Moroi is the newest release from publisher Good Shepherd, and the first release from Romanian-born, Switzerland-based solo dev Violet Saint. Moroi is a grimdark hack and slash adventure inspired by Romanian folklore, with a pumping heavy metal soundtrack and a Lynchian surrealist style.

Moroi is a term rooted in Romanian folklore, often stated to be a vampire or ghost. They are sometimes referred to as a phantom of a dead person, which leaves the grave to draw energy from the living. In Moroi, our protagonist rises from a grave, only to find himself locked in a prison that he must escape from. Cleaving through enemies, he uses their life energy to heal and continue on his journey. We are told to look to the Moon for answers. Our quest may be based on that of Greuceanu, a hero of Romanian folklore. He is a brave man who learns the Sun and Moon have been stolen, and makes it his mission to set the Sun and Moon free so people on Earth have light again.

One of the first things that really drew me into Moroi was the art direction. The dark and dreary environment pulls you in and sets the scene really well for the gore-fest that awaits. Voilet Saint has taken on inspiration from David Lynch for Moroi, a game which features a heavy splattering of gore, along with a huge cast of absurd characters. As well as being a talented filmmaker (See Twin Peaks, The OG Dune and many more), David Lynch was also an incredibly talented surrealist artist, specialising in a macabre and unsettling experimental style. Though each character here is vastly different, they all feel at home in the world Voilet Saint has created.

Some of the encounters are challenging, but none of them ever feel unfair. As well as your standard weapon attacks, you can also ‘execute’ enemies by filling up a meter, and the executions are super bloody but extremely satisfying. There’s a dodge roll ability to avoid being hit by oncoming attacks, and some fights feature environmental elements like tanks you could blow up to damage large groups of enemies.

One encounter I particularly liked was later in the game, with a robot on rails who would exterminate you if you came into sight with lasers. The rails wrapped around a town, and to take it down, you have to sneak through the streets, going into certain houses to complete puzzles that would power towers you can use to attack the robot, rather than it just being a standard ‘stab thing lots of times’ style encounter.

Though the narrative of Moroi is intriguing, the absurdist style of everything could make it hard to follow at times. Our protagonist doesn’t remember who he is for most of the game, and we learn more about his history through other characters or through metaphor. This doesn’t make it any less enjoyable, however; it actually got me interested in learning about some of the Romanian folklore that Moroi is inspired by.

Even with its dark and blood-soaked environments, Moroi has a sense of humour which keeps things feeling light. For example, a talking duck with teeth rips them out to give you a weapon upgrade, but now without teeth, talks with a lisp. There are also a few identical skeletons who all get annoyed when our protagonist confuses them with each other. This helps to break up each darkness with something a little lighter, and it helps keep the pacing really well. I never felt too bogged down or like I needed a break because there was always some respite. Though the game is only around 6-8 hours long, it’s full of things that keep you hooked. It even has multiple endings, providing replayability for anyone wanting to try a different path.