Chris InglisCursed Blood, developed by David Marquardt Studios, is a top-down, co-op melee roguelike game that feels like a heavy-metal cover of a samurai flick, and it’s currently making quite the splash in Steam Early Access. This is full of gore and dismemberment, so if you are a little squeamish, you may need to give it a miss.
The premise is as wild as it sounds: you play as an ape warrior fighting through a gothic, industrial nightmare to appease the Shrine of Vermillion. The gameplay follows that familiar roguelite structure—clear a room, grab a perk (and consequent curse), face a boss, die (up to 3 times per run), and do it all over again.
What sets this apart is the weight of the combat as every dash, parry, and strike feels deliberate. You must manage your momentum, as staying still is a death sentence, but rushing in blindly will get you shredded by the industrial traps and mutated horrors that inhabit the levels. Ranged mobs are the toughest initially, and while you can block and reflect some bullets, you are best to evade fire until they announce they are reloading, then go in for some high damage hits.
The upgrade system is where the cursed part of the title really earns its keep. As you progress, you’ll find altars that offer powerful buffs, but they often come with a trade-off. You might get a massive boost to your attack speed, but at the cost of your health pool. It forces you to make those tough, mid-run decisions that can either make you an unstoppable god or end your journey in the very next room.
While the game is a blast solo, it supports up to 4-player co-op (both local and online). Bringing a crew along transforms the game into a chaotic, screen-filling ballet of gore. It’s a lot of fun, though it does highlight one of the game’s current Early Access hurdles: visual clarity. When four apes are dashing around and blood is splattering everywhere, it can become incredibly difficult to track your character or see incoming projectiles.
The bloodpunk look is fantastic and the voice acting is ample enough to suit the dark, moody, atmosphere. On a controller, the movement is snappy and the melee feels great. I used keyboard/mouse and it was very responsive. The ranged combat (picking up enemy guns) feels a little less polished, but it works in a pinch.
Throwing knives with the f key was a good opener as it causes them to bleed. One of my runs had the bleed effect also deal fire damage which was helpful against the meatier mobs. The meta-progression of unlocking new gear at the hub feels a bit slow at present. You’ll need to put in some serious hours to see the high-end katanas and gear, but each run is meaningful, if anything to teach you how best to handle the new mobs as they appear.
So far in early access, Cursed Blood is off to a strong start. It’s got that ‘just one more run’ energy that defines the best in the genre, backed up by a unique art style and satisfyingly brutal combat. It’s a bit rough around the edges regarding the camera angle obscuring your view and there is a definite grind, but that’s what early access is for. If you’re a fan of games like Hades or Dead Cells but want something with a grittier, more industrial tone, this is definitely one to keep on your radar.
This early access review utilised a key provided by United Lab and Cursed Blood is available on Steam early access.
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