Cursed Blood hands four people virtual katanas. Then, it tells them to go absolutely go bananas and see what happens.
Literally. You are playing as a samurai ape. And it simply couldn’t be cooler.
It kinda sounds like a bad joke from a 2012 message board. But Cursed Blood doesn’t care about high art or self-serious prestige. It hands you a sword, points you at a mobster, and tells you to paint the walls red. It is loud. It is crass.
Honestly?
It’s exactly the kind of unpretentious and violent stress relief we all need every once in a while. With the week we had, this was an energy cocktail we sorely needed. But do not let the B-movie setup fool you. Underneath the flying limbs and arterial spray is a melee system that actually demands your respect.
Chop-chop!
High-speed melee combat relying heavily on parries, dashes, and charged katana strikes.
Aggressive health sustain mechanics where you must consume enemy blood via executions to heal.
Weapon hijacking system allowing you to “borrow” firearms, use the ammo, and throw the empty weapon to set up melee finishers.
Monkey Business
Cursed Blood is a game with simple mechanics that are difficult to master. You mash the dash button. Then you parry by the skin of your teeth. You desperately hunt for a staggered enemy. You don’t want to simply cut him down. No, no. You want to execute so you can slurp up their blood and press onward for just a little longer. Such is the way of the ape.
Spawn, kill, grab Blood Orbs, die, upgrade, and repeat.
Yes, this is your standard roguelite game. The wheel is not reinvented. But it’s pretty shiny. Great detail went into the level design. Even grater in the flashy combat. This friction is where Cursed Blood grabs you by the throat. Combat is fast.
Sickeningly fast.
You chain a deflection into a charged slash, rip a gun out, empty the mag into his buddies, and chuck the empty metal into someone else’s face. What’s left – you slice clean in half. You feel the weight of it. It isn’t just invisible hitboxes colliding. It is heavy, messy, and deliberate.
The screen can get chaotic. In four-player co-op, tracking your own ape samurai becomes a nightmare of gore and flashing lights. But when you hit the rhythm of dashing, deflecting, and harvesting blood, it clicks into pure adrenaline. The procedural generation can occasionally drop a dozen ranged enemies in a tight hallway. And, here, it feels like you are bringing a knife to a gunfight.
The Early Access
Cursed Blood runs well enough, but you are going to feel the lack of polish.
The core systems and the netcode are shockingly stable. However, the visual clutter during a full four-player run can be overwhelming. Blood sprays, particle explosions, and damage numbers stack up, and yes, you will hit some noticeable stuttering when the screen gets too busy. The UI is also a bit clunky when you are trying to quickly sort through gear between fights.
Currently, you’ve got at least two wildly distinct biomes and a solid chunk of weapons. Then it stops. The true ending and the final boss are locked away for future releases. You are playing for the mechanical grind right now. Bosses mutate mid-fight, which rules, but the balance spikes heavily during those transitions. It’s raw.
Should you play it?
Cursed Blood has fantastic, brutal bones. The parry-to-dismember pipeline is viciously satisfying, and the core loop absolutely works. If you want a chaotic, bloody brawler to play with your friends right now, it’s an easy recommendation. Just know you’re buying into a very promising, somewhat messy construction zone.
ID Card
- Developer: David Marquardt Studios
- Publisher: David Marquardt Studios
- Engine: N/A
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: Out Now (Early Access)
- Genre: Co-op Action Roguelike
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