There are a couple kinds of horror games. There's the cheesy, silly
kind, heavy on gore and low on plot. There's the 'Surprise!' kind,
where monsters or axe murderers leap out of the darkness for shock
value. There's the twisted, psychological thrillers, the haunted, the
pursued, the lost. And then there are games that can combine the best
elements of all of them, and really give you nightmares.
Bloodlust was in that last category. Literally, it gave me nightmares.
Playing in the dark at three in the morning didn't help, but still.
You play Reed, the some-how-still-alive protagonist possibly. The world
has taken a ride in the metaphorical hand basket, your house is full of
blood splatters, your family, friends, and girlfriend are missing, and
something green is eating your couch.
As creepy as it can be, I would suggest playing this game in the
dark--it will make things much easier to see. There is an option in the
game to raise the brightness, but this does not mean you can see things
better. Gray is the predominant color, which would be easier to deal
with if Reed's shirt was not also gray. Kind of makes him look like a
little floating head. The maptiles are well done but sometimes odd and
difficult to understand. It can be hard to tell what is going on with
the furniture, and as far as I can make out, there's a gnome in your
parent's toilet.
Or a snowman
That's a fridge, not a bank
vault
Most of the scenery is good stuff, but has the same problem Reed does,
meaning it occasionally blends into the floor. Roofs, bushes and rocks
don't stand out well, so if you're running for your life from an
advancing wave of evil, you can get stuck in the local flora or run
into a boulder without realizing it. More visible outlines would help a
lot with confusion. Really, the contrast needs to be tweaked all over.
Also, it is hard to tell where some of the doors are if they go into
the side of a wall.
Just your friendly neighborhoo--OH GOD WHAT IS THAT
Monstertime!
If you've ever wondered, "How disturbing can pixel-art really be?", try
fighting a giant, disembodied, rotting gray vagina with a spike for a
clitoris. Enemy graphics in Bloodlust are some of the best I've seen,
if "best" can be applied to something that makes me question my sanity.
Very creative and actually scary monsters with unique, sometimes
animated backgrounds (mostly for bosses) don't pull any punches. It's
like the creator was thinking, "What's the most horrible thing I can
imagine? Okay, now let's give it spikes and tentacles."
Walkabouts and hero graphics are a bit plain in comparison, but as
large and detailed as the monsters are, you've got plenty to look at
anyway.
Not that you always want to look. Even aside from the hellions looking
for face-snacks, there is some pretty messed up stuff in this new
ravaged world. My personal favorite is the man with his face ripped off
stuffed in a tool shed, although the bathtub full of blood and dead
baby is a close second. (Both near the beginning, I'm not gonna spoiler
this one for you.)
Visit the library though, and what cannot be properly described in
pixels awaits in words. Even the most jaded cynic could not help but
recoil at some of the books therein. Being a perfectionist gamer--I
must do everything, talk to everyone, go everywhere--I read them all,
and I honestly wish I hadn't. The books provide seriously horrible
imagery that almost justifies the hell the world has become in a sick
way.
The detail put into the objects and world is excellent here, from the
library books to the stained-glass windows in the local church. Most
things are interactive too, with flavor text or hidden items.
Our father, who art inAAARAARGHaaaharGAHgurgle
The story line is pretty awesome as well, presented through notes,
flashbacks, and scenes using full screen images that really work with
the graphic style instead of fighting it. They are used extensively
throughout the game and will keep you interested and curious without
revealing the ending too soon.
This guy looks like my grandfather. Talks like him too.
Hell on earth seems to be detrimental to the inhabitant's
psychological health.
The story itself is as twisted as anything else there, though the back
story is so vaguely presented that you'll find it easier to just wait
for the grand finale than to puzzle it out for yourself, and just as
satisfying. Reed's quest is to find out what has become of his family
and friends. Given the recent climate change (hellish with a chance of
zombies) one can guess the answer is "Nothing good." The only downside
is that after the impaled people and the pits of blood, the great
reveal at the end is a little tame.
At least you're not alone on your journey.
Things just go down hill from here.
hese
are not the squashed people you're looking for.
Game mechanics in Bloodlust are a little unusual. The more fights you
get into, the weaker Reed becomes as he gains fatigue levels. This puts
more emphasis on avoidance than grinding, but is somewhat defeated by
the limitations of the engine. There are many rooms in the buildings,
for instance, where the monsters are trapped by chairs or desks and by
pushing said furniture, one might theoretically confine the beasts and
bypass them safely. The problem is, when you push an NPC/furniture, the
NPC/Monster walking in the other direction can walk through it. Also,
monsters can attack diagonally. This combination makes chair-pushing
pretty pointless, although it could be a lot of fun if those issues
were handled.
Another idea that looks promising but fails to pan out are the weapons.
Ideally, one should be able to do a lot more damage with a gun than
with a knife, but it takes so long to reload between shots that
usually, you'll do better hitting several times with your melee weapon
in the same amount of time. The guns themselves are well implemented,
easy to use and with a fair ammo system. If they were only more
time-effective, they'd be more useful.
Minor game-play bugs aside, the game is well balanced, fun, and the
ability to choose which level of difficulty you play it at gives it
appeal whether you like your games relaxing or hair-pulling. I suggest
one playthrough on easy to enjoy the puzzles and storyline, then
another on medium or hard to appreciate the clues you probably missed
and get a real challenge.
This is the high school. Apparently things haven't changed
much since I graduated.
Last words: If you like scary movies, play this game. It's a creepy as
hell, well-seasoned horror on a bed of dead bodies.
