Blood of the Werewolf
- October 28, 2013
- Scientifically Proven
- 5h median play time
An impeccably crafted panegyric to the platformers we all grew up with, Blood of the Werewolf is hampered by imprecise controls and a dedication to difficulty that, perhaps, goes one step further than it should.
In "Blood of the Werewolf," players control Selena, a werewolf on a quest to rescue her kidnapped son from the hands of evil. The game features a blend of platforming and action, with Selena able to transform between her human and werewolf forms to overcome obstacles and defeat enemies. With numerous levels, boss battles, and upgrades, "Blood of the Werewolf" offers a challenging and engaging experience for fans of the genre.
Reviews
- The game features a unique mechanic of switching between human and werewolf forms, adding variety to gameplay.
- The art style and atmosphere are well-crafted, reminiscent of classic monster movies, which enhances the overall experience.
- The game offers a challenging platforming experience that rewards players for mastering levels and learning from mistakes.
- The difficulty spikes can be frustrating, with many instant-death traps that feel unfair and can lead to excessive retries.
- The controls can feel imprecise at times, making it difficult to navigate certain platforming sections effectively.
- The level design is inconsistent, with some areas feeling repetitive and lacking in creativity, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.
- story189 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's story, centered around a werewolf mother named Selena on a quest to rescue her kidnapped son, has received mixed reviews. While some players find it engaging and appreciate the voice acting and atmospheric elements, others criticize it as clichéd, predictable, and lacking depth, particularly noting a disappointing cliffhanger ending. Overall, the narrative is seen as a decent backdrop for the gameplay, but it may not resonate with everyone, especially those seeking a more profound story experience.
“The story revolves around Selena trying to get her baby back and it really gives a feeling of satisfaction in completing each level as Selena gets closer to saving her baby boy.”
“What truly sets this apart is the level of detail in the story elements and, most of all, the atmosphere; it's a love letter to classic monster movies, and I eat that right up.”
“You play as Serena, the crossbow-wielding mother who becomes a howling werewolf by the touch of the full moon, in a quest to save her son, Nikoli from the evil clutches of Doctor Frankenstein.”
“The story seems uninspired (Underworld ripoff), meaning that you have an angry supernatural female protagonist who is out for blood and revenge.”
“The story was meh; it was really hard to sympathize with the characters, so the story kind of gets glossed over.”
“The plot is pretty straightforward and predictable, and the background info (that you can find in the extras menu) can make the whole story seem a little bit too serious for its own good.”
- gameplay145 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring tight controls and a unique mechanic of switching between human and werewolf forms, which adds variety to the platforming challenges. However, many players find the level design frustrating, with an overreliance on one-hit kill traps and a steep difficulty curve that can lead to a punishing experience. While some appreciate the challenge and fluid mechanics, others criticize the repetitive nature and lack of innovation, resulting in an overall divisive reception.
“Controls are incredibly precise and gameplay is a pleasure, which is good, because there's an overreliance on one-hit kill traps which can often be a turn-off.”
“However, the switch between human and werewolf forms keeps the gameplay fresh and I found the controls worked as you'd expect (massive praise for platformers that live and die on the tightness of their controls).”
“It's got fun gameplay, and I think that some bits are challenging and frustrating, but that makes getting past them that much more fulfilling.”
“The game doesn't use the typical 'introduce a new mechanic and then make the mechanic steadily more difficult', it just throws the mechanic at your face and tells you to figure it out.”
“Gameplay is repetitive, design is amateur and not expressive at all.”
“It is so easy to die because of the game's frustrating mechanics and only really advance-able through sheer perseverance that combined with the poor checkpointing will have you tearing your own face off.”
- graphics128 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the charming art style and retro-inspired visuals, while others criticize them as outdated or uninspired. Many appreciate the unique aesthetic that evokes classic monster movies, though performance issues and a lack of high-end detail detract from the overall experience for some users. Overall, the visuals are seen as decent for an indie title, but opinions vary widely on their execution and appeal.
“The graphics aren't high-end but I'm assuming it's a stylistic choice because I find them absolutely charming.”
“Graphically, the game is very pleasing to the eye, with a wonderful job on the art style to be accented by the effects.”
“Cute as a button graphics and a great monster theme.”
“Ugly graphics that make your eyes bleed.”
“Graphically, the game tends to be repetitive and uninteresting.”
“Terrible graphics, gameplay, and voiceovers - wants to be Trine badly, but fails miserably.”
- music68 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its gothic and atmospheric qualities that complement the overall aesthetic, while others find it forgettable or repetitive. Many agree that while the soundtrack enhances the experience, it lacks memorability and can sometimes feel generic. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, but opinions vary on its execution and impact.
“For me, the game has beautiful art, story, and music.”
“The story mode is a great callback to the old B-movie monster movies, and the soundtrack helps complement the overall aesthetic and mood of the game.”
“Beautiful aesthetics, ambiance, and music.”
“Blood of the Werewolf is a generic action-platforming game with uninspired visuals, music, and plotting.”
“The soundtrack is repetitive and sometimes hurts a lot.”
“The gameplay is generic platforming fare: fast-paced and mildly entertaining but meshes neither with the game's bland soundtrack nor its interesting but poorly executed setting.”
- atmosphere18 mentions
- 78 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its homage to classic monster movies, featuring a blend of gothic music and detailed backgrounds that enhance the overall experience. However, some reviewers note a disconnect between the intended atmosphere and the art style, which merges monochrome horror with colorful visuals. While the atmosphere is generally considered strong, potential players are advised to ensure it aligns with their preferences before purchasing.
“What truly sets this apart is the level of detail in the story elements and, most of all, the atmosphere; it's a love letter to classic monster movies, and I eat that right up.”
“The whole atmosphere and world this game creates is lovely down to the backgrounds and the music.”
“Sound is atmospheric, with a minimum of voice acting, which is well done, and the professional quality helps keep you in the game.”
“The atmosphere they were trying to create is slightly at odds with the choice of art style, as it attempts to merge the monochrome menace of Universal Pictures’ pioneering monster flicks with crisp, colorful cartoons.”
- grinding14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight that grinding in "Blood of the Werewolf" can be excessively tedious, with long levels, a poor checkpoint system, and prolonged boss fights contributing to a frustrating experience. While some players may appreciate the challenge, many feel that the game becomes more of a chore than an enjoyable platformer, detracting from the overall fun.
“Grinding achievements: yes... you will play these maps until your fingers bleed.”
“There are a lot of good platformers out there, but with levels that take upwards of 20 minutes to complete, a poor checkpoint system, and frankly tedious boss fights (seriously, no one wants to fight a boss for over 8 minutes, that's worse than some MMOs!) I can't recommend Blood of the Werewolf even though I love platformers.”
“It started out decent and was challenging, then got tedious, and ridiculously hard forcing you to do cryptic jumps the game barely allows you to do or you get instantly killed.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, particularly in its regular levels and endless mode, which are highlighted as major strengths. However, the boss fights lack replay value, slightly diminishing the overall experience. Overall, the polished gameplay and satisfying mechanics contribute to a highly replayable experience.
“Tons of replay value with endless mode, and the game in general feels very polished. The form changing feels natural and satisfying.”
“Infinitely replayable (or almost).”
“The boss fights don't really have any replay value, but the regular levels have a ton of it, which is one of the biggest strengths of the game.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional aspect of the game particularly impactful, with many expressing that it evoked strong feelings, including tears of joy. The end credits, which reveal the backstories of enemies and bosses, are highlighted as a touching and adorable moment that enhances the overall emotional experience.
“But what was really nice was in the game’s end credits was seeing how all the enemies and bosses came about; I found it very adorable and touching.”
“This game made me cry 10/10”
“This game evoked a deep emotional response that I didn't expect.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its amusing storyline and a particularly funny sequel movie at the end, which elicited laughter from players. However, the overall presentation, including generic art and weak sound, suggests that the game feels more like a prototype than a polished product, potentially limiting its comedic impact.
“It was a fun adventure, liked the story and the art of the game, though the future 'sequel' movie at the end made me laugh a lot.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is minimal, with limited depth and progression, despite effective voice acting and cut scenes that enhance the storytelling experience. Overall, it lacks a strong narrative focus that would typically foster significant character growth.
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users consistently report significant performance issues, indicating that the game's optimization is lacking and may hinder the overall experience.
“I would like to bring up performance issues.”
“I would like to bring up performance issues.”
Critic Reviews
Beauty is the Beast--Blood of the Werewolf
An impeccably crafted panegyric to the platformers we all grew up with, Blood of the Werewolf is hampered by imprecise controls and a dedication to difficulty that, perhaps, goes one step further than it should.
80%Blood of The Werewolf Review
If platformers are your main fix, and the proposition of a steep challenge doesn't promptly induce a wince, Blood of the Werewolf is for you. Fundamentally, it's a product of the 8- and 16-bit eras, but with some modern play mechanics and features, it avoids feeling stale or relying too heavily on the past. This isn't a perfectly-designed game, nor does it advance the genre in any way, but what it does is provide side-scrolling veterans and retro lovers with the pure type of action they thrive on. When you take into account the shockingly low price tag, it's a monstrous value that's hard to resist. So in summary, if you're even semi-interested, don't hesitate to take a big ol' bite.
70%PC Review - 'Blood of the Werewolf'
75%