Skip To...
In today’s video game industry, gamers are more accustomed to 3D soulslike games with more realistic graphics and dark atmospheres. The protagonist will find powerful weapons, flashy attacks, and magic spells, and more of the expected stuff along the way. However, in Bloodless, our protagonist is something out of the ordinary for the soulslike genre. Tomoe is a female samurai whose best offense is a defense; she, completely unarmed, will take on the top brass of a corrupt Shogunate. Moreover, she does not appear in the conflict but decides to return as a ronin to her homeland to bring peace using only defense techniques.
As someone who’s played a fair share of Souls games in the past, I can tell you that Bloodless is quite refreshing in terms of its setting and presentation while maintaining the essence of the genre. Even if the visual style seems a bit more welcoming, the game is as punishing and challenging as any other, worthy of being categorized as soulslike. And while it might not be the most groundbreaking, it offers a certain air of freshness while keeping the familiarity we’ve all grown accustomed to.
No More Bloodshed
Blodless opens with the protagonist, Tomoe, sailing through peaceful waters while images of the various areas of Bakugawa Island appear. This helps the player become familiar with the map, although our character knows the island like the back of her hand. However, many things changed in the dynamics of the new Shogunate, while Tomoe had spent years away from home.
Tomoe’s return is no coincidence. Before leaving Bakugawa, when she became a samurai, she saw and committed unforgivable acts that gave her the nickname Slasher. But now Tomoe, fed up with the horrors of war and motivated to end the suffering, returned to her homeland with the vow of never to wield a sword or harm others ever again.
In Bloodless, you will not have any weapon or armor, only some “talismans” to enhance your abilities and skills to disarm your opponents. With Tomoe, you must discover how to stop the negativity that causes war, facing powerful enemies without harming them.
If there’s one thing I loved about Bloodless, it’s how it leaned toward the non-lethal approach and is told marvelously throughout its plot. I will admit that it is quite strange not to have an arsenal to beat enemies left and right, but it was quite nice to see the aggressive action take a backseat in favor of a more original take on combat.
A Samurai’s Anger Management
Bloodless takes a lot of inspiration from Sekiro; in fact, the developers mention it. Another recent game that may remind you of this retro Japanese soulslike is Black Myth: Wukong, at least in terms of certain gameplay choices. You will have to go exploring, mainly to find the scattered cauldrons that will serve as a Site of Grace-like area or checkpoint. Also, the cauldrons will serve you to brew tea for your gourd, so collect plants on your way; each has a different effect, like incrementing your Ki or decreasing your stamina consumption.
The particularity of this game is that Tomoe swore to herself never to hurt or wield a sword again. Even at the beginning, you can find a katana, but the ronin will refuse to take it. So, at the beginning of Bloodless, your skills may seem limited as you can only use dodge/counter to avoid breaking your oath. However, Tomoe has such dexterity that she can avoid deadly blows and pierce the enemies’ defense to counterattack.
As soon as you arrive on the island, you will face low-ranking bandits, but as you progress, you will encounter an “elite” enemy that, upon first defeat, will become a common enemy until the next “mini-boss” and so on. This will allow players to adapt to the different attack patterns. During regular fights, a couple of enemies usually appear, but with the elite, they are more like waves. Although you may experience a little lag when fighting several enemies simultaneously.
After each battle, you will see how they all run away from you in terror, but you can collect skill points to improve your talent tree and your Ki powers to defend yourself. Although skill points are rare, so prepare yourself properly, as the further you go into the island, the more enemies and fighting styles you will encounter.
A Retro Style That Never Gets Old
The retro style immediately made me think of arcade titles or Undertale, especially with the color choices. This is because of the completely black background color with color accents to delimit the scenes and characters. Also, despite having an old-school 8-bit style, the effects and animations are pretty fluid and give it style. The exploration is simple as the island is divided by zones as you advance and unlock some shrines. But be careful because traps and ninjas lurk in the bamboo forests, bandits near the camps, and samurai guard essential buildings.
The music replicates exactly what other games, series, and movies played for Japan during these same wartime times. Although there is no dialogue, the characters have unique designs and color coding to distinguish them without any problem, and their personalities are well-defined. Even the parts where they include a bit of comedy make it feel like a shonen anime.
A Not-so-Aggressive Soulslike
If you’re looking for an epic samurai and honor adventure, Bloodless has you covered. However, I must emphasize that I was surprised that Tomoe took a more peaceful monk-like approach to avoid more violence, especially since she is trying to rescue the memory of what her home island once was and her nephew. For her, it is a journey to discover that, just like her, everything else changes, and things don’t remain as she imagined.
The narrative is straightforward and consistent; the encounters and characters are unique, but I also appreciate the interpersonal constructs that make it feel like the humor of an anime. Besides, if you are a fan of arcade and soulslike games, this is a title you can’t miss. While it might be challenging and frustrating for some, it is a short journey worth experiencing if you’ve already finished all the many soulslike we’ve seen this year.
Bloodless (PC Reviewed)
Bloodless has a unique twist on the current soulslike formula and style that will undoubtedly bring back a lot of nostalgia. Despite its peaceful approach, you will certainly have difficult bosses that require you to learn their combat mechanics and deal with waves of lower-ranked enemies.
Pros
- Unique graphic style
- Interesting story
- A different approach to a soulsllike
Cons
- Some lag during battles
