The Bloodline
- October 5, 2023
- Shieldbearer Studios
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam"The Bloodline" is an open-world fantasy action RPG, where you are a descendant of the Harbinger bloodline, chosen to protect the world of Eudros from the impending threat of the Unforgiven. Your choices and actions shape your journey, as you follow questlines, form alliances, or explore the world freely, with rewards for playing how you want. Almost every action you take earns you experience in various skills, from combat to social interactions.
Reviews
- The game has a lot of potential and offers a unique blend of mechanics from various RPGs, allowing for diverse character builds and playstyles.
- The movement mechanics, including wall running and grappling hooks, provide a fun and engaging way to explore the world.
- The combat system is satisfying and allows for creative combinations of spells and abilities, making encounters enjoyable.
- The game is still very much in early access, with many unfinished features, bugs, and a lack of content in certain areas.
- The UI and controls can be clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustration during gameplay.
- Performance issues and optimization problems can significantly impact the gaming experience, especially in larger areas.
- gameplay306 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics, including a unique combat system, town building, and exploration elements reminiscent of titles like Skyrim and Mount & Blade. While many players appreciate the variety and potential for creativity, they also note significant bugs, unfinished features, and a steep learning curve that can detract from the experience. Overall, the game shows promise with its fun mechanics and sandbox elements, but it requires further refinement and polish to fully realize its potential.
“The gameplay is exceedingly fun and engaging.”
“The core mechanics focused around ragdoll/momentum physics paired with a massive arsenal of spells and skills makes for a very fun experience.”
“Amazing combat, amazing grinding mechanics (active mini games for chopping wood and mining ore) sizeable skill trees.”
“I understand the idea of trying to streamline travel between certain locations and the role it plays in seeing the world events, but this mechanic is completely immersion-breaking and detrimental to the new player experience.”
“The game is absolutely nowhere near finished; it is an awful glitchy mess at times that constantly has you running into unfinished content, and at others, it presents us with an absolute feast of RPG gameplay features that would make Morrowind blush.”
“Most areas of the game are severely unfinished, gear progression is extremely limited from what I can tell, and the bugs can become very detrimental to gameplay.”
- story296 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is currently underdeveloped, primarily consisting of simple fetch quests and a basic narrative about a noble bloodline. While some players appreciate the potential for a more engaging storyline in future updates, many express frustration with the lack of depth and the prevalence of bugs that hinder quest completion. Overall, the game leans more towards a sandbox experience, allowing players to create their own narratives through exploration and side quests rather than a strong, linear storyline.
“The main story isn't pushy and it comes up naturally.”
“The campaign as it is consists of a fairly enthralling story regarding your family and the bloodline the game is titled for.”
“The developer's attention to detail is apparent in the carefully crafted storyline, which, despite its minimalistic approach, manages to evoke a strong emotional response and a sense of connection with the characters and their journey.”
“The story is more interested than I expected, and the world feels pretty large, especially considering the price of the game.”
“The game world story is for the most part nonexistent.”
“The story at this point consists mostly of scattered fetch quests, but it's not the story that's the appeal of this game.”
- stability203 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 99 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous players reporting a plethora of bugs, glitches, and performance issues that significantly hinder gameplay. Many users note that while the game shows potential, it is currently a "buggy mess," often leading to game-breaking situations and frustrating experiences. Despite these issues, some players find enjoyment in the game, suggesting that it may improve with future updates, but caution potential buyers to be aware of its unstable state.
“Runs great, fought through the tombs, got into a fight with 8 goblins, holding strong until the ogre came.”
“The game is a buggy mess; I have fallen through the ground multiple times. I had one of my playthroughs auto-save in a lava pit that returns when you reload the area, so it got hard locked and I couldn't even play my save.”
“When the game released, it was indeed a buggy mess, with a lot of optimization needed, running at 20 fps with my i7-2600, GTX 1660, and 16GB RAM (HDD).”
“It's a buggy mess. I want to love this game, but at this state, it is entirely too buggy and has too many optimization issues to be able to continuously play.”
- optimization150 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 32 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, especially in larger areas and during combat, leading to drastic frame rate drops. While some improvements have been noted since its early access launch, the overall consensus is that the game remains poorly optimized and buggy, making it difficult to enjoy despite its potential. Players recommend waiting for further updates before fully committing to the game due to these ongoing optimization challenges.
“Performance-wise, I would recommend just sticking to 'epic' (RTX 4080 at 2K with an average FPS of 80) for the highest quality of graphics as they removed weird lags from many areas in the game.”
“The game is very polished and satisfying in some areas, but lacks maturity in other areas of design, and still wrestles with stability and performance.”
“It's very early into early access right now but I've been able to play a ton and have a lot of fun. There's tons of loot, secrets, skills, hidden locations, and from what I understand, what's currently in the game is hardly a fraction of what's to come.”
“When the game released it was indeed a buggy mess, with a lot of optimization needed, running on 20 fps with my i7-2600, GTX 1660, and 16GB RAM (HDD).”
“Good potential and concept, but horrendous optimization, a ton of stutters while having a lot of bugs.”
“The game is a lot of fun but unfortunately poorly optimized.”
- graphics102 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting a simplistic, low-poly art style that is charming yet basic. While some appreciate the artistic direction and potential for improvement, others criticize performance issues, including frame rate drops and graphical glitches, particularly in larger instances. Overall, the visuals are seen as a work in progress, with a consensus that gameplay takes precedence over graphical fidelity.
“The graphics fit the game very well.”
“The art style is great, the ambient sounds are terrific.”
“Art style and graphics, while generic for indie games, the developer has really made it his own; some of the lighting in this game is superb during the night when the northern lights are out, you really feel immersed in the world.”
“The graphics are very 'meh' and there is definitely a fair amount of jankiness in the game, but this is an early access title, through and through.”
“I can't even make it out of the starting area without running into a major graphical issue, not being able to attack, the actual pause menu having my cursor disappear, or the amount of frame drops I get just from looking at a stone wall with a 3060 GPU bringing the game to a complete slideshow.”
“The performance can get weird so if you are a graphics or performance snob be warned - so basically, all things you can expect in early development.”
- grinding63 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While some enjoy the satisfying progression and engaging mini-games that accompany resource gathering and skill development, many others criticize the grind as tedious and repetitive, particularly in side quests and resource collection. The game shows potential for improvement, but currently, the grind can detract from the overall enjoyment for those who prefer a more streamlined experience.
“The hookshot makes exploration fun, not tedious or mundane.”
“Not too tedious to keep me from wanting to do them.”
“The grind is real tedious at the moment.”
“My biggest complaint is in the grinding nature of the game progression.”
“Farming resources is a true hell; you need tons to build up one building, and on the combat map, you need to click three times to get three pieces of material.”
- humor57 mentions
- 98 % positive mentions
- -4 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its quirky mechanics, particularly the ragdoll physics and the often absurd outcomes of combat interactions, which many players find hilarious. While the game is plagued by bugs, most of these are seen as funny rather than frustrating, contributing to a lighthearted experience. Overall, players appreciate the comedic elements, even as they acknowledge the game's early access state and the need for further polish.
“It's hilarious.”
“Honestly, every bug I've encountered has just made me laugh; the experience of parrying and disarming a goblin only for him to T-pose at you and accept his fate of imminent death is hilarious.”
“The combat is fun (and funny, at times), the abilities that are implemented are great, and it's clear there's a lot of love here that just hasn't blossomed into a fully-fledged game.”
“The jokes fall flat and feel forced.”
“I expected more clever humor, but it was mostly cringeworthy.”
“The attempts at comedy just made me roll my eyes.”
- music31 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its nostalgic and atmospheric qualities reminiscent of classic titles like Stronghold, while others find it generic or lacking in variety, particularly during exploration. Many players appreciate the ambient tracks and the effective use of sound design, although some note issues with volume balance and the absence of combat music. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a highlight for its immersive qualities, despite some criticisms regarding its repetitiveness and lack of dynamic elements.
“The music is great and the environment looks wonderful.”
“The art style is consistent, the UI is decent, and the soundtrack is surprisingly good compared to most other budget titles.”
“It's so immersive, the music is relaxing, and there's a lot to explore, build, and master in terms of skills.”
“Audio/music: sometimes it's unbalanced, and absurdly loud, like with explosions.”
“Music is pretty, but feels generic; it could be royalty-free stuff or something, but it's nice and fits the vibe of the game world.”
“Basically no music, which is an immense problem; sound design for attacks and such is good, but no combat or exploration music makes it feel dull.”
- atmosphere9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its beautiful and scenic locations, immersive map designs, and a chill vibe reminiscent of titles like Skyrim and RuneScape. Players appreciate the well-crafted sound design and ambient music that enhance the experience, creating a fun and lightweight environment for exploration and adventure. Overall, the game successfully blends various fantasy elements while maintaining an engaging and atmospheric world.
“Beautiful and scenic locations, atmospheric map designs.”
“'The Bloodline' excels in creating an atmospheric and immersive environment despite its modest visuals, thanks to its well-crafted sound design and subtle, yet effective, use of ambient music.”
“However, the game has a very fun, lightweight atmosphere that will see you exploring, adventuring, and battling through the world.”
“Mixture of Skyrim and RuneScape with many interesting mechanics of its own, very chill atmosphere.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting its ability to engage them deeply from the start and evoke significant feelings through its carefully crafted storyline and character journeys. The game's minimalistic yet profound approach, combined with attention to detail, creates a memorable experience that resonates long after completion, showcasing the power of heartfelt narratives in indie gaming.
“This is how this game made me feel the moment I started playing it.”
“The developer's attention to detail is apparent in the carefully crafted storyline, which, despite its minimalistic approach, manages to evoke a strong emotional response and a sense of connection with the characters and their journey.”
“The developer's commitment to delivering an engaging and polished experience shines through in every detail, creating a memorable and heartfelt journey that resonates with players long after the game is completed.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is noted for its high replayability due to its interesting skill system, varied combat, and engaging art style, with players expressing enthusiasm for multiple playthroughs and different character builds. However, some reviewers mention that the gameplay can become stale quickly, and the game's current unpolished state may hinder the full realization of its replay potential. Despite these concerns, many players are optimistic about the game's future and its capacity for replayability once improvements are made.
“The skill system is interesting, the combat is fun and varied, the art is stylized well, and once it actually finishes, I think the amount of things you can do in the game will provide a lot of actual replayability.”
“This is an incredibly ambitious game that is so much fun to play, and I can see so much replayability.”
“So much replayability! I've already got three different saves; one is the skeleton lord, and spawning a mob of skeletons to fight other skeletons and goblins is fantastic!”
“One issue I do see in the gameplay loop of this game is that gameplay and replay value gets old and stale very quickly.”
“Abilities, talents, and the combat feel is what makes this game playable and replayable regardless of its messy, buggy, unpolished state!”
“I'll change my review once this game gets to a more playable state.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is viewed positively, with users emphasizing that it feels like a genuine effort rather than a cash grab, reflecting a commitment to quality and passion in its development.
“I've bought too many games that were more of a cash grab and then abandoned, but this one seems like it's a work of passion rather than a cash grab.”
“And you can tell they've put a lot of work into making the game, so it's definitely not a cash grab.”
“Not a cash grab.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is seen as intriguing and engaging, offering a variety of activities such as fighting, crafting, and city-building. However, players express frustration over unfinished and bugged elements, suggesting that the developer may not prioritize resolving these issues, which detracts from the overall experience.
“Anyway, it's very interesting character development; it's an RPG that can kill many hours (if only I could play in stable 60 fps) - fighting, crafting, gathering, building your own city.”
“The direction this developer is taking leads me to believe that the unfinished and bugged parts of character development are going to stay that way because they 'work.' Adding new content to explore is fine and all, but don't leave what's already been created unfinished. It feels like a project started by someone with ADHD, who can't be bothered to finish parts of the game they are no longer interested in.”
“Character development feels shallow and rushed, as if the developers prioritized quantity over quality. The lack of depth in the characters makes it hard to connect with them, and their arcs feel incomplete.”
“I was really disappointed with the character development. It seems like the developers had great ideas but failed to execute them properly. The characters lack meaningful growth, and their interactions feel forced and unconvincing.”
