If looking for something that caters to very specific needs, whether that’s a simple title that emulates the distinct visuals of an older system, or an idiosyncratic experience that completely defies mainstream conventions, the go-to part of the industry for niche tastes is the indie scene. Having said that, some restraint is necessary for a product to be enjoyed by a somewhat wider audience than just a very small hardcore group. Bloodthief, for example, looks at ultra-fast first-person shooters like Post Void, Viscerafest, and the modern classic known as Ultrakill, and says “Pff! Too mainstream,” ramping up speed and difficulty, and essentially offering to the world something that’s tailor-made for speedrunners – and probably speedrunners alone.
The (anti?)hero of this tale is a vampire who uses the blood of his foes to fuel his parkour skills. Yup, still a better love story than Twilight. Kills fill a constantly diminishing sanguine meter that lets the vampire propel itself to dizzying speeds and do all sorts of acrobatics. Apart from wall jumping, which doesn’t need any extra energy, a well fed undead warrior can slide as if riding an ice sled and reach the other side of a 100-meter arena in less than five seconds or dash towards an unfortunate knight like a missile locked onto a target. Reaching the end of a level, though, is just a secondary goal. The main one is doing so as fast as huma… err, vampirely possible.
At its best, Bloodthief delivers the kind of flow you’d expect from a game built for those who’ve spent an eternity speedrunning Quake. In fact, this looks a lot like a mix of id Software’s classic and Thief, with its dark, medieval fantasy setting and pixely textures. It expects a lot from the player, but when everything clicks, you’ve memorised the level and are able to do the right moves in the right moment, it truly feels as if piloting a sound barrier-breaking killing machine. Word of caution, though: trial and error is a big part of the gameplay loop even when not trying to beat the clock, as maps aren’t about shooting at bad guys. One of the most important buttons here is ‘Restart Level,’ so if not really in the mood for something like this just reinstall 2016’s Doom.
Before continuing it must be made perfectly clear for those who haven’t got it already: this is a speedrunning game. There’s no room for anything else, with parts of the experience that would otherwise be categorised as flaws being essential elements of this particular gameplay style. As an example, there are moments where doing something like killing an enemy from a distance, or running out of blood and not being able to do a slide-dependent leap will lead to a softlock. Does that kill the momentum and maybe the fun? Yes, but that’s kind of the deal here. That being said, it would be nice if there was a way Bloodthief could be more welcoming to the non-speedrunning crowd.
For most, simply reaching the end usually will end up with a nice smelly ‘Dung’ medal. After replaying a level numerous times and feeling comfortable with your abilities you might get the ‘Blood’ one, which is essentially the Bronze medal. Anything above that? Be prepared to pull off the most ideal speedrunner-tier tricks possible just for the hope of getting somewhat closer to second place. Find a way to save two seconds there while taking more than three over here is a waste, and that enormous room with the many enemies and numerous platforms above the lake of lava better not take you more than five. That doesn’t make it a bad game, of course, just a very niche one. Unfortunately, there are a couple of additional problems to talk about.
This is a well-crafted piece of software, with fine, good controls, and moves that most of the time work as intended…but ‘most of the time’ isn’t ideal in a demanding speedrunning-focused title whose mechanics must be as polished as possible. Wall running, for instance, is kind of sluggish, draining speed and height almost instantly, frequently feeling like an exploit rather than a reliable ability. Aerial control is also kind of limited, making many simple jumps feel clunky. Finally, combat suffers from a lack of decent feedback. Dashing into enemies is flashy, but kills don’t always register cleanly, forcing occasional glances backward mid-run to confirm a death – an immersion-breaking annoyance for something built around constant forward momentum.
The thing that separates great games from those that are just good is level design, and all flaws so far pale in comparison with the main one, which is that the level design on offer is okay when it should be perfect, or at least perfect for the way this plays. For starters, for something revolving heavily around speedrunning, maps tend to be a minute or two longer than they should. More importantly, though, the levels themselves just aren’t that enjoyable as they are kind of filled with annoying parts that expect mastery of one’s skills, whereas the fun factor would benefit from a structure that would let greenhorns train and get better without too much hassle, with the harder routes or the much trickier leaps being left for the veterans to prove their worth.
