Long before roguelikes, my first true love in gaming was soulslikes. That isn’t too surprising, really, given that both genres share the same core DNA: a punishing, repetitive gameplay loop that rewards mastery of the mechanics and persistence. Still, it’s surprising we don’t see too many games bridging the gap between them.
BloodRush: Undying Wish is one of these rare hybrids, as it pulls elements from both genres. The game functions like a traditional roguelite, but pays clear homage to FromSoftware’s gothic masterpiece Bloodborne, with its dreary atmosphere and fast-paced risk-for-reward combat.
The game launched into Early Access recently, and I was itching to return to its blood-soaked world once more after checking out its demo during Steam Next Fest. After another hour spent and many more deaths logged, I’m back to share with you some deeper early impressions to help you decide whether this is a nightmare worth experiencing.
What is BloodRush: Undying Wish?
As mentioned up top, BloodRush: Undying Wish is a fast-paced, hack n’ slash roguelike that is set within a dreary, pixelated world. You play as Stranger, a nameless wanderer who is trapped in a mysterious realm where death has vanished and nobody can truly die. A bit of a bleak set-up, but one that feels perfectly on brand for the game’s grim setting.
In my limited time with BloodRush, I was tasked with gathering keys from several combat arenas to unlock a showdown with the first boss. Each of these close-quarters arenas is crawling with ghoulish foes, and you need to survive multiple waves to make it out alive with a key. After emerging victorious, you have the choice between two temporary buffs to continually shape your build as you progress.
The action is fast-paced with you initially being armed with a blade, a pistol, and a slingshot to dispatch your foes. Your slingshot can be used to quickly zip around the combat arenas, a handy tool to use when you’re dodging skeleton archers and flying ghosts. I also like how the game encourages you to mix up both your ranged and melee attacks. To reload your side arm, you need to strike with your blade several times.
Raining Blood
I’ve mentioned Bloodborne an awful lot already in this preview, but it would be wrong to write BloodRush off as a simple copycat. The game has a unique bleeding mechanic where you’re forever haemorrhaging blood after taking damage. You can recover health by slashing enemies which encourages speedy action, but can also cause recklessness.
Once your health has drained to zero, you have a small window where you can revive yourself if you rack up enough damage. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, though, as one hit during this highly tense window will send you to the grave. There is the option to slow down your bleeding, but I would highly encourage you to at least experiment with the intended experience, as it adds a rapid sense of momentum to combat.
If you end up succumbing to your wounds, death is the perfect moment to reshape your build for the challenges ahead. In the hub world, you can unlock passive stat buffs, expand upon the pool of talent upgrades found on runs, and enhance your arsenal with powerful Weapon Arts. Each death felt like I was back from grave stronger, and it was fun to experiment with different weapon arts to change the flow of combat.
Buy or Sell?
It’s still early days for BloodRush: Undying Wish, and the devs have already outlined a full roadmap of updates and features planned ahead of its eventual release on PC and consoles.
Still, I had a great time with the game in its current state. The action is blisteringly fast, its unique bleeding mechanic fuels a constant sense of tension, and there are plenty of meaningful upgrades to tinker with. Let’s hope the project continues to develop with many meaningful updates in future, as I look forward to picking it up once again on Switch 2.
BloodRush: Undying Wish is out now on PC (Win) and I played the game via access kindly provided by developer Lightmancer Studios.
