Blood Will Be Spilled

Genre: Turn-Based Strategy-RPG / Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Blood Will Be Spilled, released on PC in 2019 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2020, is a game that combines Platforming sections with Turn-Based Strategy-RPG sections that play like the side-scrolling take on that genre seen in the game Steamworld Heist. Much as that game did, Blood Will Be Spilled combines a Wild West West setting with a cast of characters you don’t generally expect to find in that setting – in this case, anthropomorphic bugs.

If I’m perfectly honest, I don’t quite see what the bug characters bring to this formula, aside from giving your mosquito protagonist the ability to suck the blood of enemies, as well as the occasional absurdity of this combination, such as when you head into town and discover that the local brothel is run by a madam who, yes, is a bug with an ample bosom. Outside of this odd mix of elements, the story being told here is fairly standard fare about a bounty hunter hunting down members of a gang as he works his way toward their leader in search of both money and revenge.

The presentation here is very good, with detailed 2D environments, stylized (mostly pretty ugly) characters, excellent voice acting, and an acoustic instrumental soundtrack befitting a game with a Western theme.

When it comes to the gameplay, the main meat of the game is the Turn-Based Strategy-RPG gameplay, which is good but feels somewhat derivative – we’ve seen this sort of gameplay done before (and honestly, done better) in Steamworld Heist. Disappointingly, there just don’t seem to be as many options here, both in combat and in the game’s character progression. One might expect the Platforming to fill that gap, but frankly the Platforming in this game is pretty lacking, and doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the Strategy-RPG elements.

In the end, Blood Will Be Spilled is still a decent Turn-Based Strategy-RPG, but I feel like it’s just not up to par with the one game it shares the most in common with, Steamworld Heist. And all of the other elements this game seems to have added to differentiate itself, from the mediocre platforming to the inexplicable bug theme, seem to detract from the game more often than they add to it. If you’re a fan of Steamworld Heist looking for more, this game may scratch that itch. But otherwise, I think you’re better off sticking with Steamworld.

tl;dr – Blood Will Be Spilled is a game that combines the sort of side-scrolling Turn-Based Strategy-RPG gameplay we’ve seen in Steamworld Heist, along with Platforming gameplay, all in a Western-themed world with anthropomorphic bug characters. The core Strategy-RPG gameplay is still good here, but not quite on par with what we saw in the Steamworld game. Unfortunately, all of the other added elements here are ineffectual at best, where they don’t actively make this game worse. The Strategy-RPG gameplay is still solid and worth playing, but you’re much better off sticking with Steamworld Heist.

Grade: C+

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