So Much Blood

Reviewed June 29, 2016 on PC

Platform:

PC

Released:

June 3, 2016

Publisher:

Black Shell Media

Developer:

Zachary Berenger, Eli Aldinger

I’ve never seen a game named more accurately or descriptively for its game play. For contrast, Super Mario would be aptly called “That one plumber trawling through sewer pipes and jumping on animals”, thankfully the squeamish will be spared from the expected gore as it’s all pixelated (yay!), but I still wouldn’t be showing it to younger audiences just yet.

So Much Blood is a pretty straight forward rogue-like action-packed side shooter, you’re adventuring through forests, deserts and dungeons and killing enemies who are more than happy to explode into torrents of blood that stain the floors (in a multitude of colours I might add). It plays pretty straight forward, but what sets this apart from other similar games is the sheer amount of pixel carnage you can unleash on your foes and rooms full of respawning enemies that make you feel like no matter where you turn, there’s going to be a monster looking for a fight.

The game also features basic concepts of armour and weapons, so you aren’t stuck with a pistol and no armour all game, and I VERY quickly found myself favouring diamond shoes and a rocket launcher (which was fantastic for clearing out rooms that respawned every 15 seconds or so). You are also able to invest in upgrading your equipment, and you’ll need to, as the game seems to be fond of high HP meatshield bosses that take a solid 5-15 minutes to take down (I may have gotten bored on my 2nd playthrough and stopped at the giant sand-cat-worm).

“What sets this apart from other similar games is the sheer amount of pixel carnage you can unleash on your foes and rooms full of respawning enemies”

There are 7 levels that are randomly generated, so each play through guarantees a different path to take for great replay value, though level and boss progression remains the same.

I found myself growing weary of the boss fights though, it’s a reverse dark souls – the real challenge is fighting through swarms of enemies to get to giant slow moving meat shields and whittling down their health until it’s in the red. I felt like I was back in my WoW days, except I had to solo the damn raid bosses myself.

The game is definitely worth its value with a price tag under $10 and there is definitely replayability there for the right type of gamer.

Positive:

  • Fun Gameplay
  • Casual but addictive
  • Perfect for gore lovers
  • May leave vampires with a stronger than usual thirst

Negative:

  • Lack of instructions - pick it up as you play
  • Meatshield bosses drag on for too long
  • I've never seen so much blood in all my life

So Much Blood is great for pixel gore, killing time and classic hard mode RPG elements (if that’s your poison). You can pick it up cheap in the steam sale at the moment for just $2.54 if what you’ve read about painting the floor with your enemies’ blood tickles your fancy (hey, we won’t judge!).