Blood of the Werewolf Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Blood of the Werewolf
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
Blood of the Werewolf - A classic platformer

Indie games are very popular nowadays and their release rate seems to grow with each month. Among them we find Blood of the Werewolf, an homage to the platformer genre that features a Gothic setting and enough blood to quench the thirst for gore. Will this game manage to separate itself from the pack and shine bright in the sky of indie creations?

The story is not very original, as it takes after many other games and Hollywood scripts, and yet it seems to really captivate, making you blend with the main hero. Meet Selena, mother of Nikolai, the last in a line of pure werewolves. Selena and her husband travel to America to escape the persecutions in Europe that have been targeting their kind for centuries, almost leading to extinction.

Trouble flies across the ocean and meets up with the unfortunate family as the father wolf is killed and the “baby boy” is kidnapped from his loving mother’s arms. You now have to guide a she werewolf out for blood and revenge, through infested levels, to the lair where the last survivor of the Wolf Clan is kept.

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Explore the dangerous Sewers ...
... and make important mission progress
The core of the story, the plot that drives the game forward, is unveiled at the beginning through a touching cinematic scene, and with each chapter a bit more is presented to the players as Serena reveals her secrets.

The game starts with a small tutorial teaching you how to control both human and werewolf, showing you various abilities and how to survive in this harsh environment. While in her human form, the revenge-seeking mother wields a powerful crossbow that can fire various projectiles on unsuspecting enemies.

There is the normal attack that fires only one arrow at a time and there is the special attack (limited) that you can use to take down fast-moving enemies (bats) or hard-to-kill monsters.

The wolf form is activated instantly when Selena steps into the embracing light of the moon. While she's in her beast shape, she's more powerful and can perform a double jump. Whereas in the human form, there are two types of attack: the simple claw attack and the dash attack where Selena springs forward and can take down several enemies at a time.

To aid you on your quest is an arsenal of fully upgradeable weapons and talismans that unlock Selena’s full werewolf potential as well as multiple hidden collectables. Each power-up is stored into a trophy-like screen, and each form that Selena takes features her unique abilities and powers.

Five very famous bosses (Creature, Hyde, Dracula, Mummy, Frankenstein) await for you to finish them off while ten monster-infested, trap-filled levels are all that stand in your way and the little werewolf boy that is the last of its Clan.

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Fight in human form ...
... or transform into a powerful werewolf
To complete them, you can use either the mouse and keyboard or the controller; I strongly recommend the second option. After completing each level, you'll be given a grade and an online score board will appear, allowing to find out how well you did in comparison with other players that finished the same level (number of deaths, total time).

Dying a lot is part of the game, as all levels have hardcore traps that can finish your life in an instant. Strangely enough, dying this much (up to 40 times in a certain level, in my case), didn't spoil the game as some would expect. More than that, it made me want to finish it as I pressed those buttons with frustration.

Being launched on Steam, the game is filled with over fifty interesting achievements. Some are more doable than others: I mean it's one thing to finish a level without dying (maybe the first one) and it's another to finish all the levels without traveling to the realm of Hades, an achievement like that seems to be the clay from which fairy tales are made.

The graphics of the game are one of its strong points, the hand-drawn scenes are very well crafted and their variety will impress even the pickiest gamer as you'll have to guide Selena, in both human and werewolf form, through 15 different levels.

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Avoid deadly contraptions ...
... and defeat powerful bosses
The beginning of each chapter is marked by the name of the level written in black and white and accompanied by creepy music. This has a double meaning for me: one is to remind of old Hollywood flicks that used this technique to create a horror mood, and the other is to offer a tribute to the platform genre. The Gothic music blends perfectly with the mood created by the graphics and emphasizes the entire scary-feel of the game.

Scientifically Proven has managed to create a piece worthy of its platforming predecessors, where gore blends with horror creating an atmosphere that will captivate you. Dying too often gets frustrating at times, but not that much as to make you want to ditch the game. The beautiful visuals along with the multitude of monsters will keep you company while journeying in an adventure like never before.

Blood of the Werewolf has launched, just before Halloween, on Steam and can be bought for $9.99 / €8.99 (more than a fair price).

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story 7
gameplay 8
concept 6
graphics 9
audio 8
multiplayer 0
final rating 8
Editor's review
very good
 
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