TGS 2026 — Blades of Mirage Hands-On Preview: Water You Waiting For?

With 2026 being my second year covering Tokyo Game Show for RPGFan, it was nice to see some familiar faces. Once again, publisher Red Dunes Games had an impressive lineup and presence on the showfloor. Last year, I was particularly impressed by a modest build of Blades of Mirage, developer Agate’s isometric action RPG set in a fantasy world inspired by their native Indonesian mythology. Naturally, I wanted to see how the game’s development has progressed.

The demo I played this year, also playable on Steam, expanded on last year’s build in several ways. Immediately, I noticed how much better the game’s combat and hit detection felt. Protagonist Mira juggles melee combat across seven weapons (including a hammer, spear, daggers, sword, and an anchor and chain combo) to regain mana points for water-based attacks and healing. The bow is tied to these mana points, meaning no spamming projectiles against bosses (as felt a bit too easy to do with last year’s build). Dashing/dodging is your main form of defense, though Mira can’t simply blip around like, say, Zagreus in Hades. Combat is slightly slower and more tactical in Blades of Mirage.

The UI was slightly updated to accommodate the expanded arsenal of weapons, though I was really impressed by the menus—including a glimpse at the world map. Being a more traditional action RPG adventure (ie., not a roguelite!), the colourful variety of biomes and areas looked intriguing, as every area I’d seen so far was full of vibrant and beautifully stylized Southeast Asian nature.

Blades of Mirage at the Red Dunes Booth

Also new was the rune ability tree tied to the seven weapons, which vastly changes the gameplay experience. Some abilities are tied directly to difficulty in order to ease combat. Other runes give costs and benefits to the player, like higher defense for decreased damage output on every third attack. When I spoke with the creators this year, they emphasized the importance of accessibility, and runes are some of the ways they plan to make the game as hard or as easy as a given player may choose.

As Mira passed through the tutorial area battling mythological beasts, she discovered her home in flames and her mother, Nora, missing. I caught a glimpse of a giant winged bird guardian, seemingly responsible for the carnage. Mira continued battling through several areas of fire-spewing monsters until a woman named Rinni rescued her and took her to a bathhouse, the Mandala, posed to act as a sort of hub in the game.

Blades of Mirage Screenshots

It seems the ancient guardians who usually steward the forces of nature have gone awry, and the mystery of it is connected with Nora, and by proxy, Mira. The demo ended soon after, but I liked the increased focus on story, characters, and their connection to nature and the elements.

There’s still no release date set for Blades of Mirage, though with Steam Next Fest coming in February of 2027, the team at Agate seems eager for an early 2027 PC release. The demo runs on Xbox and PS5 controllers, so fingers (and water blades) crossed for future console releases as well.