Previously,in our preview ofEnotria: The Last Song,this writer lamented the fact that I never feel like I’m that good at third-person soulslike games, despite doing perfectly fine with moreZelda-ish soulslike games. And as if to illustrate my point, here we haveBloodless,a new top-down action/adventure game from 3D Realms and developers Point N' Sheep that cites bothZeldaandSekiroas its inspirations (along with a dash ofHollow Knight), which I felt perfectly fine and comfortable with and ended up enjoying quite a bit. Heck, it might even be one of my most anticipated games right now, despite being fully centered around mechanics from soulslikes that I tend to enjoy much less, those being parrying and countering.
Why, exactly, do I dislike such mechanics? Hard to say. It could be that between the camera and the elaborate animations of both the player and the enemy, it can be hard to judge when exactly to press the button to properly parry. Or maybe it’s just because I prefer speedier combat based more around dodges and quick attacks. Or maybe because when you introduce a fifteen-foot-tall monster wielding an electrified club the size of my character’s body or whatnot, one kind of naturally assumes that you can’t just merely parry their attacks. Whatever the reason,Bloodlessboils it down to a more simple approach: see flashy move, press button, counter. Simple as that and more fun because of it.
Rise of Another Ronin
But we should actually get intowhywe’re doing all of this parrying and countering this time around. To set the stage,Bloodlessis the story of Tomoe, a ronin in the land of Bakugawa. She’s returned after controversial past incidents, looking to hopefully defeat the regime of her former master, Akechi. Because Tomoe has already seen so much bloodshed already, however, she instead uses non-fatal ways such as a signature counter-dash technique to disarm her opponents, hence the titleBloodless.More and more of the story and the world of Bakugawa naturally gets unveiled along the way and so far it looks to be captivating, especially as we get more hints about Tomoe’s past and those around her.
Speaking of Tomoe, she’s easily one of the most unique parts ofBloodlessby far. As we begin the game, it has been twenty years since Tomoeo deserted the shogun’s army and went wandering the world instead. This means we have an action game where the protagonist is an older female character, which tends to be a rarity in the gaming landscape (the last truly notable one I can think of right now isRhondafromDead Rising 3,and even then she was only an NPC for a criminally brief moment). It’s more than a welcome touch, not only adding a nice bit of diversity, but also being able to have a battle-scarred veteran factor into the core combat.
Intricate Combat, Done Without Spilling a Drop
As mentioned earlier, Tomoe has a signature counter-dash move. When the right moment appears, you dash into the swing of an enemy’s weapon, disarm them and send them fleeing. It not only perfectly ties in with Tomoe’s character, but it’s just oh so satisfying to pull off, blinding an opponent with your skills and then sending them (presumably) crying home. Of course, more powerful enemies appear later on, with the likes of moves that can’t be countered or a last-ditch move where they fling a kunai at you before departing, still putting up a nice challenge.
Tomoe also has colorful Ki attacks to use when available as well, which can be used to whittle down an enemy’s endurance, at which point you can dash into them with a final blow. It’s a great alternative that allows for a good mix of playstyles (with Ki working better in closer quarters), especially when you work them in with the upgrades that you can unlock through various means.
Enotria: The Last Song’s Eternal Play Deserves Applause
Enotria: The Last Song can be brutal for some in the combat area, but there’s a lot to this twisted performance to get excited for.
Bloodless’integration of non-lethal combat does impress, though to be honest, it isn’t entirely bloodless. After all, Tomoe may not believe in bloodshed anymore, but as you advance through the game, it becomes clear that other characters don’t believe in a similar philosophy. Their brutality is displayed on the screen with a terrific use of a limited color palette, with action working to create a nice contrast with the more simplistic black and white pixel art. There’s still a hefty dose of color, though, not just in the occasional bit of clothing or such details, but the shift in the main color for each new area, perfectly setting the mood depending on the current scene or character of importance. The visuals in general have a nifty Game Boy Color vibe to them, with the developers even citing thePokémongames as an influence in this area.
Point N' Sheep have also said that there are a good chunk of secrets to uncover along the way as well, making sure that exploration is encouraged. Indeed, in the demo alone, we could find and collect several different herbs to make a variety of tea for our gourds (this game’s version of Estus Flasks, basically). There was even freedom to check out a bit of a later area, though as expected, you can’t get far without the appropriate ability to unlock more. In the end,Bloodlessfeels like a perfect blend ofZelda-style gameplay and soulslike mechanics and combat, all while putting a rather unique and clever twist on everything. Needless to say, we can’t wait to not kill even more enemies in the future whenBloodlessarrives for the PC.
