Bloodshed Review

Anyone who is a regular reader of my reviews will know by now that auto-shooter roguelites are my jam. Vampire Survivors always seems to be the comparison point as a kickstarter to the genre, and now I can’t get enough of them. Bloodshed arrived on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S from developer com8com1 and publisher Headup. It’s spent some time over on PC, and after a wave of very positive reviews, it is now time for console players to confront the devilish onslaught.

Gameplay

If you’ve played the indie known as Vampire Hunters, then this follows a very similar premise. Try and survive the hordes of oncoming enemies and collect dropped gems, level up in return for a choice of upgrades each time. There are different classes and starting weapons, although the weapons can be swapped out and upgraded. It brings a strategic element to the game in how you approach each spontaneous run.

Whilst Bloodshed does come under the auto-shooter umbrella, you can choose whether you want gunfire to be automatic or manual. I opted for auto the majority of the time, which is still a challenge when things get hectic. There are tons of weapons to choose from, with Shotguns, Uzis, Pistols and even wizard-style magical staffs. It isn’t long before things start to get congested, and you’ll really need to think about your placement and ways out into open space when you need it.

Level Up & Explore

Levelling up is as simple as collecting the XP from fallen enemies; the longer you progress, the slower you level. Each time you level up, you’ll be presented with a small selection of temporary upgrades for the run you’re playing on. If you have played roguelite, then you can probably guess what the upgrades are. Increased weapon damage, rate of fire, extra health/armour and so on. You really need to think of how to spread your upgrades or whether you’ll focus on one area of power. I often found focusing on defensive upgrades fared better for me personally than trading off for instant power.

Early run is perfect for exploring what you have to work with when it comes to being overwhelmed by enemies. There are some destructible elements, such as explosive barrels and even towers, that can give you some extra experience and coins. Alongside this, there are some areas with ramps and platforms that will buy you some time if you need a few seconds to recover.

Visuals & Audio

For the entirety of my review, I played on Xbox Series X, and performance was fantastic with no issues whatsoever. I adored how the game leans into the same appearance and appeal of titles such as Quake and Doom. The gunplay and movement mechanics are rock solid, though and not clunky like those past games would play now. Throughout, everything felt frantic and fluid in a good way and having the game play out in a first-person perspective makes it slightly more exhilarating than a top-down view. There are some customisation options in the graphics settings, should you wish to tinker with the pixelation and so on.

Audio really complements the gameplay loop, and all the weaponry sounds punchy with feedback felt when slaying the hordes moving towards you. The soundtrack really gets the adrenaline pumping as you progress through the run. It certainly keeps the heart rate up as you cling on and try and survive. There are lots of roguelite experiences where I turn down the volume and zone out to a podcast, but this one made me want to keep dialled in with the noise belting through my headset.

Final Thoughts

Bloodshed ticks all the boxes for me when it comes to the roguelite survivor genre. It has a nod of nostalgia to games of the past, such as the original Doom and Heretic titles. Still, it blends those aesthetics into an addictive and generous offering of content. It would have been nice to see a lot more depth to encourage longevity and replayability, but for its reasonable price point, you’ll get your money’s worth out of it for sure.

If you’re after an experience that brings the joy of auto-shooters but from a first-person perspective, and the ability to tick everything the game has to offer in around 20-30 hours, then Bloodshed will be right up your street. You can purchase the game HERE, for a very reasonable price of £10.74.

Thanks to developers com8com1 Software & publisher Headup for providing us with a copy of Bloodshed for Xbox.