After years of hard work and a long period in early access on Steam, it has finally landed on consoles since last November 1st Citadel: Forged With Fire. A decidedly ambitious project that of the developers of Blue Isle Studios, which challenge fans of the sandbox genre with an immensely vast world, whose fate and shape completely depend on the actions and initiatives of the players.
A mix of genres
CFWF aims to please a very wide audience, not limited to aspiring sandbox-loving builders, but also winking to fans of fantasy role-playing games and survival adventures. The offer in terms of gameplay therefore turns out to be massive but not exactly varied, constantly swaying between different genres. The effect generated by this mix is a playground where the invective of the players is the key to bringing the servers to life. 
Before starting the game we will be asked to create our avatar. Despite a streamlined and fairly simplified character creation system, the customization of the hero that we will guide through the world of Ignus it won't take much time and will likely result in a rather anonymous character. As anticipated, Citadel: Forged With Fire aims to attract the public linked to the great world of RPGs and MMORPGs, but it only partially succeeds. The entire gameplay will in fact be biased towards the use of magical abilities, as we will have no choice but to create a wizard, a factor that will hinder the customization of the user's style of play.
At this point we will have to choose where to give birth (or rather where to forge) our digital alter-ego, choosing from three castles located within as many safe zones. In these areas, players will be completely protected from damage, both from monsters and creatures and from other players. There will always be an NPC, whose role is only to offer simple quests that will allow us to practice basic survival mechanics, and learn to juggle with crafting and building. By exploiting the resources around the safe zones we will quickly increase in level and in a short time we will have at our disposal a small arsenal with which to defend ourselves from the numerous threats while obtaining additional resources, ready to explore the most remote lands.
The crafting menus reflect the vastness of the game world. The number of potions, tools and weapons to craft is incalculable, but what makes our paraphernalia special is the spells menu, also obtainable through the search for the right elements. By choosing between different types of spells it is possible to infuse a different effect on the weapon or piece of armor we want to enchant. Further menus are intended for the management of the apparatus concerning the building construction system, increase of skills and knowledge (through the use of skill points that we will acquire by increasing the level), and management of mounts (not only horses, but even unicorns and dragons!). In addition to this, we will be able to build flying brooms and hold competitions and sports games that Harry Potter fans will really like.
It is therefore understandable how Citadel: Forged With Fire proposes a varied offer of customizable elements that will require many hours of play to be explored all, but above all to keep in mind what to do and how to do it, given that - except for the NPCs at the beginning of the adventure - we will never be explained how to use these elements, but we will have to learn most things through direct experience. From this emerges the Achilles heel of the title of Blue Isle Studios.
In an effort to provide as many activities as possible, CFWF loses itself in its sandbox essence, offering its side on one side to meager if not completely inconsistent quests, on the other leaving in the hands of the players the arduous task of surviving and create the world of Ignus yourself. Also thanks to the players is the presence of castles, residences and farms, a feature that pushes the accelerator on the freedom of action at the expense of the fantasy atmosphere promised by the title, completely lacking a storyline that can justify the exploration of the open world of Citadel. 
Also for this reason the hopes that the writer poured into this title were only partially satisfied. Citadel: Forged With Fire is without a doubt an excellent sandbox. The scenarios proposed by the game demonstrate an appreciable artistic work and great care regarding the final graphic rendering. However, the PlayStation 4 version seriously flaws in the handling of commands. The response to the controller is often deficient, especially in the fights, during which we also notice the woodiness of the movements and animations to say the least coarse. A real shame for a title that is in itself engaging and substantially varied but which, in the attempt to merge different genres, fails to value them all worthily.
A final positive note concerns the support of the developers for the version launched on the market. Compared to what was proposed during the early access period, the game to date offers a greater number of achievable weapons, new monsters and enemies, new outfits to create in the appropriate menu and above all the introduction of mastery levels, which allow players to progress beyond level 60. The promise of Blue Isle Studios is to continue to follow this line of support, paying attention to what is created by the community that represents the true soul of Citadel: Forged With Fire.
