Introduction

Another roguelike…sometimes I have to wonder if this genre will be the first to truly saturate the gaming world. I used to believe open-world games would be first, but nope…I feel like roguelikes are getting there quicker. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike the genre—I’ve said that before in other reviews—but it can be hard to get excited when I hear we have another roguelike entering the gaming world. Enter Cursed Blood by developer David Marquardt Studios. A co-op roguelike where you are a samurai spirit out for vengeance…okay, I’m a bit intrigued now. I’ve put several hours into Cursed Blood, and the question now is…have we seen a new roguelike that might break free from the clichés of all the others? I’ll find out in our review of Cursed Blood for the PC!

Gameplay

Cursed Blood has you playing as a guardian samurai ape—it does sound crazy, I agree—who must seek vengeance for their deity. Your goal is to kill enemy after enemy and take their blood. As powerful as you are, enemies aren’t going to let themselves be killed so easily.

Kill, kill, and kill. That’s the core of most roguelikes, and Cursed Blood leans fully into that theme. Your samurai ape is equipped with a katana and knives, but as you progress, you can obtain newer items like guns and other weapons. Your ape can attack, dodge, and charge their regular attacks or dash moves for additional effects. There are also finishers that can be performed when enemies are near death. Again, nothing too crazy—these are traditional roguelike mechanics.

Sticking with the roguelike formula, Cursed Blood allows you to gain random buffs via checkpoints (which also restore health), but here’s where the game does something a bit different. When you gain upgrades via shrines—separate from checkpoints—you receive buffs paired with a random curse. These curses can be annoying, such as throwable items backfiring or taking damage unexpectedly, or even losing health outright. There’s a gamble to using these shrines, and I really enjoyed that deviation from the standard formula.

When you aren’t cutting through waves of enemies, you’ll encounter bosses, and that’s where the real challenge kicks in. Bosses don’t follow standard patterns and will take you down quickly if you don’t learn their mechanics. I won’t spoil them, but they are varied and definitely test your skills.

You can also play Cursed Blood with up to three other players in a 4-player co-op experience. Unfortunately, I couldn’t test the online component, but I did try local play, which worked well. I can easily see co-op extending the game’s longevity—especially online with friends, where the chaos would really amplify the arcade-like energy the game has.

Graphics

Roguelikes usually have some pretty solid visuals, and Cursed Blood follows that trend. Where the game truly shines is in its backgrounds and environments. The various settings are gorgeous, filled with detail and smooth animations. I was genuinely surprised by how good they looked.

The character models and other elements are also solid, though not quite as impressive as the environments themselves. Still, Cursed Blood looks great overall for an indie roguelike.

Sound

Nothing particularly stood out to me sound-wise while playing Cursed Blood. The voice acting is decent, and the OST works well enough, but neither element is especially memorable. That said, the narrator does have a commanding, powerful tone that I appreciated. Overall, the sound design gets the job done.

Story

I don’t feel like Cursed Blood aims to be the next Hades in terms of storytelling, despite its serious premise. There is a narrative involving vengeance and angry gods, but it clearly takes a backseat to gameplay. This isn’t a title you’ll play for its story—it simply serves its purpose and moves things along.

Overall Impression

Roguelikes very rarely impress me due to how oversaturated the genre has become. I don’t hate them, but I tend to roll my eyes when a new one releases. Cursed Blood is very much a roguelike, but I won’t deny I had a lot of fun with it.

It almost feels like a fusion between a classic arcade game—like TMNT or Gauntlet—and a roguelike. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, and non-fans likely won’t change their minds because of it, that’s okay. Those who already enjoy roguelikes or are looking for a new one to dive into will find plenty to like here.

Conclusion

Cursed Blood gave me a pleasant surprise. I went in expecting just another roguelike, but the end result was quite enjoyable. Despite a few issues and its reliance on genre staples, I had a great time with it.

I would place Cursed Blood above many similar titles I’ve played, and that’s saying something. I highly recommend checking it out when it releases on April 2nd. There is also a planned early access period coming soon, so keep an eye out for that!