More often than not I’ve come to lower my expectations a bit when I see indie games with retro styling. Sure, there are some very high watermark games like The Messenger and some others out there, but whether they’re hiding a weak overall concept or feature some sort of frustrating design or mechanics, many times they’re middling at best. While I haven’t had the opportunity to play Bloodborne, being familiar with it I was intrigued by the implication that this was inspired by it. While I can’t comment on how well it managed that feat in terms of specifics though, I can say that this is a pleasant surprise, delivering gameplay that feels reasonably contemporary while sporting vintage looks and sounds, making for an enjoyable combination.

While the game looks and somewhat plays similarly to a classic top-down Zelda title, it sports a look that feels like it would have been home on something like the Gameboy Color, albeit with a darker tone. While I had some concerns that perhaps it would be dialed up in its difficulty, for the most part it just feels like a reasonable challenge, though it is punctuated with some tougher spots like boss battles that will require a little more effort. The majority of the game though is built around exploration, keeping an eye on your map, dispatching enemies with an ever-growing array of weaponry both ranged and melee, avoiding perilous traps, and working through puzzles. 

Though initially I did find the puzzles to generally be a little more challenging, mostly requiring you to pay attention as you explore, I worked out that once I locked into how they generally worked they seemed to often be stuck in the same general mold, which was disappointing. Thankfully a pretty massive and detailed map will generally keep you poking around focused on uncovering every secret out there though, so as complaints go some repetition of ideas may not be a horrible crime. If you happen to find yourself a bit challenged by everything, there’s another novel feature available to exploit, and that’s the ability to play co-op with a friend, which generally eases up the difficulty throttle further, and makes for a surprising treat that usually doesn’t get included. While there may be more polished and ambitious offerings in the space out there, this really does stand out as having a bit of a unique feel among them, helping to at least make it of note in a crowded eShop.