Penny Blood: Hellbound
- March 7, 2024
- STUDIO WILDROSE
Get on SteamIn "Penny Blood: Hellbound," play as six powerful anarchists trying to escape a surreal prison controlled by the Celestial Rainbow. Gain malice and form alliances to learn new skills in this action-packed roguelike. This title, featuring art by Miyako Kato and music by Yoshitaka Hirota and Noriyuki Iwadare, is a prequel to the upcoming game "Penny Blood."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features unique mechanics and an engaging gameplay loop, reminiscent of Hades, making it enjoyable for fans of rogue-likes.
- The art style, character designs, and immersive presentation are praised, contributing to a fun and entertaining atmosphere.
- The writing and worldbuilding are compelling, with humorous and dark elements that keep players invested in the story and characters.
- The gameplay suffers from weak mechanics, such as no hitstun, leading to frustrating combat experiences where players can be attacked mid-combo.
- There are significant bugs, including crashes during loading screens that can result in lost progress, making the game unplayable at times.
- The game is perceived as having a steep difficulty curve, especially at the beginning, which can be discouraging for new players.
- story26 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The story of "Penny Blood: Hellbound" is set in a high fantasy horror version of the 1920s, featuring an amnesiac protagonist named Clara, which captivates players with its intriguing worldbuilding and plot. As a prequel, it effectively builds anticipation for the main title while providing engaging gameplay and character development, leaving players eager for the full release. The narrative is complemented by a superb translation and a compelling soundtrack, enhancing the overall experience.
“I cannot wait for Penny Blood to come out in full when it's ready, and I love the prequel that helps you be introduced to the universe and story of the game to come. This has so much more love and care than I expected, and it makes me more excited for what is to come.”
“I'm already pulled into the worldbuilding and plot and have only stopped to go to bed, and am instead writing this review at 3 AM.”
“The story is simple enough - a group gets trapped in a dungeon that infinitely loops when you die, and they have to fight their way out.”
“Any way looking forward to the complete game and more story bits; however, truth be told, I'm mainly looking forward to Penny Blood the game being released sometime in the future, as this is just a prequel to it, but it's still worth a buy for the gameplay loop and fun characters and story bits.”
“You've got a time setting of the 1920s in a high fantasy horror spin of a story where you play as an amnesiac woman given the name of Clara.”
- gameplay19 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its unique mechanics and addictive loop, particularly highlighting the innovative "bloodsurfing" feature. However, criticisms include a lack of hitstun that allows enemies to attack during player combos, leading to frustrating deaths. Overall, while the game offers a fun experience reminiscent of titles like Hades and Vampire Survivors, it still requires balancing improvements.
“It's a very fun game with unique mechanics and interesting characters.”
“The gameplay is simple but satisfying - mainly due to bloodsurfing being the best thing ever.”
“A pretty neat roguelite with a cool character design and an addictive gameplay loop.”
“Incredibly weak gameplay; no hitstun means enemies can attack you while you're attacking them mid-combo, and you die in two hits.”
“Gameplay-wise, it's like a very basic version of Hades. You fight a room of various enemies, select a tile on a grid to move to the next, pick up power-ups and skills, and unlock new stats and items with collected currencies after death.”
“So far, I don't regret my purchase as the gameplay is kind of scratching my simple game fix like Vampire Survivors, with the added bonus of a really interesting world and plot.”
- music8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its masterful selection, effectively enhancing the atmosphere without being overly dramatic. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a fantastic complement to the game's art and story, contributing significantly to the overall experience.
“The music is also quite a masterful selection even if it isn't all that over the top - you feel the atmosphere and enjoy it whether you're focused in on it or not.”
“Soundtrack, art, story are all fantastic.”
“The world, character designs, and music are fantastic.”
- humor2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game to be particularly enjoyable, highlighting the abundance of hilarious lore unlocks that add a comedic layer to the experience.
“The game is filled with hilarious lore unlocks that keep the experience entertaining.”
“There are so many funny lore unlocks that add a unique twist to the gameplay.”
“The humor in the lore unlocks is absolutely top-notch and adds to the overall enjoyment.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is enhanced by a masterfully selected soundtrack that, while not overly dramatic, effectively immerses players in the experience, allowing them to appreciate it whether they are actively listening or not.
“The music is a masterful selection; even if it isn't all that over the top, you feel the atmosphere and enjoy it whether you're focused on it or not.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their great art style and enjoyable character interactions, although some users note that a few characters may require balancing, particularly since the game is still in early access.
“The art style is great and the characters are all enjoyable in interactions.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that the grinding aspect of the game is reminiscent of Hades, offering a variety of options while maintaining a challenging difficulty level. This combination of depth and challenge contributes to a rewarding experience, though it may require significant time investment.
“Feels like Hades with more options and grinding; yes, the difficulty is there.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that while the world, character designs, and music are exceptional, there is little mention of character development, suggesting it may not be a strong focus in the game.
