Samurai games are a dime a dozen, whether they’re small games, retro classics, or AAA blockbusters. But almost all of these games involve violence, and never shy away from the genre’s gun-based combat. Bloodless, a debut title from the small team at Point N’ Sheep, aims to tell a samurai story from a new angle. The rueful ronin isn’t new either, but Bloodless stands out by removing the idea of mortal combat from the player’s toolbox entirely. It’s about finding a new way to counterattack, without the bloodshed that ravages both sides of the conflict.
A familiar premise, but it looks damn cool
This is a story about Tomoe, a notorious samurai who left her homeland to go to war. She becomes known for the trail of corpses she left behind, but she grows tired of the violence and returns home. There she must deal with the unresolved issues she left behind and a shogun who brings bad news and has seized power by brute force. To do so, she must fight back and inspire others to do the same, but this time without spilling a single drop of blood.
Bloodless starts off strong with a cool visual style that blends retro art with modern tools and creative use of color. Areas are mostly black, but with splashes of color matched by strong shadows. It almost looks like what you’d see when playing on a Super Game Boy, when solid-color palettes used shading to create a sense of depth. Additionally, the character sprites themselves look more like they were taken straight from a Neo Geo Pocket Color game, an effect you don’t see often. It’s an interesting clash, but it looks cool and helps keep the action visible, which is extremely important in Bloodless.
More complex than just parrying
At first glance, it seems like Bloodless relies on parrying, like many sophisticated fighting games these days. But it’s a bit more complex, and not nearly as focused on punishing you for mistakes. Enemies have little visual cues before they attack that signal whether you need to dodge or whether you can react. For the latter, you use a sprint-style dodge move, but you actually have to use it to charge into the attack coming at you. If you get it right, you’ll disarm your enemy in a way so freaky they’ll have no choice but to give up. It’s cool, feels great when you pull it off, and doesn’t even feel like a “parry” in the traditional sense.
It’s not just about countering. If it was, there would probably be pacing issues since Tomoe would have to sit and wait for enemy attacks. And they’re pretty cautious! Tomoe also has “ki attacks,” which is basically a narrative workaround that allows her to punch guys in the face. You know, indirectly. It kind of feels inherently at odds with what the game is trying to portray, while also feeling inevitable. It’s also a bit basic, though there are special moves that spice things up a bit.
The tea is good
The third pillar that supports Bloodless’ gameplay is the gourd! Tomoe has a gourd that she can fill with tea at save points. Depending on the ingredient, you get different results, such as healing from matcha plants. I loved this feature because it got me thinking about things other than healing, maybe the possibility of using my limited drinking slots for something else. Also, taking a sip from a gourd with your bare hands in the middle of a life-or-death (one-sided) fight is pretty damn awesome. Tomoe has a lot of confidence for an NGPC sprite character, that’s what I’m saying.
Ultimately, Bloodless is an interesting, straightforward game that is exactly what it says it is. There’s a central premise, and the gameplay revolves (almost) entirely around it, even if it deviates from it a little out of obvious necessity. And even then, care is taken to justify the deviation in a way that is consistent with the story. The non-lethal combat is fun and doesn’t feel like just another samurai game about parrying. Also, there’s not much more to Bloodless than that, which is perfectly fine. There’s a goal, the game aims at it, and hits it dead on. Good thing.
Bloodless will be released on August 29, 2024 for PC. A code was provided by the publisher for this review.
