X-Blades is set in a world where two divine entities, The Light and The Dark, once ruled over the universe peacefully. However, their harmony was short-lived as The Dark sought to claim all power for himself, leading to an eternal struggle between the two. To stop this chaos, they were bound to cursed artifacts, one containing The Light's powers and the other holding The Dark's. The player takes control of Ayumi, a treasure hunter who finds the map to these artifacts, unleashing The Curse upon herself in the process.
Ayumi's journey is not an easy one as she navigates through levels, fighting enemies that have been spawned by The Dark's return. With her gunblades at her disposal, Ayumi must fend off these foes and collect souls to upgrade her skills and items. Each defeated enemy drops a soul, which can be used to buy new abilities or enhance existing ones. This is crucial, as each enemy type has its own weaknesses, making strategy key to success.
Ayumi also seeks out artifacts scattered throughout the temple, which can be reassembled into three pieces. Collecting these will grant her upgrades, such as melee, pistol, or airstrike abilities, increasing her damage output and allowing for more powerful combos.