Many have tried to imitate the formula and success of Vampire Survivors, but do it starting from a boomer shooter formula? Well, I have to be honest: the Bloodshed experiment is new to me.
Developer / Publisher: com8com1 Software / Headup Price: €7.99 (Early Access) Localization: Absent Multiplayer: Absent PEGI: ND Available On: PC (Steam) Launch Date: Already available (Early Access)
It’s no secret that when someone manages to create an entertainment format crowned with widespread success, there is immediately a rush to imitate in the hope of improving or at least capturing some of the interest that the first arrival managed to generate. conquer. In video games, we see this thing all the time: in the case of Vampire Survivors, for example, it didn’t take much for the “bullet heavens” developed by indie studios hoping to make a name for themselves and also by slightly more advanced studios to multiply on Steam. established people interested in capturing the market trend.
Another genre that is certainly less popular but which has been gaining some traction lately (with good titles like Cultic, Selaco, Ion Fury, Boltgun) is that of boomer shooters. And I like to think that the guys from com8com1 were undecided about which of the two paths to take, before some of them got up and did like the little girl in the meme: “Porque no los dos?” (“Why not both?”). And so Bloodshed was born.
THE TWO SOULS OF BLOODSHED
Having recently entered Early Access, Bloodshed features a total of four levels; in the first three you have to survive for a certain period of time (5, 20 and 30 minutes) while endless hordes of enemies target you, while in the fourth you have to defeat the “Demon King”, an enemy with a high-sounding name but in truth too simple. In true bullet heaven tradition, eliminated enemies will drop experience spheres; collecting it will allow us to level up, enhancing our weapons or spells, or unlocking new ones. All this is combined with gameplay and a presentation typical of boomer shooters: pixels that can be counted, animation of enemies via sprites, our character who runs at speed, and braggart and over the top protagonists; each of them, four in total unlockable so far, has a different set of starting and obtainable weapons, slightly different stats, and an activateable ability (for example, Flynn can repel nearby enemies).
THE TWO FORMULAS MIX VERY WELL
The immediate impression is that the two formulas mix very well, but this is not too surprising: in both genres, after all, blowing up enemies by the hundreds is the order of the day. In the cold, however, some more detailed reflections can be made. Let me start by saying that the gameplay, so to speak, “boomer shooter” is well done, with weapons that give good sensations, are well animated, and cause suitably splattery effects on the poor unfortunates on the wrong side of the barrel. However, what is missing here are those moments of pause that are typical of any action game, be it shooter or men’s game, and which are usually essential for taking a breather between one arena and another. Of course, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but thirty minutes straight of boomer shooter action might be a bit excessive for some.
The minigun takes a few levels to catch on, but when it does it unleashes an unparalleled volume of fire!
Apart from this, perhaps of the two souls the one that in the current state of things – I remember that the game is in Early Access, therefore subject to changes and modifications between now and launch – languishes the most is the bullet heaven one. Let me explain: our arsenal is divided into weapons (fire or melee) and spells. Weapons will be our main sources of damage, but we will only be able to use one at a time; it is possible to equip more than one but we will have to change between them with 1 2 3 etc., exactly like in any shooter. In contrast, all equipped spells will be active at the same time, but will do less direct damage.
THE REWARDS FOR THE LEVELS ARE UNINMAGINATIVE
I understand the logic behind this choice, but at the same time this means that, unless we want to achieve specific objectives, unlocking or investing points in a new weapon when we already have one leveled ends up being a counterproductive choice, given that they are points which end up in an object that for the moment does not contribute in the slightest – and since Bloodshed is not very generous with the levels, it is better to make careful choices. I’m not too keen either on the upgrades that each weapon gets as you rank up, which are limited to fairly aseptic statistical improvements like +11% reload speed or -15% shot spread. It’s all stuff that ultimately has its weight, but given the genre we find ourselves in, a bit of imagination at least once you reach the maximum level of the weapon or spell wouldn’t have been bad.
SURVIVOR? YES, BUT FOR THE BAD PEOPLE
This, however, is also the maximum extent of the criticisms I feel I can level at Bloodshed: nothing incriminating or unsolvable through future updates. For the rest, the game works well too. The six hours that I have spent on it so far – enough to complete all the content currently present and do a few more runs – have not burdened me in the slightest: going around shooting enemies is quite satisfying, also thanks to a level design that it enhances the first-person shooter formula and a more than adequate audio sector, and it is undeniable that the bullet heaven formula, even if here it doesn’t fill the screen with bullets as in other exponents of the genre, has a considerable magnetism. Well done, then, to the guys at com1com8 (oh, I understand that you’re German, but you could have found a slightly more catchy name), who had a good idea and seem to be on the right track to making it happen well. According to what is written on the Steam page, Early Access will last between 6 and 12 months, so if you want to see it in its final version you will have to arm yourself with a little patience.
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