Developer: Kruger & Flint Productions
Publisher: Kruger & Flint Productions
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5
Bloodhound – Review
The Boomer Shooter genre is still quite popular, and we see more and more indie developers try their hand at emulating the old-school titles of the 90s and early 2000s. Not all of them succeed at bringing something unique and engaging to the table, and as a result, many of these high-octane shooters are stuck in a limbo of sorts, never truly gaining the popularity the developers were hoping for. Today we talk about one of such titles, Bloodhound, a 2023 PC game that has now been ported to consoles.
Story
Except for a small comic book-like segment at the beginning and a text blurb at the end of the game, Bloodhound does not have any story value whatsoever. You’ll run around different areas shooting hellish creatures in the face until you reach the gate at the end of the level, and then it’s a matter of rinse and repeat. We didn’t care that much that this title came without a story, as it’s mainly all about the atmosphere and the actual gameplay.
Graphics
Graphically, Bloodhound doesn’t actually look too bad. Sure, it’s rough around the edges at times, and the enemy variety is very limited, but the set design is quite good and there’s a lot of visual variety when it comes to the backdrops. The weapons themselves also look good, but the game doesn’t provide that much visual feedback when firing them and when enemies are hit. When killing enemies, however, they blow up in a satisfying manner. With a bit of polish, Bloodhound could actually compete with triple-A alternatives.
Sound
We were quite entertained by the hard rock soundtrack when we were thrown into the game, but sadly this feeling faded rather fast. The soundtrack kept looping ad nauseam, and it’s clear that Bloodhound only had two or three tracks in its complete soundtrack. This was disappointing, to say the least. The sound effects are serviceable, but also nothing to write home about. There is no real voice acting in the game either, except for a spoken line or two at the end, but the quality was subpar here.
Gameplay
Many Boomer Shooters of the 90s inspire Bloodhound, and it even says so in its game’s description. The game promises what it says on the tin, and you’ll go through fairly short levels shooting hordes of hellish enemies to bits. The action is fast-paced, the weapon arsenal is varied, and shooting your enemies to smithereens is quite satisfying. Even so, everything on offer feels a bit basic and rough around the edges.
In Bloodhound, you can choose different difficulty options, and you’ll probably be able to run through the game in roughly two to three hours. The game forces you to slow down from time to time by closing off rooms in which you have to kill all enemies first. This is not necessarily a bad design choice, but it does show that the overall content is quite limited. There is a reasonable arsenal of weapons you can pick up along the way, ranging from shotguns and rifles to energy weapons and crossbows that pin your enemies to the wall. Sadly, the controls feel awfully floaty with a controller, and the auto-aim option also feels a bit dodgy at times. The hitboxes of enemies aren’t always that precise either, sometimes ruining the overall immersion. That being said, we didn’t encounter any noticeable bugs during our time with the game.
Truth be told, there isn’t that much more to say when it comes to the overall gameplay. The game provides old-fashioned fun for an evening or two, but the mechanics and gunplay are very generic. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it gives Bloodhound that budget-bin vibe from start to finish. Don’t get us wrong, there are many worse games out there, but we do feel that Bloodhound is a bit too expensive for what it currently offers.
Conclusion
Even though Bloodhound provided us with some good old-fashioned Boomer Shooter action, it also felt a bit too generic and too pricey for what it had to offer. Even so, the overall gameplay loop is still enjoyable if you’re aching for a new arcade-like shooter, and the different difficulty options create some replay value. There are certainly a lot of worse titles out there in the genre, but we still recommend waiting for a sale if you’re planning to pick this one up.
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