Blade Symphony

Blade Symphony is a sword fighting video game similar to the multiplayer element of Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. The game does not aim for an "authentic representation" of swordplay and instead features "acrobatic, fantastical combat" with "flashy animations". Players can choose from different characters, styles and blades and compete in different modes, such as deathmatch or 2 vs 2. The game uses an Elo rating system for matchmaking.

Development on Blade Symphony began in 2006 when lead designer Michael Chang and a friend needed "to scratch the sword fighting itch" they had. Chang had been a fan of Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, but by 2006, its player community had dispersed. So to scratch that itch, they had to build a new game themselves.

Chang and his friend worked together on the game in the form of a Source engine mod. In 2008 his friend dropped out, but Chang continued to work on the project while trying to recruit others to join him. Eventually, the developers behind the Source engine modification Dystopia took notice and joined Chang to form the independent game developer Puny Human. Chang continued to work on the game even while taking contract work on Neal Stephenson's similarly themed CLANG video game.

Blade Symphony had a mixed critical reception, generating a score of 72 on reviews aggregation website Metacritic.

Edge praised the depth of gameplay, believing the game is deep and original enough "to stand up as a competitive game in its own right". Reviewing the game at GameSpot, Nathan Meunier noted how this depth was neatly contained in a streamlined control scheme, allowing players to "unleash a wide range of unique dizzying assaults" with "no shortage of variety [in] killer moves". Will Uhl, in his review at PC Gamer, instead found the depth shining through in the gaps between the action, where players stand off in the tense "psychological war of baiting, reacting, and examining the opponent" before the engagement.