Orangeblood

70%
Game Brain Score Based on 64 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • graphics
Orangeblood Game Cover
When all the profanities have been said and all the odd jobs have been done, Orangeblood is a one-of-a-kind experience that’s equal parts endearing and incoherent. There’s just enough to see, hear, and do to warrant a two-day getaway to New Koza.
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"Orangeblood" is a single-player Science Fiction Role Playing game with exceptional graphics and a fantastic 1990s hiphop-inspired soundtrack. Players control one of four "kawaii" soldiers and explore a manmade island off the coast of Okinawa, completing missions and battling enemies to uncover the mysteries of the island. Combat and exploration are central to the game, with a focus on character progression and customization through grinding.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

70%
Audience ScoreBased on 64 reviews
story11 positive mentions
grinding15 negative mentions
  • Stunning pixel art and vibrant visuals that create an engaging atmosphere.
  • Great soundtrack that complements the game's quirky tone and enhances immersion.
  • Unique gameplay mechanics with randomized weapons and gear that allow for varied strategies.
  • The story and dialogue are often shallow, cringeworthy, and lack depth, making it hard to engage with the characters.
  • Combat can feel unbalanced and repetitive, with a lack of meaningful character progression and skills.
  • Technical issues such as bugs, poor translations, and navigation problems detract from the overall experience.
  • story53 mentions

    The story in this game is largely criticized for being unengaging, lacking depth, and featuring one-dimensional characters, with many reviewers noting that it feels more like a series of disjointed events rather than a cohesive narrative. While some players found moments of humor and appreciated the quirky side quests, the overall consensus is that the story is underwhelming and often overshadowed by gameplay mechanics. Additionally, issues such as poor dialogue and translation further detract from the storytelling experience, leading many to view the narrative as a secondary aspect of the game.

    • “The atmospheric storytelling is excellent.”
    • “Light on story, but fun and with plenty of character.”
    • “The campaign is a lot shorter than I expected, so the dope cast of characters don't get too much time to shine in the main story, but their designs and animations make up for this quite well.”
    • “The story lacks the depth needed to fully engage players, feeling more like a loosely connected series of events rather than a cohesive and compelling narrative.”
    • “The underwhelming story, awkward dialogue, and the repetitive nature of the combat mechanics may deter some players from fully embracing what could have been a standout title in the indie gaming scene.”
    • “The story and dialogue mostly only shows up in between dungeons, and it's all pretty terrible.”
  • music48 mentions

    The music in "orangeblood" is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its catchy and groovy 90's vibe. However, some players noted issues with repetitiveness and instances where the music abruptly stops, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the soundtrack remains a standout feature, often considered one of the game's main attractions alongside its striking visuals.

    • “The combination of the striking art style and the soundtrack creates a memorable sensory experience that captivates players from the get-go.”
    • “Music is incredible, setting the tone perfectly and being a really good soundtrack in itself on the side.”
    • “Stealing the show (really of the whole game) is the soundtrack.”
    • “The art is beautiful, but I swear there was only one soundtrack.”
    • “I paid 9 euros for this game and another 8 just for the soundtrack; that should say everything that needs to be said.”
    • “While some are praising the game for the music, there are chunks where there's just no background music at all (fishbed market), which feels more like an oversight than an intentional decision.”
  • graphics40 mentions

    The graphics of Orangeblood are widely praised for their stunning pixel art style and vibrant retro-futuristic palette, creating a visually captivating experience that resonates with fans of nostalgic aesthetics. However, some players note issues with graphical settings, such as a default blur filter that detracts from the overall visual clarity. While the art and soundtrack are standout features, opinions vary on the game's overall execution and depth beyond its appealing visuals.

    • “Orangeblood kicks off on a strong note with its breathtaking art style that effortlessly melds pixel aesthetics with a vibrant, retro-futuristic palette.”
    • “The game's visuals are nothing short of stunning, providing a feast for the eyes with every frame.”
    • “When it comes to pixel art style, it's top tier and honestly the reason I got it was because of the pixel art and music alone.”
    • “The graphics are poorly programmed with focus blur defaulted to 'on' in a game that doesn't scale pixel for pixel and is therefore inherently blurry.”
    • “As for the graphics, the game looks fine after you turn off the horrible blur filter.”
    • “While it does have its issues, mainly graphical, like text not fitting boxes or being untranslated, as well as music not playing where you would expect it to, the game itself is cool as fuck.”
  • gameplay31 mentions

    Gameplay in "Orangeblood" presents a mixed experience, featuring an intriguing but ultimately repetitive turn-based combat system that struggles with balance and scaling. While the introduction of randomly generated guns adds unpredictability, many players find the mechanics unbalanced and the combat dull after initial engagement. Despite its strong audiovisual presentation, the gameplay often feels shallow and unrefined, leading to a lack of excitement and depth in the overall experience.

    • “One of the game's standout features is the introduction of randomly generated guns, injecting an element of unpredictability into the gameplay.”
    • “The post-game is short and sweet, with an initial gameplay shift into demanding the player to answer the open question of its unprecedentedly powerful enemies and superbosses, presenting a slew of options to build the perfect kill turn with.”
    • “Despite getting sucked in by the stellar presentation, the gameplay chewed me up and spat me out.”
    • “Additionally, the gun-based turn-based combat, while initially intriguing, overstays its welcome after the first hour of gameplay.”
    • “The mechanics become repetitive, and the novelty wears thin.”
    • “The underwhelming story, awkward dialogue, and the repetitive nature of the combat mechanics may deter some players from fully embracing what could have been a standout title in the indie gaming scene.”
  • grinding15 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while some players find it manageable and enjoyable, others feel it can become tedious and repetitive, especially with limited mob variety and a lack of meaningful equipment upgrades. Many reviewers noted that grinding is necessary to progress, particularly for tougher bosses, but the overall experience can feel monotonous, especially in the context of turn-based combat. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciate the grind as part of the game's challenge and progression.

    • “Most of the equipment borders on uselessness, which incentivizes grinding whenever you come across a roadblock in progress.”
    • “The game is quite easy (if you’re willing to spend the amount of time grinding it wants you to) and there is a general lack of customization past the surface level gun stats with no personality or compelling aesthetic to them.”
    • “Main game is about 6-7 hours depending on how much grinding you do, but there is also some post-game content that I didn't get around to finishing (would require hours of grinding).”
  • humor13 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of cringe-worthy and irreverent, often appealing to fans of foul-mouthed dialogue and hip-hop culture. While some players found the characters and certain dialogues to be genuinely funny and entertaining, others criticized the humor for being inconsistent, with instances of cringey or irrelevant NPC dialogue. Overall, the game's comedic elements seem to resonate well with some players, while leaving others disappointed.

    • “The dialogue was humorous and irreverent.”
    • “The characters are very funny and the most entertaining part of the game.”
    • “This game is funny and cute and pretty =]”
    • “The story fails to be funny or interesting, with cringey dialogue and text that often goes off-screen. I also noticed a few missed translations and some bugs.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its eye-catching visuals and a complementary soundtrack, creating an immersive experience. Players appreciate the artistic world design and atmospheric storytelling, with many expressing a desire for more content to further explore the engaging environment. Overall, the combination of great music, humor, and fun combat enhances the atmospheric appeal.

    • “Accompanying the eye-catching visuals is a decent soundtrack that complements the game's atmosphere.”
    • “If you are the type of player like me that appreciates art, the world, and the atmosphere, this game is fantastic.”
    • “The atmospheric storytelling is excellent.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    While some players find character development lacking, leading to a less immersive emotional experience, others appreciate the strong emotional connection fostered by the soundtrack and sound effects in games like "orangeblood," which effectively enhance the gritty atmosphere and emotional cues.

    • “Few games have made me feel like I'm actually getting to know it along the way, but Orangeblood does.”
    • “Mixed well, with great variety matching important emotional cues, the soundtrack and sound effects helped set the gritty, hip-hop tone from the start and carried it throughout.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game has been noted for experiencing various bugs and glitches, particularly in certain areas and with the soundtrack, which detracts from the overall stability. Despite these issues, some players remain hopeful and focus on the game's intriguing setting.

    • “I was looking forward to this game on release, bought it on day one when it was released, so I was lenient on possible bugs, glitches, unfinished, or poorly implemented aspects of the game, and instead focused on the interesting setting.”
    • “There are buggy moments with some areas and the soundtrack.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Character development is largely minimal, resulting in a lack of emotional depth and immersion that leaves players wanting a more engaging narrative experience.

    • “Character development is minimal, leaving players yearning for a more immersive and emotionally resonant experience.”
    • “The characters feel one-dimensional, lacking depth and growth throughout the game.”
    • “There is little to no progression in character arcs, making it hard to connect with them on any meaningful level.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    Users express a lack of interest in the optimization options available, finding them unengaging despite the potential of the skills and guns.

    • “The skills and guns seemed interesting, but I soon realized I just wasn't interested in any kind of optimization that could be offered.”
    • “The game lacks any meaningful optimization options, making it feel unpolished and frustrating.”
    • “I found the optimization system to be convoluted and not user-friendly, which detracted from my overall experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

59% average critic score

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Play time

4hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
2-8hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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