"Blightbound looked and sounded instantly like what I'd like from a co-op beat em' up rpg. Unfortunately, the game lacks polish and I find it more frustrating than fun."


I've returned back to this game after giving it a break and it just feels like it has all the same problems. While I love the way the game looks and sounds, the gameplay itself just doesn't live up to what I had hoped for. I'll break it down below in multiple categories where I think it fails but I'll just let you know ahead of time, it might just be me. Several of these things that I found problematic might not bother you and if not, you might just have a good time. This game does have potential and I wish I could enjoy it more.


It is a brawler like hack n' slash game with abilities and light rpg mechanics thrown in. The problem I have with this game is it fundamentally feels different from most hack n' slash games of old where you are made to feel powerful. There are mini bosses that can easily down you. Attacks happen sporadically sometimes from enemies making it hard to know when it is safe to attack. The colors and sounds of some ground effects that you can stand in don't really stand out enough until you notice how fast you are dying. The game isn't really hard because you are failing to do the right things but it feels hard because you feel like you don't know when the game is giving you signs that it is safe to attack. That just never feels good. In addition to this, I feel like a lot of special moves and attacks lack the feeling of power that the enemies are displaying.


Based on the location you pick and your party size or bots it displays the challenge level of difficulty before you go in. Make no mistake however, normal difficulty can still feel hard based on things I listed above. I brought in friends who are always going to be more responsive than the bots (who actually of this writing aren't that bad) and it still made us all feel like we were desperately trying to stay alive more than that the game was actually challenging. We play plenty of other co-op beat em' ups and rpgs and those games typically don't feel this way.


Both unlocking characters and items to me is really interesting and something that drew me to the game. I do think this is very interesting and I like having reasons to take certain characters on mission just to advance story lines. If you like adventuring in these types of games and having more of a reason other than just difficulty, this game might appeal even more to you.


It worked good right out the gates with the controller. However, the UI is setup kinda weird for a controller and even exiting the game or knowing where to go to do that is a bit odd. But if you need or want to play your game with a controller it was all functional.


I think most people are going to have a hard time with this one, especially solo. I'd expect most people to do a few hours at most and bounce off of this title. I'd recommend a deep sale or testing it within the 2 hour grace refund Steam period to see if this game is for you.


The trailer did all the right things for me. The developers, Ronimo Games make games I like. I just think this game looks and sounds much better than it plays. If you play it and really enjoy it in the first two hours, likely you'll continue to like it. It has all the ingredients that I like in these types of games, but unfortunately the total of them all coming together, at least for me just doesn't do it. I know the developers probably won't do anymore updates but you also might want to check for new updates and see if they addressed any of the issues I listed in this review. Good luck to Ronimo Games on their future titles as I really like some of the other products they've made.

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