Sometimes, the selling point of a game is its art style or presentation. Grabbing the eye of a passing trailer viewer can secure a sale in the first few seconds, and in my case, #BLUD was an easy purchase due to its ability to capture the look of a CalArts cartoon in video game form. Where Cuphead evokes the style of a 1950s cartoon, #BLUD is more akin to modern shows like Steven Universe or Regular Show. With that in mind, a game is more than just looks alone, so how does #BLUD work as a video game and not just a cartoon?

Admittedly, it takes quite a while for #BLUD to get going, as the premise is slaying vampires and the first near-hour of the game is spent navigating the town and talking to everyone you come across. The social aspect of the game is almost as prevalent as the beat-em-up combat, which I take no issue with as the dialogue is well-written and great for a lot of laughs. Your mission status is cleverly implemented through a social media site, where everyone you meet can comment on your events, and you can take selfies with any human and even animals you come across.

Maximizing its cartoon aesthetic, #BLUD really does benefit from having a lot of wide-open areas and unique dialogues to encounter. It’s one of those games where it’s worth it to just explore every nook and cranny and hear what everyone has to say. When the premise finally kicks in and you’re fighting the vampire threats, it unfolds in a way where you have enough background and motivation to keep going and even spend some time with side missions, even if these tend to be tedious and involve more busywork than anything, as the rewards are worth it.

Where #BLUD comes up a bit short is in its combat. While dodging is a great way to move around town more quickly, it doesn’t protect you from damage in a fight – rendering it basically useless. Enemy projectiles careen towards you at blistering, impossible-to-dodge speeds and you have to hit one of the cumbersome pause buttons to use health refills, without any invincibility frames after your last hit. Which resulted in multiple deaths for me. Tack on bosses that only show their weaknesses after pummeling you, and this becomes the most tiresome part of an otherwise stellar game.

As quirky and endearing as it is presented, #BLUD really struggles to cement itself as an immediate recommendation due to clunky combat. If you’re capable enough to manage through a flawed fighting system though, it could be worth it on a sale based on its charm alone. Since the basis of a good game almost always needs to include strong gameplay, this sore spot for #BLUD ends up being a detractor so large that it jeopardizes recommending the game as a whole. Maybe if this gets polished up in a patch or sequel, it could be worth revisiting in the future.

A PC review copy of #BLUD was provided by Humble Games for the purposes of this review.

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#BLUD

$24.99

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• Outstanding Cartoon Art Style
• Hysterical Dialogue
• Great Cast of Characters

Cons

• Dodging Has No Invincibility Frames
• Inconsistent Combat
• Annoying Bosses