Bloodless is a refreshing take on the action-adventure genre | Hands-on preview
On the surface, Bloodless looks like it could have released on a Commodore 64 or ZX Spectrum. It has that old school style that doesn’t look like much at first, but as you start to pull back the layers and get further into it, there are some great ideas wrapped up in a personal journey of a disgraced Ronin. Tomoe knows she has made mistakes, but she wants to make it right, and returning to Bakugawa and witnessing what Shogun Akechi has done in her absence drives her to end the violence and bring peace back to the land.
What Bloodless does well is utilise a dash-counter mechanic instead of combat to make it exciting. Not once do you draw a blade and slash through countless enemies. Instead, you must disarm them at the right moment to defeat them. In the preview, I saw different enemy types that all had a range of different attacks. Their attacks of highlighted by a certain sign that appears around them, or there’s a specific colour change in a part of their appearance. Once you learn these tells, it’s time to telegraph their attacks to achieve victory.
Some lunge towards you, and as they do you must dash towards them to send their weapon flying and them retreating. Others might retaliate by throwing a dagger at you which you must dodge. Then you get tougher enemies that are a lot bigger, thrusting their huge blade at you or spinning around in circles in an effort to cut you into a million pieces. Bloodless is all about reading these attacks and knowing when to counter. It can be tricky at first, but it ends up becoming a dance of death and a chance to make the enemy retreat with precision and flare.
Dashing and countering isn’t your only move in Bloodless. You can run until your stamina runs down, but there is also something known as Ki Attacks that whittle down an opponent’s defence, stunning them and providing a moment of opportunity to disarm them. On top of these quick attacks are Ki Special Attacks that are more impactful than the standard attacks, however, you can only used a certain amount until they empty. By successfully disarming enemies, these petals will refill, but knowing when to use them adds a strategic element to combat.
At times in Bloodless, you might mistime an attack, but you can heal yourself thanks to drinking Matcha tea. You have an empty gourd, and there are tea leaves that can be collected around the environment. Once you visit a brazier (think Dark Souls bonfires), you can make tea to refill your supply, with tea leaves never being in short supply. I also saw ginger that could be gathered and used to give Tomoe thirty seconds of unlimited stamina. These braziers are also important for other mechanics, each with the intention to help you on your journey.
Some of the tougher enemies drop Skill Gems, and at braziers you can upgrade your skills to give you an edge in battle. You can also equip totems that you gather to offer constant abilities. I only saw one in the preview, but it allowed me to drink tea faster when needing to heal, and it certainly made the difference in some of the game’s tougher battles. Another aspect of these braziers is the ability to enter into challenges where you must wipe out waves of enemies to offer rewards to Tomoe on her journey.
While the standard black and white is the main kind of colour palette, there is the odd smattering of red. Some areas feature pinks and greens, and while the art style is limited, these additions bring this minimalistic world to life. Tomoe is an honourable warrior, and despite there being little detail in the world around her, the story is well-written so far, with some emotional beats that bring this character’s story to life right before your eyes, and make you root for her as she starts to uncover the true cost of Bakugawa’s demise in her absence.
Bloodless offers something different in the action-adventure genre thanks to the non-lethal dash mechanic. It’s weird to see it being implemented in a game about feudal Japan and civil war where samurais, shinobis, and Ronins play a role in the story, but it works so well. It’s also responsive which goes a great way in making making combat satisfying when you’re countering every enemy in an attempt to take them out. I can’t wait to see how the story unfolds, and I’ll certainly be playing more when the full game releases.
Bloodless is “coming soon” to PC via Steam.
