Not actually a stealth FPS hybrid of Blood and Thief – although I’d pay good money for that – Bloodthief is closer to something like Ghostrunner but also, I think, much better. The Steam demo’s opening levels are roughly as tricky and demanding as the cyberpunk parkour series but, perhaps to due to less concern with being stylish, the movement here feels a lot more caffeinated. You only have to look at the visuals to clock that Bloodthief isn’t that sort of game that’s precious about letting you do silly things with momentum.
Also you’re a vampire, with a sword, exsanguinating armoured knights in a vaguely Germanic medieval town. Well, Vae my Victus. I do get very excited when anything reminds me, even a little, of Blood Omen: Legacy Of Kain. Here’s a nice little video of the game in action. Warning: this trailer for the game Bloodthief has blood in it.
Watch on YouTube
Even in the early levels, the way your various movement options chain together starts to get nicely silly. Wall running itself feels a little loose, but an air dash that lets you grapple to enemies while lining up your next slide lets you clear huge distances in seconds. There’s, uh, there’s also a missile parry but I won’t hold that against it (I’ve reached critical parry mass at this point). Features? Absolutely, yeah. Several:
- Bloodthief is an ultra-fast melee dungeon-runner where you use momentum to parkour through hazardous dungeons and brutally slash through enemies. Speed-run through medieval dungeons and castles and learn what dark secrets lie beneath the surface.
- In Bloodthief you play as a vampire, and the blood of your foes fuels your abilities and propels you to insane speeds. Movement and combat are deeply intertwined—you’ll need to use both in a beautiful dance of skill and carnage.
- Levels full of branching paths, shortcuts, and secrets reward those with the skill and creativity to pull them off. Find the perfect path through labyrinthine dungeons and reap the rewards for your efforts.
Matthew (RPS in peace) died 1423 times in Ghostrunner. I think I might have doubled that in 20 minutes with Bloodthief’s demo, but they are the sort of deaths that make a man a hungry for mastery. Also, Wotsits. But mainly mastery. It’s a decent sized demo, too, with six levels. The full game is “coming soon”, but you can experience the unbeatable taste of Flamin’ Hot Crunchy Wotsits right now.
