Penny Blood: Hellbound
- December 17, 2024
- NatsumeAtari
- 20h median play time
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 engaging combat mechanics and a unique blood-surfing mechanic that adds a fun twist to gameplay.
- The art style, character designs, and music are top-notch, creating an immersive atmosphere that fans of the genre will appreciate.
- The story and character development are intriguing, with morally grey characters and a captivating narrative that draws players in.
- The game suffers from significant bugs, including crashes and issues with stage rewards not spawning, which can disrupt gameplay.
- Progression feels overly grindy, with many upgrades locked behind rare item drops, making it difficult to fully level characters.
- The difficulty curve is steep, especially at the beginning, which may frustrate new players and lead to a sense of imbalance in gameplay.
- story22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story of the game is set in a high fantasy horror version of the 1920s, featuring an amnesiac protagonist named Clara, and serves as a prequel to the upcoming title "Penny Blood." Players appreciate the intriguing worldbuilding, morally complex characters, and the engaging plot that leaves them eager for more, despite some challenges in gameplay. Overall, the narrative is well-received, with many expressing excitement for the full release of the main game.
“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.”
“The story leaves you curious about the happenings within Penny Blood as a whole, and as a prequel, it only gets me more excited for the big story to come!”
“The translation is superb, with an interesting storyline.”
“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.”
“The plot is set in stone, and you cannot miss anything.”
“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 some time 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.”
- gameplay21 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its fun mechanics, interesting character designs, and engaging music, with many noting its addictive loop and unique features like bloodsurfing. However, some players criticize the combat system for lacking hitstun and balance, leading to frustrating encounters. Overall, while the game offers a satisfying experience reminiscent of titles like Hades, it still has room for improvement in combat dynamics.
“The gameplay is fun, the music is great, the enemy designs are visually cool, and the writing is interesting.”
“Great music, fun mechanics and game loop, with a lot of variety in the playable characters.”
“Pennyblood is more than just your typical roguelite, offering a great cast of characters driven by unique lore, a captivating aesthetic, and gameplay inspired by board games.”
“Incredibly weak gameplay; no hitstun means enemies can attack you while you're attacking them mid-combo, and you die in two hits.”
“It feels floaty; enemies ignore all your attacks, making it feel like an arcade mobile game when it comes to the actual gameplay.”
“The leveling up mechanics and premise are all badass, but for me, it's the combat that just ruins it all.”
- music14 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the music in the game is highly praised for its fantastic quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers noting it as a standout feature that complements the gameplay and character designs. While some opinions vary, with one reviewer rating it a 5/10, the general consensus is that the soundtrack is memorable and effectively contributes to the game's immersive 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.”
“I love the music because it sets the game's atmosphere so well.”
“The characters are awesome and the music even more awesome.”
“The music will be stuck in your head for a very long time.”
“Music: 5/10”
“Then there's the music.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are highly praised for their top-notch artwork and captivating dark, eerie aesthetic, reminiscent of the 1920s. The character designs are enjoyable and contribute to the unique lore, although some balance adjustments are suggested due to the game's early access status. Overall, the visuals enhance the game's intriguing world-building and engaging gameplay.
“The artwork and style of the game is top notch.”
“The visuals have a nice dark, eerie vibe and the characters certainly feel like they crawled out of some back alley from the 20's.”
“Pennyblood is more than just your typical roguelite, offering a great cast of characters driven by unique lore, a captivating aesthetic, and gameplay inspired by board games.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive, with many upgrades locked behind rare item drops that require significant time investment to obtain. Despite the game's rich content and challenging gameplay, the grind can be frustrating and may deter players from fully experiencing everything it has to offer.
“An action roguelite that has a ton of content... that I will never see because even after sinking 44 hours into the game and fully completing it, a lot of the upgrades are stuck behind very grindy elements that rely on certain items dropping multiple times (which is already rare) for a single upgrade.”
“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
Character development in the game is praised for its engaging designs and a captivating plot that aligns well with the creators' previous works, reminiscent of the "Hades" style. The combination of a rich world, appealing character aesthetics, and a fitting musical score enhances the overall experience.
“The world, character designs, and music are fantastic.”
“Surprisingly fun 'Hades-like' set in the Shadow Hearts universe, with the fun character designs, music, and plot/tone you would expect from those creators.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a masterfully selected soundtrack that effectively immerses players, whether they are actively listening or not. Reviewers appreciate how the music complements the overall experience, contributing significantly to the game's ambiance.
“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.”
“I love the music because it sets the game's atmosphere so well.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the humor in the game, 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.”
“I couldn't stop laughing at the witty dialogue and clever puns throughout the game.”
“The humor is spot-on, making even the most mundane tasks enjoyable with its comedic twists.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users highlight that the game offers significant replayability, suggesting that players can enjoy multiple playthroughs without losing interest.
“There is a lot of replayability in this game.”
“The game offers numerous ways to experience the story, making it highly replayable.”
“With multiple endings and choices, the replayability factor is off the charts!”
