty neat.

So that's the basics of Blacksmith - Merge Idle RPG. Pretty simple, right?

It's a fun little time-killer, and I like that they make it pretty easy for you to support them (via the ads) without breaking your bank. It's also pretty highly-rated, and once you play it, I think you'll understand why. It's a simple, sweet game.

Go Enjoy Something!
FC