{"id":80944,"date":"2024-06-21T16:57:46","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T16:57:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/21\/a-playable-90s-cartoon-with-vampires\/"},"modified":"2024-06-21T16:57:46","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T16:57:46","slug":"a-playable-90s-cartoon-with-vampires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/21\/a-playable-90s-cartoon-with-vampires\/","title":{"rendered":"A Playable 90s Cartoon With Vampires"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Sometimes all it takes to grab my attention is one trailer. One good teaser. And that\u2019s exactly how I discovered <em>Blud<\/em>, a newly released 2D <em>Zelda<\/em>-like action game about vampires, evil tech bros, and high school. I saw its release trailer on Twitter, thought \u201cWow that looks cool!\u201d and started playing it. The game, with its bold colors, thick lines, and odd shapes, looks like a cartoon from the \u201890s or early 2000s. But while its impressive style caught my eye and got me playing <em>Blud<\/em>, I\u2019m happy to report the rest of this playable cartoon is also pretty dang awesome, too.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-1needdh-1 gRtQsx\">\n<div class=\"sc-1needdh-0 jQBnTp instream-native-video instream-permalink instream-native-video--mobile\">\n<div class=\"sc-1h0epat-0 crfeiW\">\n<div class=\"sc-1wkneyl-4 kDKXjm video-html5-playlist\" data-playlist=\"195755,196907,191425\" data-current=\"195755\">\n<div class=\"sc-1wkneyl-0 hAZDOz video-html5-loaded\">\n<div class=\"sc-1wkneyl-1 jShsAa video-html5-player\">\n<div class=\"sc-lhhce6-0 biVjcq video-html5 autoplay muted mobile\" data-video-id=\"195755\" data-monetizable=\"true\" data-position=\"sidebar\" data-video-title=\"The 3 Best And 3 Worst Korok Challenges In Tears Of The Kingdom \" data-video-blog-id=\"9\" data-video-network=\"kotaku\" data-video-duration=\"181\">\n<div class=\"sc-lhhce6-2 emBeiF video-top-bar\">\n<p>The 3 Best And 3 Worst Korok Challenges In Tears Of The Kingdom <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><video disablepictureinpicture=\"\" muted=\"\" playsinline=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\" preload=\"none\" style=\"max-height:none\"><source data-src=\"https:\/\/vid.kinja.com\/prod\/195755\/195755_240p.mp4\" label=\"240p\" type=\"video\/mp4\"\/><source data-src=\"https:\/\/vid.kinja.com\/prod\/195755\/195755_480p.mp4\" label=\"480p\" type=\"video\/mp4\"\/><source data-src=\"https:\/\/vid.kinja.com\/prod\/195755\/195755_720p.mp4\" label=\"720p\" type=\"video\/mp4\"\/><source data-src=\"https:\/\/vid.kinja.com\/prod\/195755\/195755_1080p.mp4\" label=\"1080p\" type=\"video\/mp4\"\/><track kind=\"captions\" label=\"English\" src=\"https:\/\/kinja.com\/api\/videoupload\/caption\/21265.vtt\" srclang=\"en\"\/><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\"><span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 dPMosf sc-145m8ut-0 erKGZM js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http:\/\/www.exit73studios.com\/portfolio_page\/blud\/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"http:\/\/www.exit73studios.com\/portfolio_page\/blud\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Blud <\/em>started life as a pitch for an animated series<\/a><\/span> from studio Exit 73 about a young girl who, after being trained by a mystical master, fights evil vampires and other nasty demonic critters while balancing high school, friends, social media, and the rest of her life in a small town. But, according to the studio, not many were interested in the <em>Blud <\/em>show and it was shelved. <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 dPMosf sc-145m8ut-0 erKGZM js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http:\/\/www.exit73studios.com\/2018\/03\/13\/blud\/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"http:\/\/www.exit73studios.com\/2018\/03\/13\/blud\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In 2018<\/a><\/span>, the small studio of animators decided to create a video game and <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 dPMosf sc-145m8ut-0 erKGZM js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;External link&quot;,&quot;http:\/\/www.exit73studios.com\/2019\/02\/06\/blud-update\/&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"http:\/\/www.exit73studios.com\/2019\/02\/06\/blud-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">retooled <em>Blud<\/em><\/a><\/span>\u2014with the same story, characters, and world\u2014as a <em>Zelda<\/em>-like hack\u2019n\u2019slash that would look like a late \u201890s cartoon. <\/p>\n<p><span class=\"flex-video widescreen\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%\"><iframe data-src=\"https:\/\/kotaku.com\/embed\/inset\/iframe?id=youtube-video-ANXWa1V937I&amp;start=0\" data-chomp-id=\"ANXWa1V937I\" data-recommend-id=\"youtube:\/\/ANXWa1V937I\" id=\"youtube-ANXWa1V937I\" data-recommended=\"false\" class=\"core-inset lazyload\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen=\"\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"webkitAllowFullScreen\" mozallowfullscreen=\"mozallowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><span data-chomp-id=\"ANXWa1V937I\" data-recommend-id=\"youtube:\/\/ANXWa1V937I\" id=\"youtube-ANXWa1V937I\" data-recommended=\"false\" class=\"js_recommend\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"sc-1ptbguh-0 dHvBHx caption\">Humble Games \/ Exit 73<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Now, all these years later, the game is finally here and the very first thing that will stand out about this vampire-killing adventure is that, yeah, a group of talented 2D animators worked on this thing!<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">I don\u2019t mean that as a negative, to be clear. I think one of <em>Blud\u2019s <\/em>strongest features is its distinct and eye-catching art style. Levels look like hand-painted backgrounds from shows like <em>Dexter\u2019s Lab <\/em>and <em>The Powerpuff Girls.<\/em> Characters and enemies are designed using weird shapes and exaggerated proportions, almost like they fell out of an episode of <em>The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy<\/em>. And all of these characters and baddies animate like cartoon characters, with their legs and feet stretching or changing shape to emphasize movement and impact.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">In motion, <em>Blud <\/em>is one of the coolest-looking games I\u2019ve ever played, perfectly recreating (and modernizing) that old late \u201890s animated look and feel in a way I\u2019ve never seen before in a video game.<\/p>\n<aside contenteditable=\"false\" class=\"sc-cqxoak-0 fmgNoB align--fullbleed js_lazy-image\">\n<section title=\"Blud\" class=\"sc-blwhls-12 dYAIfx reviewbox-inset\">\n<div class=\"sc-blwhls-2 hDyKDY\">\n<div class=\"sc-blwhls-10 cqrngw\">\n<div class=\"sc-blwhls-11 iXVuDa\"><img draggable=\"auto\" sizes=\"(max-width: 520px) 470px,800px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,h_80,pg_1,q_80,w_80\/a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e.jpg 80w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,h_53,pg_1,q_60,w_95\/a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e.jpg 95w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,h_78,pg_1,q_60,w_140\/a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e.jpg 140w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,h_149,pg_1,q_60,w_265\/a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e.jpg 265w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,h_191,pg_1,q_60,w_340\/a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e.jpg 340w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,h_275,pg_1,q_60,w_490\/a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e.jpg 490w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,h_362,pg_1,q_60,w_645\/a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e.jpg 645w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,h_416,pg_1,q_60,w_740\/a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e.jpg 740w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,h_542,pg_1,q_60,w_965\/a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e.jpg 965w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,h_655,pg_1,q_60,w_1165\/a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e.jpg 1165w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,h_739,pg_1,q_60,w_1315\/a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e.jpg 1315w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,h_824,pg_1,q_60,w_1465\/a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e.jpg 1465w, https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,h_900,pg_1,q_60,w_1600\/a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e.jpg 1600w\" data-chomp-id=\"a918ea74c84d37ba4552ba7f00e7b56e\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-height=\"288\" data-width=\"512\" data-anim-src=\"\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-blwhls-9 bFOhGS\">\n<h2 class=\"sc-blwhls-0 cOoqCt\">Blud<\/h2>\n<div class=\"sc-blwhls-5 hFxSfn\">\n<p><h4 class=\"sc-blwhls-7 gaQlWF\">BACK OF THE BOX QUOTE<\/h4>\n<h3 class=\"sc-blwhls-8 hFvMiy\">&#8220;Only \u201890s kids can save the world from evil bloodsucking vampires\u201d <\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><h4 class=\"sc-blwhls-7 gaQlWF\">TYPE OF GAME<\/h4>\n<h3 class=\"sc-blwhls-8 hFvMiy\">2D top-down hack \u2018n slash action game<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><h4 class=\"sc-blwhls-7 gaQlWF\">LIKED<\/h4>\n<h3 class=\"sc-blwhls-8 hFvMiy\">Amazing visuals, awesome cutscenes, solid writing, fun combat<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><h4 class=\"sc-blwhls-7 gaQlWF\">DISLIKED<\/h4>\n<h3 class=\"sc-blwhls-8 hFvMiy\">Some annoying boss fights, a few bugs, and frustrating jank<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><h4 class=\"sc-blwhls-7 gaQlWF\">DEVELOPER<\/h4>\n<h3 class=\"sc-blwhls-8 hFvMiy\">Exit 73 <\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><h4 class=\"sc-blwhls-7 gaQlWF\">PLATFORMS<\/h4>\n<h3 class=\"sc-blwhls-8 hFvMiy\">PlayStation, Xbox (Played) Switch, PC<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><h4 class=\"sc-blwhls-7 gaQlWF\">RELEASE DATE<\/h4>\n<h3 class=\"sc-blwhls-8 hFvMiy\">June 18, 2024<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><h4 class=\"sc-blwhls-7 gaQlWF\">PLAYED<\/h4>\n<h3 class=\"sc-blwhls-8 hFvMiy\">Played around 7 hours and finished the game<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/aside>\n<h2 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 dezcon\" id=\"h23168\"><strong>It\u2019s not reanimating the wheel<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">As for the rest of the game, it\u2019s not quite as perfect as <em>Blud\u2019s <\/em>visuals, but it\u2019s still enjoyable. Playing as the vampire slayer Becky, you run to various locations around town\u2014your high school, a spooky cemetery, a large hospital, and the local mall\u2014completing small quests which usually involve fighting different types of vampires and demonic creatures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">At first, the game\u2019s combat is very simple. But quickly, as you get more options and a badass field hockey stick, <em>Blud\u2019s <\/em>combat becomes more interesting, forcing you to block some attacks while dodging others. You also have to use objects like a shovel and an umbrella to solve simple puzzles or defeat challenging bosses, each with a gimmick to solve.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">If you\u2019ve played video games in the last decade or so, nothing here will seem revolutionary or incredibly innovative. It plays a lot like a top-down <em>Zelda<\/em>-like action game, complete with walls that use cracks to indicate where you can drop a bomb (in this case a firework) to blow open a hole and find a secret. It\u2019s not bad, it\u2019s just a bit by the numbers. However, the art style and visuals\u2014including some gorgeously animated cutscenes\u2014help elevate <em>Blud <\/em>and make it something special.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 dezcon\" id=\"h23169\"><strong>Cartoony jank<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">One word of warning: Some of the boss fights in this game are a bit annoying and might cause you to stop playing. This is often due to the game\u2019s awesome animations, which while cool to look at, can sometimes make it hard to know exactly what to do or where to stand to avoid an attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">This can also be a problem during combat outside of boss fights, where I sometimes took damage because an extended animation left me a sitting duck for an enemy. After a bit of time with <em>Blud<\/em>, I acclimated to its combat flow and peculiarities, but it does sometimes feel like <em>Blud <\/em>cares more about looking awesome than playing perfectly, which can be annoying.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-1eow4w5-1 fuSEnv align--bleed js_lazy-image js_marquee-assetfigure\" id=\"\" data-id=\"3965d122a438f17026038a3249b038bf\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/3965d122a438f17026038a3249b038bf\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" data-height=\"1080\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-alt=\"A screenshot shows a large vampire yelling at a small kid. \" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" contenteditable=\"false\" draggable=\"false\">\n<div class=\"sc-1eow4w5-2 fDJNBs has-data img-wrapper\" contenteditable=\"false\" style=\"max-width:1920px\" data-alt=\"A screenshot shows a large vampire yelling at a small kid. \" data-link-reference=\"\" data-link-target=\"\" data-syndicationrights=\"true\" data-imagerights=\"other-license\" data-hide=\"false\" data-hidecredit=\"false\"><span class=\"sc-1eow4w5-0 knmQPh js_lightbox-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:56.3%\" class=\"sc-1eow4w5-3 hGpdBg\"><picture class=\"sc-epkw7d-0 diKDHf lazy-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 37.31em)\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_645\/3965d122a438f17026038a3249b038bf.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 37.37em)\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_1315\/3965d122a438f17026038a3249b038bf.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A screenshot shows a large vampire yelling at a small kid. \" data-chomp-id=\"3965d122a438f17026038a3249b038bf\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-height=\"1080\" data-alt=\"A screenshot shows a large vampire yelling at a small kid. \" data-anim-src=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/image\/upload\/c_fit,q_60,w_645\/3965d122a438f17026038a3249b038bf.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-7s1ndr-0 fPOdhF no-caption\">Screenshot<!-- -->: <!-- -->Exit 73<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-id=\"3965d122a438f17026038a3249b038bf\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/3965d122a438f17026038a3249b038bf\" data-format=\"jpg\" data-width=\"1920\" data-height=\"1080\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-alt=\"A screenshot shows a large vampire yelling at a small kid. \" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" class=\"js_recommend\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">Still, to the game\u2019s credit, it does look really cool, and it\u2019s not a very punishing game, even when you die. So I didn\u2019t mind kicking the bucket because a fire vampire burned me alive as I was grabbing something or a tiny vampire creature could get me with its spear tongue through a wall. It all looked so nice!<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\"><em>Blud <\/em>may not play perfectly, but this seven-hour vampire-killing adventure is such a visual treat that I rarely cared when a boss crushed me or the menu bugged out and I had to reload it. If you can put up with a bit of jank, <em>Blud <\/em>is worth playing on a big TV screen with some friends, preferably folks who grew up loving late \u201890s animated cartoons. Just be prepared for people going \u201cOh wow!\u201d a lot as you run around town and save the world with a pink field hockey stick.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 fnnahv\">\u00a0.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/kotaku.com\/blud-90s-cartoon-animated-zelda-vampire-cartoon-rpg-1851553695\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sometimes all it takes to grab my attention is one trailer. One good teaser. And that\u2019s exactly how I discovered Blud, a newly released 2D<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":80945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80944\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}