#BLUD Review

If you grew up watching Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, and Powerpuff Girls, then you’re definitely the target audience for Humble Games’ new action-RPG, #BLUD. Using cartoon animation nostalgia, #BLUD is a vampire tale that plays like a Saturday morning spent with Cartoon Network, and it manages to do so without subverting the storyline. Keep reading and I’ll tell you how #BLUD uses this aesthetic to grab your attention and hold it hostage. 

One of #BLUD’s biggest marketing points is its vibrant animation. Colorful graphics featuring a thick black outline pair with simplified sound effects to inspire a sense of familiarity. Naturally, I wondered if this meant devs spent more energy on aesthetics than they did on gameplay, but it didn’t take long to see that this isn’t the case. As I became engrossed in the #BLUD storyline, I realized that the cartoon vibes were putting me at ease. Now, that’s not to say I didn’t have those edge-of-my-seat moments that spiked my heart rate and filled me with adrenaline. Still, something about the cartoonish vibes eliminates the stress that accompanies realistic video games. Because of this, I became so invested in the storyline and puzzle-like missions that I started waking up excited to play. No matter the game, I always reach a point where I’m no longer loving it, and my goal is just to finish and get it done. With #BLUD, I never hit that point.

Although there’s a heavy emphasis on #BLUD’s visual appeal, its driving force is the endearing and alluring storyline. Tracking missions on a social media app, #BLUD follows Becky Brewster as she tries to balance life as a freshman in a new town with her role as the town’s vampire slayer. Throughout the chapters, Becky refines her combat skills and makes new friends, but we also learn bits and pieces about her relationship with her mom. As Becky wins you over with her humor and bravery, we see glimpses of her innocence and remember she’s a child. Whether she’s fighting off demons or shopping for new shoes, Becky is what makes this story interesting. Watching her go from a nervous newbie to the self-proclaimed “baddest b” in town gives complexity to what would otherwise be just another vampire story. Her quick wit also adds lots of funny moments and captures the spirit of a teenage girl.

No game is without its caveats, and there are a few things #BLUD could do better. First, there is way more reading than I expected. Because the dialogue is gibberish, every thought and conversation happens via subtitles. In the earliest stages of the game, I was annoyed at the ratio of reading to gameplay. I understand this is necessary for the story and tutorial phase, but it felt like it took a while to get to the fun. The second thing that I found a little irritating is the inability to back out of a boss fight. On several occasions, I found myself in boss fights for which I was ill-prepared. When I stumbled into boss fights without any first-aid kits, I took forever to learn their patterns and beat them without healing. Now, this is mostly an issue because nearly every boss fight has areas in which you can become stuck, leaving you drained of your health with no way out. I also spawned into the same spot as enemies on several occasions. The good thing about this is I became frustrated and ended up taking much-needed breaks, but it always felt like the game was cheating and making my learned skills useless. I eventually got past these fights, and I think removing these issues might make the game feel too easy. Still, I’d rather see more difficult levels or boss fights than to just end up stuck for long periods of time. Speaking of being stuck, there were several cases of the loading screen popping up only to freeze. The sound was still going, but I ended up having to open the task manager and reboot the game. When I returned, I was never in the same spot which was a bummer if I was almost finished with a mission. I also had problems with enemies turning into ghosts. I’d be in the middle of fighting and start losing health to an enemy I could not touch. My only option was always to run away, but this wasn’t always possible if larger and stronger enemies were near. Once I died, it seemed to fix the problem, but it wasn’t fun to have my handwork sabotaged by such a bug. Humble Games is planning a bug and performance update on release day, so hopefully those last few issues will be resolved; I just don’t think the first two issues will change. Still, none of these were really deal-breakers for me because I was still so invested in the storyline. 

Something to consider before purchasing #BLUD is the platform on which you’re playing. The game is available on Steam for PC, XBOX One, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4, but playing on a PC comes with a prompt suggesting controller use. The prompt says the game can recognize and adapt the controls to reflect any of several listed controllers, so I plugged in my PlayStation 5 controller and received another prompt saying all was well. Once the game launched, I received a different message saying the opposite. My PS5 controller was not on the list of recognized controllers, so all of the controls reflected an XBOX controller. Of course, I figured out which buttons equaled the ones on my controller, but when boss fights included those random and rapid sequences we all know, I struggled quite a bit. After recruiting my family to help me memorize the sequences and translate them to my controller, I was able to continue without any real issues. I’m not sure if this is going to be fixed in the day one update, but if it isn’t, you may want to think twice about buying for PC.

All-in-all, #BLUD gets way more right than it does wrong. Some things slowed my progress and caused me to rage quit several times, but once I beat the game, I realized that I’ve never been so eager to keep playing a game with these types of issues. The cartoon animations make this feel less like the work of grinding through a game and more like hanging on the couch on a lazy afternoon. Coupled with the fun missions, the fun of #BLUD definitely outweighs its few buggy moments. I’m certain that Becky Brewster and her bandit of misfit friends will win you over and remind you of a simpler time, and I’m really hoping we see a sequel to this game!

Score: 8 out of 10

Reviewed on PC