Blood Dungeon Preview: Nidhogg Developer's Frenetic Take on Roguelites

As a rabid user of roguelites and roguelikes and having conscionable precocious bushed Vampire Crawlers, I’m ever connected the look retired for my adjacent “number spell up” fix. Blood Dungeon, from Messhof, seems similar it’ll scratch that itch portion providing a caller situation I haven’t rather experienced often successful the genre: platforming.

Co-founder of Messhof Mark Essen describes Blood Dungeon arsenic a 2D endurance platformer; deliberation Vampire Survivors meets Spelunky with its ain quirky, charming “MS paint” benignant of art-style you mightiness admit from Messhof’s earlier games, similar Nidhogg. They’re glowing comparisons that proved their merit erstwhile I had a accidental to play astatine Summer Games Fest’s Play Days. Though determination is simply a escaped demo disposable connected Steam close now, the physique I played had everything unlocked.

Even still, it was challenging capable I couldn’t implicit my archetypal 2 runs—just a fewer question bosses including a quintessential elephantine worm.

The thought down each tally of Blood Dungeon is reasonably simple. Essen said it’s “really astir moving and jumping,” which it is, arsenic your weapons occurrence automatically conscionable similar they bash successful Vampire Survivors. But alternatively of a top-down view, you’re successful a 2D maze, wherever you tin freely ascent walls and adjacent the ceiling.

Enemies attack from each sides, threatening to interaction your quality and deplete a heart—marking you person to decease and the extremity of the run. Killing enemies and collecting blood—as 1 does—levels you up, unlocking caller weapons, upgrades, and passive charms to assistance support the onslaught of weird small (and big) guys astatine bay.

The unlocking of abilities is satisfyingly presented similar the propulsion of a slot machine, granting options to take from each time, labeled by rarity. Your choices tin propel you to triumph oregon hide you successful trouble, which tin inactive beryllium precise silly and fun. Where a large synergy tin transportation you done a run, failing to discern what you request adjacent results successful an underperforming physique that won’t beryllium capable to support up with each question arsenic they swell successful difficulty.

Or, similar me, you tin take thing retired of immense curiosity and get yourself killed outright. I couldn’t accidental nary to the allure of an quality that would randomly teleport maine to antithetic spots of the map. Sounds ace interesting, right? Well, I was unaware of an underwater information of the level inactive buried beneath yet breakable blocks. Of people it was the archetypal country I teleported to and, hilariously, I promptly drowned.

But present I cognize not to instrumentality that quality successful that area. The geometry of each arena is static, allowing you to get to cognize it—and the locations of its static powerups similar dynamite—giving you an vantage arsenic your real-world acquisition grows.

There are besides randomly placed elements similar locked doors and keys, but Essen explained that the much “meta” strategy is to bounce betwixt the antithetic statically placed altars astir the level, truthful knowing wherever they are volition springiness you a large advantage. Chests randomly look successful these alters, and erstwhile you cod one, different volition look astatine a antithetic altar.

Each tally sends you “home” to a basal country with Bones to walk astatine the Bone Shop, wherever you tin bargain imperishable upgrades. There are 9 characters, each with antithetic abilities and merits, and six antithetic arenas to unlock.

There are besides quests that unlock some tangible upgrades and cosmetics similar quality skins. The loop is evident and familiar—go connected a amusive frenetic run, unlock caller things, repeat—a borderline addicting look that keeps maine saying “just 1 much run.”

I loved the quirky, silly designs of the playable characters erstwhile I saw them, and respect them adjacent much aft speaking with Essen astir them.

"The loop is evident and familiar—go connected a amusive frenetic run, unlock caller things, repeat”“

Over time, helium would sketch ideas, immoderate with motives successful caput and different times, not truthful much.

“Sometimes, the sanction is the joke, like, Skinja. It’s a bare ninja and he’s fast,” Essen described.

Leggy is simply a spider, truthful he’s got to person webs, and Essen knew helium needed a large character, 1 who has a large deed container and a large limb to marque up for it.

“Another 1 is like, I’m not rather definite what this quality is, but I drew them, and I similar them,” Essen said.

So of course, that quality made it into the game, too.

Besides the starting character, Gun Man, I played arsenic Hypnomancer, who uses a state attack. It utilized to person caput power waves (thus the name), Essen explained, which yet turned into this “mystical” gas. When their dependable feline made a fart joke, it stuck—and Essen insisted I play with the headphones connected truthful I could acquisition the dependable effect.

The wit successful Blood Dungeon decidedly comes disconnected arsenic inane slapstick, which isn’t everyone’s cupful of tea, but it warmly reminds maine of the benignant of anserine jokes and silly dependable effects a radical of adjacent friends would marque portion goofing disconnected with each other. (Like my radical of silly friends.)

Blood Dungeon was really made small by small by Essen arsenic a amusive side-project implicit the past fewer years, sending it to friends arsenic helium went to spot what they thought. Those friends injected immoderate bully ideas into the project—like the thought to see a scoring strategy to support you coming backmost aft you’ve “mastered” the game.

“More recently, I've been present with a bigger squad [at Messhof],” Essen explained. “We’re gonna beryllium moving connected large games [like Wheel World, astir recently], which are ambitious. We bash our champion and it's hard work.”

But sometimes, Essen wants thing to bash that’s low-pressure. That benignant of became his routine—work connected a large game, past astatine night, spot distant connected a task for fun. In this case, sketching things retired casually became Blood Dungeon, and eventually, a squad came unneurotic to bring it to the decorativeness line.

“Sometimes things turn into bigger projects, but this 1 stayed benignant of the aforesaid size and stayed fun,” Essen said.

Blood Dungeon is releasing precocious this summertime connected PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, and I deliberation I’ll person arsenic overmuch amusive playing it arsenic Essen had making it.

Casey DeFreitas is IGN's Deputy Editor of Guides. Catch her connected socials @ShinyCaseyD.