Platform: PC
Genre: 2D, Platformer, Bullet Heaven, Survival

What does a blue shirt-wearing man child with a sub-machine gun, a naked barbarian with a swinging sword, and anorexic nude walking-on-all-fours woman have in common? If you said “a new game made by the same folks responsible for Nidhogg”, I’d probably ask what kind of drugs you’re on because I want some too. But you’re not wrong: developer Messhof is back with a new 2D game that’s less a versus title and more a “survival platformer” called Blood Dungeon.

Trekking Or Crawling?

In Blood Dungeon and its purposefully unique “child-like crayon overlay” art style, you play as the aforementioned weirdos with weapons as you enter a room, level up & gain weaponry by collecting blood dropped from foes, kill all enemies spawning and surrounding you, and survive as long as you can. All this is portrayed in 2D and in an action platforming context: rather than walk up, down, left, and right in most bullet heaven survival games, you move left, right, fall down, and jump upwards.

As far as additional mobility is concerned, you can climb onto walls ala a 2D Spider-Man and climb on makeshift ladders, but you have to take gravity and pitfalls into account this time. So if you’re waylaid by a horde of monsters from the top and left, for example, you can’t just shimmy your way through them like in most top-down survival games; you need to pinpoint your jumps through the mob, or just run off either to the right or drop down and kite them.

Speaking of which, let’s also not forget the ever-spawning enemies and bosses ranging from pink bats to long-ass snakes made out of bone, to even a few monsters who look like cameos from the devs’ previous crayon-drawn fantasy titles. What they lack in hit points, they make it up with numbers and ,well, even more hit points as they get stronger and plentiful with each wave that pasts as you’re still alive.

The whole level will eventually be filled up and you will eventually have no room to maneuver, leading to your death. Add to the game’s hazards like spikes, rotating cutters, turrets, and doors that close behind you and only open after a few seconds, and you can see how tricky it gets to stay alive. Even if you’re a Vampire Survivor game-like expert, Blood Dungeon’s platforming twists will still make you sweat.

Don’t worry though; there’s a ton of power-ups and character diversity to give you a fighting chance. Each of the 9 unlockable characters have their own perks and starting weapons. The aforementioned blue-shirt child is your average joe: good walk speed and jump arc, and a good starting weapon. The Skinja is fast and unwieldly with her jumps and momentum, but can cover ground better and has a shotgun that’s perfect for up-close conflict resolutions. My favourite so far is Leggy; he may not have the most hit points among the cast but his starting weapon is a web that deals damage over time and also gives you a temporary platform to get out of tight spots. Or you can use them to get to hard-to-climb areas. Some stages like the Pit requires you to make your makeshift platforms, and I find Leggy useful in these spots as it does keep me alive a tad longer before the eventual crayon-drawn horde mauls me.

The weapons, spells, and charms you get can also buff you up good and up your survivability. Each character can carry up to two weapons, but can have plenty of spells and relics. Both weapons and spells can be leveled up with blood during the course of a run, while relics dish out be-all-end-all abilities that can break the game. And as more chocolate sprinkles on this survival sundae, you can go get permanent upgrades from a wizard dog at the hub who takes payment in the form of bones you get after each run you attempt.

After about 5 minutes of killing and blood-collecting, I can tank through most of the opposition with my spinning swords, gun down foes from a distance with dual pistols, and also turn them to zombies and/or freezing them, while also turning myself small (ergo tiny hurtbox) at the cost of one pip of health, and have blood being drained by my tiny mosquito helpers.

Your powerups and runs may differ, and Blood Dungeon’s randomized distribution will make you think on your feet while also giving you time to make run-altering decisions that may help or hurt you in the long run. It’s a pretty badass moment that makes you feel omnipotent even for a few minutes before the game decides to send in tougher hordes, though better players in the genre will find a way to break the system and get the best powerups possible. And no matter if you survive the ordeal or not, you’ll get to experience the game’s catchy dungeoneering and platforming tunes which can be described as medieval-slash-renaissance harmonies mixed in with dance beats, drum and bass, and electronica. It’s a veritable feast for the ears.

Blood Tag

While it’s simple in its scope and presentation, Blood Dungeon has the “one more turn” factor; the sauce that makes it replayable for hours and days on end. Its simple controls, charming-yet-odd aesthetics, and chaotic action make it all the more worthwhile for its humble price tag. Messhof’s latest isn’t aiming of anything beyond “weird art style plus platformer survival bullet hell nonsense”, but that’s the charm of this cheap indie offering, isn’t it?

Final Score: 80/100