Blud

Blud is a vibrant 2D action beat ’em up game that transports players into a world styled like a classic 90s cartoon. Featuring a distinct cartoony aesthetic and a diagonal-down perspective, the game’s premise involves a fun, often humorous adventure centered around a vampire theme, offering engaging combat challenges and an undeniable nostalgic charm.

Blud: A Vampire Slayer’s Saturday Morning Symphony

Step into the vibrant, neon-tinged world of Carpentersville, where the mundane anxieties of freshman year collide with the absurdly gory realities of a full-blown vampire apocalypse. Exit 73 Studios’ Blud is more than just a video game; it’s a meticulously crafted homage to an era, a love letter to the kinetic energy of 90s animation wrapped in the compelling embrace of an action-adventure RPG. While its sharp aesthetics and witty narrative carve out a distinctive niche, the game, like any good horror-comedy, occasionally trips over its own blood-soaked feet in the execution of its core mechanics. Yet, Blud‘s undeniable charm, infectious humor, and commitment to its unique visual identity make it an adventure well worth sinking your teeth into.

Development History & Context

Exit 73 Studios, the creative force behind Blud, didn’t start its journey in the realm of video game development. Founded in New York City in 2012, the studio initially carved out a reputation as an animation and motion graphics powerhouse, specializing in 2D traditional frame-by-frame animation. Their extensive portfolio boasted collaborations with industry giants like Cartoon Network, Disney XD, and Nickelodeon, even crafting animated cutscenes for games such as OK KO Let’s Play Heroes. This deep-seated expertise in animation would become the very bedrock upon which Blud‘s unique identity was built.

The concept for Blud itself has a rich history, beginning as an animated series pitch many years prior, even predating its eventual video game realization in 2017. The developers, particularly Art and Sound Director Bob Fox and writer Gregory Lane, drew their initial inspiration from a delightfully anachronistic blend: “The Powerpuff Girls meets Zelda: A Link to the Past.” This seemingly disparate pairing perfectly encapsulates Blud‘s core appeal – combining the hyperkinetic, expressive animation style popularized by Cartoon Network shows like Dexter’s Lab and Samurai Jack with the dungeon-crawling exploration and progression systems of classic action-adventure titles. A subtle yet significant influence also came from the atmospheric dread and visual style of John Carpenter’s filmography, notably The Thing, which permeated both the game’s visuals and musical direction.

Technologically, bringing Blud‘s vibrant 2D world to life presented unique challenges. While developed in Unity, the commitment to hand-drawn, frame-by-frame animation meant that every single character movement had to be meticulously animated across eight different angles to accommodate the game’s diagonal-down, top-down perspective. This monumental effort, though adding “a ton of extra work to the animation process,” paid dividends in the unparalleled fluidity and expressiveness of the characters. Furthermore, the game features around 17 minutes of fully animated cutscenes, which were produced using traditional animation techniques, akin to a television series.

Blud arrived on the gaming landscape on June 18, 2024, published by Humble Games across multiple platforms including Windows, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. Its release positioned it within a flourishing indie scene that often champions unique art styles and experimental genre blends. Humble Games’ partnership with Exit 73, announced in 2023, underscored the publisher’s belief in the studio’s “creative visions” and helped bring Blud‘s distinctive take on the action-RPG and dungeon crawler genres to a wider audience. The game’s development journey, from an initial concept in 2017, through an early demo in 2019, to its refined 2021 vision, culminated in a title poised to make an artistic splash.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its heart, Blud spins a tale that’s both intimately relatable and wildly fantastical. The story introduces us to Becky Brewster, a bright-eyed, spirited, and sometimes drowsy teenager, fresh to Carpentersville and navigating the universal trials of freshman year at Carpentersville High. However, Becky harbors a secret—or rather, a destiny: she’s the latest in an ancient bloodline of spellcasting vampire hunters. This twist immediately thrusts her into a dual war: the everyday struggles of high school life (friends, field hockey, social media) and the escalating horrors of a full-blown vampire apocalypse threatening her new home.

Plot

The narrative arc sees Becky honing her latent undead-slaying skills, initially armed with her trusty field hockey stick, affectionately named “Brenda.” Her mission involves rooting out demonic infestations across the town, from high school halls to convenience store aisles, and eventually confronting the masterminds behind the chaos. The primary antagonists are the formidable Vampire Lord Dragur, leader of the demonic horde, and the enigmatic Geoff Freya, the narcissistic CEO of the powerful tech company Perch. Freya, a thinly veiled parody of Steve Jobs, is portrayed as a shrewd, self-serving individual who exploits the unfolding apocalypse for his own financial gain and power.

The story gradually reveals a deeper, more insidious threat: a demonic entity known only as “Blud” (the game’s namesake), operating from another dimension. This Greater-Scope Villain is responsible for empowering the vampiric hordes and manipulating figures like Dragur and Freya, promising them positions of power in a new world order. However, Becky never directly encounters this entity, keeping the focus on the more immediate, tangible threats posed by Dragur and Freya, effectively framing them as a “Big Bad Ensemble.” The plot progresses through distinct “episodes,” each introduced with a title card, blending episodic cartoon storytelling with the continuous progression of an open-world game.

Characters

• Becky Brewster: The protagonist is a masterclass in character design. Her pink color palette is a deliberate choice, serving as a “simple, focused design” (like Mega Man’s blue) and a “juxtaposition of the ‘traditional’ girl color against a backdrop of horror and violence,” reminiscent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Becky’s journey is one of self-discovery, evolving from an innocent new kid to a confident vampire slayer, finding her place in her new town and her extraordinary role. Her perspective is central, coloring interactions and observations with her unique personality.
• Kristofferson: Becky’s grizzled old mentor, the janitor at Carpentersville High, plays a pivotal role in training her. Named after Kris Kristofferson, who portrayed Whistler in the Blade trilogy, his character leans into the classic mentor archetype. His eventual sacrifice to save Becky from Dragur underscores the stakes of the conflict.
• Corey Colton: Becky’s lifelong best friend, Corey is the quintessential “kid genius” with a secret lab. He’s instrumental in upgrading Becky’s equipment, modifying her hockey stick with inventive attachments like an umbrella shield, a collapsible shovel, and a grappling hook. Corey represents the pragmatic, modern approach to vampire hunting, favoring complex banishing rituals over Kristofferson’s “stake in the heart” method.
• Vampire Lord Dragur: The Big Bad, Dragur is a centuries-old, powerful vampire. His character is surprisingly nuanced, exhibiting “Fair-Play Villain” tendencies, fighting Becky honorably and even showing delight at facing Kristofferson in hand-to-hand combat. However, he’s also brutally effective, capable of transforming into a colossal form and immune to traditional staking (reforming from a blood puddle).
• Max & Fritz: Dragur’s Co-Dragons, these two identical-looking vampire lieutenants (differentiated only by color) are depicted as sadists. They engage in a theatrical rock-paper-scissors game to decide who gets to kill Becky, initially underestimating her. Their ability to “Fusion Dance” into a stronger, larger vampire marks a significant boss encounter.
• Geoff Freya: The CEO of Perch, Freya embodies the critique of modern tech magnates. He’s a narcissistic, ego-driven individual who uses his company’s monopoly on social media and delivery services to further his own agenda. His casual admission of employee abuse and involvement in the plot purely for profit paints him as a morally bankrupt figure. His biggest fan, Eron, is likewise portrayed as an insufferable “Jerkass” and “Sore Loser” who trolls others on Perch.
• Mitch: A high-school hustler, Mitch offers Becky supplies and information for a price, adding a touch of cynical realism to the high school environment.

Dialogue & Themes

The dialogue in Blud is universally praised for being “absolutely hilarious,” “witty,” and “pitch perfect,” often feeling “ripped straight from Cartoon Network.” This is amplified by the game’s extraordinary character animations, where exaggerated expressions and manic energy infuse even simple dialogue boxes (presented in a Persona-inspired style) with a palpable sense of personality and humor. Becky’s internal monologues, observations, and social media posts are filled with charm and genuine laughs.

Thematic depth in Blud lies in its clever subversions and modern interpretations of classic tropes:
* Balance of Worlds: The central theme revolves around Becky’s struggle to balance the mundane realities of teenage life with her supernatural duties. Mundane tasks like language class (to decipher a Grimoire) or helping a neighbor often lead to “hellish encounters,” seamlessly blending the ordinary with the extraordinary.
* Nostalgia and Homage: The game is a profound “love letter” to 90s and early 2000s cartoons, particularly those from Cartoon Network. It captures the vibrant energy and exaggerated humor of shows like The Powerpuff Girls and Courage the Cowardly Dog, creating a powerful sense of nostalgia for players who grew up with these animations. This is further cemented by numerous Easter eggs and references.
* Modern Twist on Classic Horror: Blud reimagines classic vampire lore with a distinctly “R-rated twist,” delivering grotesque body horror (mutated creatures, tentacles emerging from vampires’ mouths) within a playful, cartoony aesthetic. The integration of social media as a central gameplay and narrative device provides a contemporary lens through which to explore ancient evils.
* Critique of Modern Tech & Capitalism: The character of Geoff Freya and the ubiquitous Perch app serve as sharp critiques of corporate monopolies, exploitative business practices, and the intrusive nature of modern social media. The game playfully highlights the absurdity of a powerful tech CEO being involved in an apocalyptic scheme for mere profit.
* Hero’s Journey & Self-Discovery: Becky’s narrative follows a classic hero’s journey, as she accepts her destiny, hones her skills, and ultimately saves her new home. Her character development is tied to finding her “place as a teenager in the world of #BLUD,” making her journey both epic and personally resonant.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Blud positions itself as an “action adventure game with RPG elements,” fundamentally a “delightfully zany animated dungeon crawler” with a “beat ’em up / brawler” gameplay style. It adopts a top-down, diagonal-down perspective with 2D scrolling visuals, emphasizing fluid character movement and combat in its expansive environments.

Core Gameplay Loops

Players assume control of Becky Brewster as she navigates Carpentersville, undertaking quests discovered primarily through a parody social media app called “Perch.” The core loop involves exploring various locations (high school, shopping malls, city streets), battling hordes of vampires and mutated creatures, progressing the story, and upgrading Becky’s abilities and gear.

Combat

Combat in Blud is described as “action-packed,” “ultra-fast-paced,” and “dynamic,” utilizing a “simple combo style” with Becky’s primary weapon: her trusty field hockey stick, Brenda. Pressing the attack button unleashes a combo, culminating in a powerful finishing blow that can even eliminate nearby low-health enemies, encouraging strategic enemy grouping. Becky’s dodge roll is a crucial defensive maneuver, enabling her to evade incoming attacks, and also serves as a somewhat “annoying” but effective way to traverse areas quickly.

However, the combat system frequently draws criticism for its lack of polish. Reviewers highlight “imprecise” controls, “accidental collision damage,” “awkward hitboxes,” and “repetitive actions.” Specific challenges arise with certain enemy types, such as Feral Vampires, which require precise timing and distance for Becky’s rolling uppercut attack – a move often deemed “a struggle” due to the general lack of precision. Critics note that the dodge roll can be “ineffective in many situations,” and enemies sometimes “spawn, without warning, directly onto where [the player] was standing, giving them a free hit.” Despite these flaws, the “weight and exaggeration behind every move” and the satisfying “onomatopoeic sounds” (Splat! Ka-Boom!) add a layer of cartoony gratification.

Boss fights, in particular, stand out as a highlight. They are described as “epic, energetic,” “massive and enjoyable,” featuring unique gimmicks and exploiting the game’s body horror elements for “repulsive effect.” While the final boss fight with Dragur was found “underwhelming and overly stressful” by one reviewer, others lauded the imaginative designs and engagement of these encounters.

Becky’s arsenal extends beyond her hockey stick. She can wield sharpened pencils as a throwable weapon, which is crucial for defeating “Daywalker vampires” by lodging them in their eyes. Other throwable items like bombs are also available. Corey, Becky’s inventive friend, provides upgrades for Brenda, including a grappling hook, a collapsible shovel head (also serving as a fast travel tool), and an umbrella shield that blocks specific attacks.

Character Progression & Systems

Character progression in Blud is multi-faceted:
* Weapon Upgrades: Corey’s modifications to Brenda are key to expanding Becky’s combat and traversal options.
* Latent Magic Skills: Becky levels up her magical abilities through her family’s ancient grimoire, a “mystic grimoire” or “spellcasting tome” filled with a “hodgepodge mix of Latin, French, Hebrew, Greek, Sanskrit and Ancient Babylonian.” School supplies also contribute to her magical development.
* Health Upgrades: Hidden “heart fragments” are collected by solving standing stone puzzles found throughout Carpentersville. These puzzles involve toggling six stones between blue and pink patterns, with clues often hidden in the surrounding environment. While some clues are obvious, others are obscure, leading some players to resort to “brute force.”
* Social Media Integration (Perch): This is Blud‘s most innovative system. The “Perch” app, a brilliant parody of Twitter, serves as Becky’s mission log, displaying quests as “trending hashtags.” Progress updates and character comments are reviewed under a “Star” menu. Crucially, Perch allows Becky to “snap selfies with monsters to tag their strengths and weaknesses,” creating a bestiary in her grimoire and integrating monster analysis into the gameplay. It also acts as a “localization tool” for tracking evil.
* Side-quests: Optional missions, primarily fetch quests and collectathons (e.g., stealing “Shark Salsa and Chips” or collecting chalkboard erasers), are available from NPCs. These quests, however, lack map markers, making them difficult to find and sometimes frustrating to complete. Rewards, such as First Aid Kits, are occasionally deemed of “dubious value” due to the game’s “generous checkpointing system” and inventory restrictions in final boss fights.
* Collectibles: Beyond heart fragments, Becky can find 42 collectible tokens (evoking the 90s “pogs craze,” with designs from other Humble Games titles) and is encouraged to take selfies with every monster for an achievement. Capturing monster selfies requires careful timing and positioning, as enemies don’t pause their attacks.
* Puzzles: In addition to the standing stone puzzles, there are environmental puzzles, such as a “puzzle sequence in a lab where Becky rearranges a model of planets.”

World-Building, Art & Sound

Blud‘s world-building is a charming pastiche of familiar Americana infused with supernatural dread, all rendered through an art style that is its undeniable centerpiece.

World-Building

The game is set in the seemingly idyllic town of Carpentersville, a name that’s itself a shout-out to director John Carpenter, known for his horror films. This “typical American-style high school town” features recognizable locations like Carpentersville High (the central hub), Whistler Park, Winsor’s MiniMart, Bulldog’s sports field, a shopping mall, a hospital (Loomis Memorial Hospital, another shout-out), and a cemetery. This familiar urban backdrop creates a relatable stage for the outlandish vampire apocalypse. While it has elements of a “Retro Universe” evoking the late 90s/early 2000s, it subtly incorporates modern elements like cellphones and social media, creating a “downplayed” blend. The extensive map suggests a significant exploratory component, although some reviewers noted that many interior spaces, particularly in the early game, felt “cavernous and filled with empty space.”

Atmosphere

The game’s atmosphere is consistently described as “delightfully zany,” “humorous,” and “over-the-top.” It masterfully “blurs the line between action RPGs and hyperkinetic 90s cartoons,” creating a unique tone where gruesome violence and body horror are presented with a playful, lighthearted sensibility. This is a game where the “horror and violence” are juxtaposed against “traditional” girl colors and comedic dialogue, making the experience engaging rather than genuinely terrifying. The “Saturday morning cartoon vibe” is palpable, making players feel like they’re “playing through a 90s cartoon.”

Visual Direction

Blud‘s visual direction is its most universally praised aspect. Exit 73 Studios’ animation background shines through, delivering a “gorgeously animated game” and a “visual treat.” The art style is a direct homage to the “vibrant energy of 90s cartoons like The Powerpuff Girls and Courage the Cowardly Dog,” with clear influences from Dexter’s Lab and Samurai Jack. Critics compare its commitment to a specific aesthetic to Cuphead‘s 1930s Betty Boop-inspired visuals.

• Character Design & Animation: Characters boast “colorful skin tones, toothy mouths, and huge, expressive eyes,” embodying an “exaggerated expression and manic energy.” Becky herself is the “star,” with pupils that “roll mischievously” and teeth overflowing her “babbling mouth” in happy conversations, or eyes darting furtively when frightened. The “phenomenal quality of the animation” means character portraits are “fully animated,” making “each character’s voice audible only as grunts and squeaks,” but their movement gives “volume to their feelings.” Becky’s signature pink palette intentionally stands out. This dedication led to an Annie Awards nomination for Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Video Game (Chris Burns, Robert Fox).
• Enemy Design: The “macabre menagerie” of enemies features “outrageously mutated animals and vampirically possessed townsfolk.” Vampires often have a “hideous and hairless goblin appearance” reminiscent of Max Schreck’s Count Orlok, but after feeding, their faces “split open to reveal an orifice filled with grasping tentacles and sucking tubular mouths.” The game expertly suggests “gruesome inhuman body horror without abandoning the playful feel of a family cartoon.” Bosses are often colossal “Animalistic Abominations,” like a mutated goat mascot or a giant rat transforming into a “Meat Moss creation with a single massive eye.”
• Environments: In contrast to the dynamic characters, Carpentersville’s “static backgrounds, faded colors, and no outlines” are a deliberate artistic choice to make “the characters pop against the drab backdrop.” However, this can make the world feel “uninteresting to look at and subsequently even less interesting to explore,” especially in “cavernous and empty” areas without combat. The sense of scale can be problematic, making modest rooms feel sprawling and leading to a “chore” when traversing.
• Cutscenes: The game features high-quality animated cutscenes and “Persona-inspired style” dialogue boxes with character portraits. Episode title cards visually segment the narrative progression.

Sound Design

Bob Fox, also the Art Director, is credited with the game’s music, which carries visual influences from John Carpenter and leans towards “Synth-Pop akin to the 80s.” The soundtrack is described as “effective in moments of suspense,” adding to the immersion. Sound effects are a highlight, featuring “satisfying onomatopoeic ‘sounds’ like ‘Splat’ or ‘Ka-Boom’ that intensify the joy of righteous vampire-slaying,” reminiscent of the “foley-like sounds from shows like Looney Tunes.” The character voices are primarily “grunts and squeaks,” relying on the animated expressions to convey emotion. Tension-building sounds, like wind in a forest or cafeteria chatter, further enhance the atmospheric experience.

Reception & Legacy

Upon its release, Blud garnered a “Mixed or Average” critical reception, with an average Moby Score of 7.6 (ranking it #6,570 out of nearly 27,000 games) and a Critics’ average of 77% based on 22 ratings. Metacritic echoed this, with a Metascore of 73 based on 15 critic reviews, indicating a roughly even split between positive and mixed opinions. User scores, however, were notably lower at 5.6, suggesting a more polarized audience response to its gameplay quirks.

Critical and Commercial Reception at Launch

The overwhelming consensus among critics was effusive praise for Blud‘s visual style, animation, and presentation. Terms like “gorgeously animated,” “brilliant cartoony aesthetic,” “love letter entirely devoted to the animated medium,” and “visual treat” frequently appeared in reviews. The game’s writing, humor, and engaging story also received high marks, with many comparing the cutscenes and dialogue to a “90s cartoon” come to life. Boss fights were often singled out as “epic, energetic” and “enjoyable.”

However, beneath the vibrant visual veneer, critics consistently pointed to mechanical shortcomings. The combat system was frequently criticized for “imprecise” controls, “awkward hitboxes,” “repetitive actions,” and a dodge roll that was often “ineffective.” Some reviewers found the early game’s “cavernous and empty” environments a “chore to walk across,” leading to “tedious” exploration. Bug reports, including “crashes and loss of progress” (PSX Brasil) and “menu bug[s]” (Kotaku), further marred the experience for some. The mission design, heavily reliant on “collectathon missions and fetch quests,” was also a point of contention, along with “permanently missable content” like certain character selfies.

While commercial reception data is not explicitly provided, the game’s strong visual identity and unique premise likely drew a dedicated audience interested in its specific aesthetic. The $24.99 price point on Steam suggests an indie title with premium aspirations.

Evolution of Reputation & Influence

Despite its mechanical rough edges, Blud‘s reputation has primarily solidified around its exceptional artistic merit. It has been immediately recognized as a benchmark for expressive 2D animation in video games, drawing comparisons to Cuphead for its unwavering commitment to a distinctive, hand-drawn aesthetic. Many critics mused that the game’s animation and writing were so strong, it might have been better suited as an animated series, a notion ironically shared by the developers themselves, as Blud originated as a TV pitch. This sentiment underscores the game’s blurring of lines between interactive and passive media.

The game’s nomination for a 2025 Annie Award for “Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Video Game” (for Chris Burns and Robert Fox) is a significant testament to its artistic impact, placing it among the elite in animation. This recognition highlights its influence in pushing the boundaries of what 2D animation can achieve in a video game context.

Looking to the future, Exit 73 Studios has confirmed plans for “DLC” (with a teaser that “things might get hairy for our heroine”), and the “Claws for Alarm” expansion already sees Geoff Freya reviving Dragur, suggesting continued narrative threads. The long-term aspiration to realize Blud as an animated series also speaks to its potential enduring legacy beyond the gaming medium. The game serves as an example of an indie studio leveraging its core expertise (animation) to create a title that, despite some gameplay flaws, makes a bold artistic statement and leaves a memorable impression.

Conclusion

Blud is a game that confidently strides onto the scene, dripping with a style and personality rarely seen in the medium. It is an unapologetic, hyperkinetic blast of 90s cartoon nostalgia, elevated by Exit 73 Studios’ masterful hand-drawn 2D animation and a script bursting with genuine wit and charm. Becky Brewster’s journey, balancing mundane high school drama with an absurdly violent vampire apocalypse, resonates with an infectious energy that keeps the player invested from start to finish. The character designs are iconic, the dialogue is pitch-perfect, and the major boss encounters are imaginative, grotesque, and undeniably fun.

However, like any freshly sharpened stake, Blud has its rough edges. The combat, while flashy, often succumbs to issues of precision, hitboxes, and occasional repetition, making certain encounters more frustrating than satisfying. The expansive environments, while visually distinct, can feel empty and tedious to traverse without constant combat. And while the social media system is a narrative and thematic triumph, some side-quests can feel like arbitrary filler.

Despite these mechanical shortcomings, to dismiss Blud would be to miss out on a truly unique and artistically ambitious experience. It is a game that understands its strengths implicitly, pouring an immense amount of passion and talent into its visual storytelling. It’s a love letter to a cherished era of animation, a zany action-adventure that never takes itself too seriously, yet delivers a compelling narrative.

Blud‘s place in video game history will undoubtedly be defined by its groundbreaking animation and its fearless blend of genres and tones. It stands as a testament to the power of distinct artistic vision, proving that even with some gameplay quirks, a game can achieve greatness through sheer charm and creative commitment. For those who yearn for the vibrant energy of a Saturday morning cartoon, infused with a modern, R-rated twist and the thrill of a classic dungeon crawl, Blud is an essential, if imperfect, adventure. It’s an animated spectacle that deserves to be seen, experienced, and cherished.