By At a time when there are far too many games trying to one-up one another with the same type of games, it’s refreshing to see an indie studio bringing fun game modes back to life.
Blood Reaver is one of those rare games that offers a trip to the past when games used to be purely about fun.
Just like Call of Duty Zombies mode, which was probably the only fun game mode to be introduced in the franchise, Blood Reaver delivers a classic wave-based shooter experience with some fun mechanics.
I had an opportunity to check out this game a few days before its early access release. And it was a ton of fun, but there were a few issues with it as well.
What Is Blood Reaver?
Blood Reaver is advertised as a round-based FPS with dark fantasy theme. It features classic guns mixed with magic powers that you can use to defend yourself against incoming waves of zombies and creatures.
The game takes direct inspiration from the classic Call of Duty Zombies mode and it shows. Blood Reaver has all the core elements of that game mode with its own fantasy spin. And it’s not a bad thing at all.
Call of Duty Zombies is still one of the best game modes ever to be introduced and regarded as the peak of wave shooters. Unfortunately, that game mode was trivialized by the modern COD titles and today, it’s not an enjoyable experience anymore.
Blood Reaver builds and improves upon that foundation to offer a fun experience that can be played over and over.
Gameplay Loop
So the core gameplay loop of Blood Reaver is very simple and straightforward.
You first decide on your build and what to bring into battle. These include cool magic grenades and magic powers, like slowing down enemies.
Then you can start a game solo or co-op up to 4 friends to jump into a map. At early access launch, there will be only one map.
Once you’re in the map, you can kill zombies to score points and then use those points to buy guns and weapons scattered around the map.
As you score more points, you can unlock parts of the map or fortify sections. Your goal is to survive as many rounds as possible. And that’s pretty much it.
In a round-based wave shooter, getting gunplay right is extremely important. Thankfully, Blood Reaver has done a great job of it. Gunplay feels impactful and enjoyable.
There is also a good variety of guns and weapons to choose from. Enemies get tougher and more varied as you progress through each round and it will test your shooting skills as well as your patience.
Content & Replayability
One of the main concerns I have with this game is the lack of content. Having only one map to play with is a huge limitation. It limited my gameplay sessions to less than an hour as I got bored after replaying a couple of times.
It also affects replayability as I’m limited to picking from just a handful of customization options for working on a build. The lack of a skill tree also prevents you from getting a sense of progression as well.
Performance Issues
I went into the game knowing that it’s an early access game and I expected a few glitches and issues. I’m not sure if it’s the beta branch of the game I was playing or something else, but the performance of the game needs a lot of work.
Even playing the game on mid graphics settings with frame rate capped at 60 FPS, I was getting below 40FPS in some areas of the map. In comparison, I get 60 FPS on my mid-range PC even with Star Citizen, and that’s one mess of a game.
I know I shouldn’t expect triple-A quality optimization from an indie game but I wish the developers spent a little more time working on the game before the early access release.
Is Blood Reaver Worth Playing?
Of course, early access release will only be the beginning for the developers and hopefully, they will continue to gather feedback to improve and optimize the game.
Having said all that, Blood Reaver is a fun wave shooter, and it has the potential to be something fun, especially for groups of friends who get together in the evenings for a quick gaming session.
For solo players, the game can be fun for a while. But the lack of maps and content affects replayability. So I’d hold off until the developers add more content to the game, which I’m sure will be very soon.
I’m definitely keeping a close eye on this game’s development and seeing where it goes.
