Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Aug 8, 2019

  First and foremost, Bloodstream is a pretty awesome concept. Using hand/arm motions to control magic is exactly what I've been waiting for. This Early Access version definitely shows a lot of promise for the future full release. With that being said, this is an Early Access build and there's quite a few bugs, flaws and things in general that I'm very opinionated about so here we go. 1. There seems to be a glitch where randomly an enemy will become invincible, thus preventing you from completing the wave and moving forward. The only solution I've found is to exit the game and restart, which involves you starting from wave 1. 2. Chi energy building is quite taxing and clunky. All the effort put into smooth movements (which build Chi up) are too easily wiped out by the jerky movements (which tear your Chi down). The "Jerky" movements detection needs to be worked so that either it detects jerky movement better or just has overall less penalty for the jerky movement. 3. This biggest issue I've noticed so far with this game is just plain old physical fatigue. This game basically requires to be constantly moving your arms the entire time. I play lots of vr games with lots of physical movement like Beat Saber for example, but this game seems to take the cake. I was exhausted by the time i stopped playing and my shoulders were killing me. The hand/arm movements for all the magic is difficult enough, but then to add the constant Chi building on top of that really takes a huge toll on you physically. 4. The "Throwing" mechanic for launching magical projectiles was the most difficult movement to master and I still haven't quite got it down, but not for lack of trying. There seems to be an inconsistency with the whole mechanic that should probably be looked at. 5. During the narration of the tutorial levels the sound only comes out of the right earphone and the voice is overly loud and distorted. As soon as the narration is finished, sound goes back to both ears and becomes clean. Those are the only 5 things that I feel like pointing out in this Early Access version, but on a final note, I'd like to say that I feel like this type of game would be a million times more fun if it were some type of adventure/rpg style game instead of a wave shooter. ***NOTE*** I think $10 is a bit steep for what you get in this Early Access build, but supporting the game is the only thing I can do to help its progress and evolution into what I hope will be a truly awesome full release game someday.
• gamedeal user

  Aug 9, 2019

  First off, Kudos to the dev for thinking ambidextrous out the gate, especially for such a physical game. For those that know me, I am a huge advocate for left-hand thinking in VR because it is often overlooked as it is in most FPS games. In a non-VR game this really does not matter and I could care less, but in VR imagine a game like this where you could only throw with your off-arm as a primary defense. Or draw a bow, holster a gun/sword, whatever it might be, it is frustrating at best. While not developing for left handed folk specifically I am sure, it's good to see an EA development go ambidextrous out the gate; More immersive, a better system, and friendly to all hands! As for the game, it's definitely a bit rough around the edges, and you can tell from watching any of the game play videos. BUT, it's relatively well optimized for an EA title, and it's clear that the primary focus is on the core mechanics and ux at this point, which is right where it should be IMO. The videos also do not do the game's feel justice one bit. Don't get me wrong, it's fun to see the VR overlay of VR games, but this is definitely something much better felt than seen. The core concepts are quite strong, this is honestly not like any single game that I have played before, and that's refreshing enough as it is. Glitchy "smoothness" detection in gathering Chi, challenges that skip ahead, roll back, plethora of AI bombs, you name it and it's there, but nothing unexpected for an EA title. It's a bit pricey for what you get content wise, however if looked at as an investment the potential is well in my personal comfort realm for taking a chance. I would say that the next few weeks and overall developer engagement with the community will tell more than I could about risk/reward, however if jumping in blindly as I did, I can honestly say there is no buyers remorse. This concept seems too big for a wave shooter though, so I am curious to see where the devs go with that. Possibly trading in some of the constant Chi developing motion for locomotion, or even making the locomotion a part of it could open some distinct possibilities to raise a lot more hell with the fun toys you can produce once trained! :) I played this on Vive, Rift S, Index, and Samsung Odyssey WMR, and even though the last two are not listed in support they seem to work decently, though I have not extensively pushed the technically unsupported platforms yet. I will say that if anything the Inside Out tracking systems like the WMR and the Rift S are a bit more troublesome with the constant arm movement requirement + need to "hold" position before drawing sword from the back etc. namely because some of this must happen out of the sight of the inside-out tracking mechanisms. I know this can work though as some other titles do it well, and being in motion is far easier to track through the physical sensors than other types of off-camera environmental awareness. All that to say, if you manage your expectations going in, and like the very physical game style there is a good deal of satisfying destruction to be dealt here, while supporting a very interesting and VR appropriate concept at the same time.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 17, 2019

  The thing Bloodstream really has going for it is its innovative mechanics that revolve around smooth hand/arm movement. It feels awesome to block a volley of shots by swinging you arm in front of you and then gracefully redirecting that movement into releasing a power attack. And then chaining all those blocks and attacks with both arms makes you feel like some mystic kung fu master. And you get a definite workout without even feeling like you "exercising", which is another big plus. There's a bit of a learning curve at first, but the game does a good job of pacing the in-game tutorial videos with gameplay where you can try out what you just learned. This game has a lot of potential and I'm excited to see how it develops.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 19, 2020

  Do not buy. There hasn't been so much as a word from the devs (on Steam at least) since November, 2019. The game gets old quickly, with about enough content to last 20 minutes. After that it's just rinse and repeat until you're bored out of your mind. The game has a steep learning curve, but once you get past that it's very simple to just block the attacks while dishing out your own. Doesn't have much to do, with hardly any story line other than "these enemies are attacking you, kill them while more come." Feels more like a game you should find in an arcade than a VR game.