This zombie enemy is simple.
Bloody Night is a small arena survival shooter. Each time you load the game, a story is told, but in fact you have to turn off your brain to enjoy it. You find yourself in a circular arena clearly inspired by gothic horror, there are masses of monsters out to kill you, and your goal is to survive as long as possible. It’s that simple.
You have one weapon at your disposal, the crossbow holder. If you think you can only shoot bolts until you’re dead, you’re wrong. In a way, this 12th century crossbow may be the most powerful and versatile firearm in the history of the game. Press the ZR button once and you fire a long-range shot, like a shotgun. Hold down the same button and your crossbow will begin firing like a machine gun. Hold down the ZL button while shooting, and your crossbow turns into a bazooka that fires a slow but damn powerful explosive arrow. From time to time, you also get a special “free shot” that acts as a screen-filling final attack, killing every enemy in a straight line right in front of you. All logic has been thrown out the window, and I don’t care.
“I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand…”
There’s no finesse here: You have these stupidly powerful weapons and tons of enemies trying to kill you, so kill them before they do the same to you. The level design is as simple as possible, which means there’s really no way to kill yourself by an unfair surprise attack from behind. All the bugs are yours, and I really appreciate that. With the exception of a very shaky jumping mechanism, CROSSBOW: Bloodnight is a very competent trial of strength. You slowly learn how each enemy behaves and how best to finish them off.
The game doesn’t impress with its visual and sound design, but it doesn’t disappoint either. Visually, there is not much, as there is only one arena, a “Bloodborne”-like background and a handful of enemies. Of course, the list of enemies is varied and the execution is sublime. The game always runs at 60 frames per second, regardless of the number of enemies on screen. The soundtrack is dark and unappealing, but it serves its purpose. I really think a gothic and metallic soundtrack would have worked better in this case.
Maybe it’s… Satan?
I recently played a similar survival arena shooting game called Writhe, and some may wonder why I think such a game failed and CROSSBOW: Bloodnight did, even though it offers even less content. The answer is simple: one was fun, the other was not. The writing level of the design and the limited arsenal hampered player success. CROSSBOW: Bloodnight offers no level geometry, but confronts a group of different monsters (not just a handful of different worms) with a powerful universal byte cannon and allows you to hone your skills in a game that in no way tries to suck you in.
He can… Lovecraft?
In a few minutes you will see everything that CROSSBOW: Night of Blood has to offer. It is very limited in terms of content and what you can do in it. Still, it works in a way. It’s a fun fighting arena in which you hone your skills against a horde of horror-style enemies, in a fun and fast-paced gameplay. Since it’s only on sale for a few dollars, it’s really worth it.
There aren’t many assets in the game, which consists of one battle arena, but there is a lot of variety in the list of enemies. The game also runs at 60 frames per second. | As long as you turn off your brain when operating the crossbow, you are greeted with a fast, responsive, earthquake-like control pattern. I don’t like the limited jump mechanics, though. |
Not very memorable, but it fits the overall tone of the game. Enemies also grunt from time to time. | It’s a wacky fighting arena with limited content, but the combination of themes, the fast pace of the battles, and the sheer power of your arsenal make it a surprisingly competent title that costs a lot of money. |
Final Verdict: 7.0 |
CROSSBOW: Bloodnight is available now for PC and Switch.
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A copy of “CROSSBOW: Bloodnight” was provided by the publisher.
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