Laika: Aged Through Blood review

I haven’t played a Metroidvania quite as smart as Laika: Aged Through Blood. While it’s punishing, it is also more rewarding than most. Once you understand and respect the physics, the satisfaction from utilising every trick in the book and using them to brutalise enemies on the back of your motorbike is unmatched. It’s story is dark yet emotional, powerful and intense, but through it all, I haven’t been this addicted to a game’s mechanics in a long time. Get ready to have your world rocked by one of the coolest video games of the era.

It’s hard not to be moved by the story of Laika, a mother who will do anything to protect her daughter, her people, and her village from the dangerous and cruel Birds, an army that threatens everything you love. It is this focus that leads you on a path to cut down everyone that stand in your way. The difference is, you’re not journeying across the wastes on foot. Laika: Aged Through Blood sees you travel everywhere on the back of your motorcycle, and it is this difference that makes its gameplay so refreshing.

Everything you do requires utter precision. You’re going to die a lot in the first few hours, and even then the game ramps up the challenge so that the timing on inputs is always so tight. Mastering all the controls will leave you messing up a seemingly simple section over and over again, but damn, when the various mechanics start to click, you end up feeling like John Wick on the back of a bike. The driving physics are akin to the Trials series, and landing on both wheels takes a bit of practice.

Not only are you trying to get the momentum of your landings right, you’ve got enemies firing their weapons at you. You can parry shots by sliding you bike towards the bullet at the right time, but to parry again, you’ll need to land a front flip off a ramp to store another one. Laika can shoot at enemies, however, when your bullets run out, a back flip is the only way you’ll be able to reload. You can block shots from enemies by angling your bike in the air so they shoot the bottom of it, but again, you need to get your positioning right.

The option to slow time time and fire a well placed shot or get in the right spot for a landing helps somewhat, so you do have a range of options for however you take on a particular set piece. It is when you’re trying to put everything together that Laika: Aged Through Blood becomes challenging. Luckily, checkpoints never feel too far apart, and while you will find certain areas frustrating, succeeding and familiarising yourself with what you’re allowed to do more than makes up for it.

As you progress, you’ll use new weapons and unlock powerful abilities, but even if you didn’t, there’s something so addictive about the controls. I was constantly left mesmerised by the way I managed to pull off a chain of feats that seemed impossible at the beginning. Laika: Aged Through Blood is a modern Metroidvania masterpiece, and while many might turn off in the first hour or so due to the complexities of its mechanics, the nuances in its systems continue to blow your mind and keep you wired into its wonder.

The soundtrack is strikingly sombre yet beautiful, and it compliments the subject matter and story perfectly. I could happily listen to it outside of playing, and I was always excited to hear what played next. The hand-drawn characters and environments are also stunning, even when the screen is soaked in blood and dead bodies. I’m in awe of everything this game is, and the soundtrack and visuals are the icing on the cake.

Laika: Aged Through Blood is an excellent Metroidvania that does things with its controls that few games manage to do. It creates a fresh approach to the genre and does so with the utmost precision. It will certainly frustrate you, but if you’re willing to hang on to the handlebars and refuse to let go, the story of Laika and her quest for vengeance will keep you engrossed throughout. If you love a challenge that pushes the boundaries, get ready to have your mind blown.