Laika: Aged Through Blood

94%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,001 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
Laika: Aged Through Blood Game Cover
Laika: Aged Through Blood is a rather unique metroidvania experience that scores with very satisfying motorbike traversal, and a melancholic atmosphere that's supported by one of the best soundtracks of the year.
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"Laika: Aged Through Blood" is a western-inspired motorvania game set in a post-apocalyptic world, where you play as a coyote warrior seeking vengeance against occupying forces. The game features vehicular combat on a motorbike, hand-painted graphics, and a deep story about a mother-daughter relationship. Explore the varied world, engage in epic boss battles, and complete numerous missions in this unique motorvania experience.

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Reviews

94%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,001 reviews
story630 positive mentions
grinding76 negative mentions
  • Incredible art style and animation that enhances the emotional impact of the story.
  • Unique gameplay mechanics that combine motorcycle physics with shooting, creating a fresh experience.
  • The soundtrack is outstanding, with beautifully composed songs that fit the game's atmosphere perfectly.
  • Some boss fights are tedious and lack variety, leading to frustration during encounters.
  • The game can feel repetitive due to a lack of enemy variety and excessive backtracking for side quests.
  • The story, while engaging, sometimes feels rushed towards the end, leaving players wanting more resolution.
  • story1,651 mentions

    The story of "Laika: Aged Through Blood" is widely praised for its emotional depth and compelling narrative, exploring themes of motherhood, loss, and survival in a grim post-apocalyptic world. Players appreciate the well-developed characters and the impactful storytelling, which often evokes strong emotional responses, including tears. However, some critiques highlight issues with side quests, which can feel tedious and less rewarding compared to the main storyline, and a few players noted that the pacing and clarity of certain quests could be improved. Overall, the combination of a haunting soundtrack, beautiful art, and a gripping story makes it a standout experience in the metroidvania genre.

    • “The story is beautifully tragic, the art and the cut scenes really enchanted me.”
    • “The story is compelling, heart-wrenching, and nihilistic at points.”
    • “The story, character, music, setting themes, etc. is immaculate.”
    • “The story felt rushed and hardly draws you into the world.”
    • “The main quest is solid, but the side quests are almost universally worthless.”
    • “The story starts strong but didn’t end in a satisfying place for me.”
  • music1,248 mentions

    The music in "Laika: Aged Through Blood" has received widespread acclaim for its emotional depth and atmospheric quality, with many reviewers highlighting the stunning soundtrack composed by beícoli. Players appreciate the integration of collectible cassette tapes that allow them to unlock and play various tracks, enhancing the immersive experience of exploring the game's post-apocalyptic world. While some noted occasional repetitiveness in the early game, the overall consensus is that the music significantly elevates the storytelling and gameplay, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “The soundtrack is absolutely stunning and fits the game perfectly.”
    • “The music is phenomenal and it's one of the three greatest strengths of the game, alongside the art and the story.”
    • “The music, art, and writing in this game are off the charts, and if you jive with the gameplay, I think you'll have a great time--definitely try the demo.”
    • “You know how they made you play the same stupid song over and over and if you made one mistake you had to start again?”
    • “The music doesn't help much either; I think I get what the game is going for, but I personally don't like it, so muting the music and having YouTube on in the background makes the game more fun to play.”
    • “The only complaint I have with the soundtrack is that the boss music is rather tame and very forgettable compared to the rest of the game's music.”
  • gameplay1,127 mentions

    The gameplay of "Laika: Aged Through Blood" is a unique blend of motorcycle mechanics and metroidvania exploration, featuring a challenging yet rewarding combat system that requires players to master controls like backflipping to reload. While many players find the mechanics engaging and satisfying once learned, others express frustration with the steep learning curve and occasional clunky controls. Overall, the game is praised for its innovative gameplay, beautiful art style, and emotional storytelling, though some aspects, such as boss fights and certain mechanics, may feel underdeveloped or repetitive.

    • “The gameplay is challenging but rewarding, and there is an option to make it more forgiving if you need that kind of thing.”
    • “The gameplay offers a unique spin on traditional platformers and metroidvanias that never feels like it overstays its welcome.”
    • “The gameplay is fun and engaging, the art style is superb, the OST is brilliant, the story is touching, the level design is superb.”
    • “Even though the game is gorgeous, has a great soundtrack, and the setting and the story look very promising, I couldn't connect with the gameplay loop and the general game design.”
    • “The gameplay itself unfortunately doesn't live up to the rest of the game, as it can get repetitive extremely quickly, while not much is done to change things up massively.”
    • “The gameplay is just something else; I literally don't even know how to categorize it because if it's part of a genre, it's one I'm not familiar with.”
  • graphics377 mentions

    The graphics of "Laika: Aged Through Blood" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning hand-drawn art style, which beautifully complements the game's dark themes and narrative. Reviewers highlight the unique aesthetic, vibrant visuals, and atmospheric soundtrack, all of which create an immersive experience that enhances the storytelling. While some mention minor gameplay issues, the overall visual presentation is consistently praised as a standout feature of the game.

    • “The art style is amazing; it gives you just enough info but leaves room for wonder and speculation as to the world and its background.”
    • “The art style is beautiful, with everything being hand-drawn, and occasional animated cutscenes.”
    • “The visuals are drop-dead gorgeous, in an art style that blends beauty and bleakness better than any game I've played.”
    • “The issue with this game is that everything outside the aesthetic and bike mechanics gets old fast.”
    • “It leaves a very good first impression, but once the novelty of the art style wears off and you get past the initial difficulty hurdle, the game feels very mediocre.”
    • “Graphics: you will almost certainly die a lot to enemies you didn't see or to not realizing you're upside down when you hit the ground as this game can get visually cluttered pretty easily, but I don't think this was often enough to be too much of an issue during my playtime.”
  • emotional303 mentions

    The emotional aspect of "Laika: Aged Through Blood" has been widely praised for its deeply touching and often heartbreaking narrative, which explores themes of sacrifice, motherhood, and survival in a post-apocalyptic world. Players report being profoundly affected by the story, with many experiencing tears and emotional turmoil throughout their journey, complemented by a stunning soundtrack and beautiful art direction. However, some critiques mention tonal inconsistencies and a lack of depth in secondary characters, which can detract from the overall emotional impact.

    • “The story is both heartwarming at times and crushing at others, and the OST is truly something special.”
    • “Laika: Aged Through Blood is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking games I think I have ever played.”
    • “The heartfelt story about mothers and growing up left me devastated at various points throughout the game.”
    • “Fun and unique gimmick, but it doesn't really use its unlockable mechanics all that well and focuses on a generic, predictable, and boring story.”
  • atmosphere110 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, enhanced by stunning visuals and a compelling soundtrack that effectively conveys themes of melancholy and desolation. While the main plot establishes a dark and serious tone, some players note a tonal dissonance with quirky side characters that can disrupt the experience. Overall, the combination of art, music, and world-building creates a captivating environment that resonates deeply with players, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “The atmosphere and storytelling is just beyond anything I've ever played before.”
    • “From the desolate ruins of civilization to the eerie landscapes of a world reclaimed by nature, every environment feels rich with history and atmosphere, immersing players in its haunting beauty.”
    • “The atmosphere of the game is absolutely stunning, with the music, art style, and story all coming together to create something amazing.”
    • “For the most part, the main plot tries to impose a sad and oppressive atmosphere; however, most of the side characters you meet around town and throughout your travels are zany, one-dimensional characters that result in a tonal dissonance that pulls the player out of the experience.”
    • “But the overall atmosphere of the game is melancholic to the point of being whiny.”
    • “The story has an intense somber note to it with rare spots of humor shining through; there's a heavy, bleak atmosphere throughout the world, and the music drives it home harder than a nail sometimes.”
  • grinding78 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly in terms of movement and combat. While some enjoyed the challenge and the overall gameplay experience, others felt that the necessity for grinding—especially for upgrades and side quests—made the game feel unnecessarily time-consuming. Fast travel limitations and poorly designed boss encounters further contributed to the perception of grinding as a frustrating element, although some players appreciated the lore and story rewards tied to these tasks.

    • “It can be a bit grindy sometimes, but I still enjoyed the experience.”
    • “I had a lot of fun with it, but I'm not grinding out 500 more deaths just for an achievement.”
    • “It's challenging, but it's also mostly just tedious repetition.”
    • “Movement is sluggish and combat is tedious and repetitive.”
    • “After the initial excitement wears off, everything becomes so tedious; backtracking and collecting resources feels unnecessarily time-consuming.”
  • character development33 mentions

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while the character designs and visual storytelling are praised for their beauty and uniqueness, many reviewers note that the characters themselves lack depth and meaningful interactions, often feeling like disposable NPCs. Laika's character development stands out positively, but overall, the emotional impact is undermined by a lack of substantial narrative engagement, with many characters introduced only to be quickly discarded. The game's stunning art and music enhance the experience, yet they cannot fully compensate for the shallow character arcs.

    • “Laika’s character development is also particularly remarkable.”
    • “The character designs are amazing and I fell in love with everything in this game so quickly.”
    • “By far the game's highlights for me are its art, with gorgeous backgrounds and wonderful character designs, the incredible music, the heart-wrenching storytelling that isn't afraid to tackle extremely serious subjects with a great amount of respect.”
    • “I don't care for the furry character designs; they could have been human and it wouldn't have changed the story.”
    • “The character designs are very neat, but most of them aren't really used for much, and most characters have around three lines of dialogue a piece.”
    • “The character development of the game is extremely lackluster where you will often meet a character and in the next 15 minutes they die. I am not even kidding, it became an expected thing I kept noticing after the second area. Whether this was intentional or not, it makes it feel like the people you meet are just bullets in a firing range; they are shot and introduced, but after that, you don't worry about them.”
  • humor25 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of dark, edgy writing and quirky, zany characters that often provide comic relief amidst a somber narrative. While some players appreciate the tonal dissonance and find the characters' idiosyncrasies amusing, others feel it disrupts immersion. Overall, the humor is described as both heartfelt and reflective, contributing to a unique experience that balances laughter with poignant moments.

    • “The writing is wonderful, funny, and heartbreaking.”
    • “Most of the characters are very unique and dialogues with them are usually quite funny, which is oddly uplifting considering the grim scenario everyone is living through.”
    • “The game uses a souls-like currency drop system (the currency is the entrails of your enemies, which is quite funny when you consider how many of the merchants like the birds... but accept their body parts as payment) so when you die, you drop half.”
    • “Not funny.”
    • “The jokes fell flat and lacked originality.”
    • “I expected more clever humor, but it was mostly cringeworthy.”
  • stability20 mentions

    The game's stability is a mixed bag, with users reporting occasional minor bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as freezing during calls or issues with achievements. While some players experienced significant bugs, many noted that these occurrences were infrequent and manageable, with developers responsive to fixing issues. Overall, the game runs well on platforms like the Steam Deck, but players should be prepared for some frustrating moments due to its current instability.

    • “It runs great on the Steam Deck.”
    • “No glitches, only occasional lag, and wonderful graphics!”
    • “Game runs great.”
    • “Feels like everything is random and makes no sense... it's also buggy.”
    • “But as the walky-talky call starts, the game freezes. The only thing I can do after that is hear the bike and the walky-talky chatter, open the menu, and drift my bike, but the animation of that gets stuck after doing so.”
    • “Once I quit out to the main menu and press play again, the main menu freezes, and I can't quit after that unless I forcefully close the game.”
  • replayability10 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as limited, primarily due to its linear narrative and lack of multiple endings, which diminishes the incentive to revisit after completing the story. While some players appreciate the quality of the experience and the potential for speedrunning, many express a desire for more content or branching paths to enhance long-term engagement. Despite these concerns, the game is still considered a worthwhile purchase for its initial playthrough.

    • “And for a $20 indie game, you're honestly getting quite a lot of game, and quite a lot of replay value, too - speedruns of this game are gonna be sick, even though the game seems to resist speedrunning with some of its long scenes and boss fights. Whatever, the skill ceiling is so high I can't wait to see what people do with it.”
    • “Gameplay 9.5/10 (enjoyable, original, and replayable)”
    • “Replayability: decent”
    • “Now, with being only a 20 hour game for doing most of the game's content, the big question is replayability.”
    • “- Limited replay value: once players have experienced Laika's story to its conclusion, there is little incentive to revisit the game.”
    • “While multiple endings and branching paths could have added replayability, the linear nature of the narrative limits its long-term appeal for some players.”
  • optimization10 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is inconsistent, with users reporting issues such as lag during particle effects and animated cutscenes, particularly on the Steam Deck where frame rates can drop significantly. While some players experienced stable performance at higher frame rates, others noted that the game struggles with optimization in specific areas, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.

    • “The performance was also stable at 144fps constantly.”
    • “I played through the latter half of the game on Steam Deck (with mouse and keyboard plugged in) and had no major performance issues after some minor tweaks.”
    • “Steam Deck performance, where I played a majority of the game, is mostly fine save for a 'water area'.”
    • “The optimization is a bit lacking, as well as settings for it. I would lag with too many (and sometimes just one) particles, and animated cutscenes will lag behind as well, which was frustrating (they are few and are awesome).”
    • “I cannot currently play the game on my Steam Deck, as the frame rate can drop drastically at times and make the game a stuttering mess.”
    • “As the game is listed as 'Deck Verified', I think this is especially egregious when it plainly doesn't play very well.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is viewed positively, with players appreciating its innovative approach and unique gameplay, especially in contrast to the prevalent cash grab tactics seen in many AAA titles. The game's quality and design are highlighted as a refreshing departure from typical monetization strategies, suggesting a focus on player experience over profit.

    • “Dystopian advertisements litter the streets where people are impoverished and broken.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

81% average critic score

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Play time

18hMedian play time
14hAverage play time
5-20hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 12 analyzed playthroughs

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