ALTEREDBLOOD+ [AB+] Review Summary

Excellent movement, striking art and visuals, satisfying gunplay, and unique blood mechanics shine, but poor tutorial pacing and repetitive, samey levels drag it down.

Overall positive reception: Players broadly praise the game as fun, amazing, and worth buying, especially for early access. Many consider it a breath of fresh air and full of potential.

Excellent movement system: The movement is consistently described as crisp, fluid, fast, and satisfying, with many techniques and a gliding feel. It is a standout feature that rivals or exceeds similar games.

Great art style and visuals: The art direction is awesome, with a unique aesthetic and stylized character designs that communicate information clearly. The visuals contribute to a strong, coherent artistic vision.

Unique blood mechanics: The blood system is praised for granting ammo, health, and altered states, creating a satisfying feedback loop that encourages constant movement. The tradeoff between consuming blood and gaining buffs adds depth.

Strong Ultrakill inspiration: Frequent comparisons to Ultrakill highlight the game as a worthy rival or spiritual successor, combining elements from Ultrakill, DOOM Eternal, and Splatoon. It scratches the same itch while maintaining its own identity.

Poor tutorial pacing and communication: The tutorial frontloads too much information and fails to adequately communicate core mechanics. Players get little time to practice before being overwhelmed with new text, and important mechanics like wall jumping and time stop are easily forgotten.

Repetitive and samey level design: Levels lack visual variety, with most areas featuring similar white blocky environments. Only later levels show some distinct identity, making it hard to distinguish between scenes.

Unclear navigation and direction: Players struggle to determine their location and where to go, both in general and in story mode. This leads to confusion and frustration during exploration.

Limited content in early access: The game has less content than comparable titles like ULTRAKILL because it is newly released in early access. This includes a short length and missing story and lore beyond the opening cutscene.

Blood charge UI issues: The Bloodletter charge indicator is tucked in a corner, making it hard to monitor. Annoying '+1 charge' popups appear when soaking blood without full charge, and teleporting with the sword does not collect blood along the way.

Core movement shooter identity: The game is fundamentally a movement-based first-person shooter with high-speed maneuvering central to gameplay, drawing comparisons to Ultrakill, Doom Eternal, Titanfall, and Warframe.

Blood-based resource loop: Blood serves as a core resource: sliding through blood pools refills health and ammo, and being covered in blood triggers the ALTEREDBLOOD system that grants buffs and abilities, creating a feedback loop where blood equals ammo.

Advanced movement techniques: Movement includes wall jumps, air dashes, stomp hops, bunny hops, crouch sliding, double jumping, air-strafing, autohop, trimping, ground slams, and dash jumps, offering many options.

Combat and boss fights: The game features fast-paced combat with basic enemies and boss encounters that require strategy and varying approaches; the current content includes two chapters and one boss.

Weapon variety and interactions: The game offers multiple weapons, including shotguns, with interactions with blood and an arsenal designed so weapons flow within each other; there is also a Bloodletter charge mechanic and an altered gun mechanic.

Mixed performance reports: Some players experience performance drops in areas where they shouldn't, while others report great performance, including on low-end PCs. The feedback is split, indicating inconsistent performance across different setups.

Ideal for Ultrakill fans: Multiple reviewers recommend the game specifically for players who have enjoyed ULTRAKILL and want more of the same experience.

Strong value for money: Reviewers emphasize that the game is extremely worth it at its current price tag, with some calling it 100% worth the money.

Simple recommendation to buy: Some reviewers give brief endorsement to get the game, such as 'game good get it' and 'please buy it'.

Appeals to movement shooter fans: The game is recommended for players who enjoy movement shooters or high-octane action.

Good for retro shooter enthusiasts: One reviewer recommends it for people who like retro shooters, highlighting its appeal to that niche.

Community fair range: $9.99 - $14.99.

Players report early tutorial friction, but enjoyment builds as mechanics are introduced through encounters and complexity ramps up.

Friction: Frontloaded information and text-heavy tutorials; Tutorial inadequately communicates core mechanics; Forgotten earlier mechanics such as wall jumping and time stop; World-space text blocks interrupt flow.

Unlock drivers: Mechanics introduced from encounter to encounter; Gradual, satisfying increase in complexity; Difficulty and learning curve balanced to avoid frustration; Exciting fight design that tests all player mechanics.

Frequent Ultrakill Comparisons: Many reviewers compare the game to Ultrakill, citing similar movement mechanics such as ground-slamming and blood-based healing. It is often described as a spiritual successor or a game that scratches the same itch.

Compared to Quake and Doom: Reviewers also liken the game to classic Quake and Doom, with one noting it feels 'more Quake than DMC.' The movement system is praised for capturing the essence of these arena shooters.

Early Access with Limited Content: The game is currently in early access and only has two chapters and one boss, which some players feel is less content than Ultrakill. However, the core movement gameplay is already well-received.

Demo Played Before Purchase: Some players tried the demo before buying, and a demo is available for others to test the game. A 'Gravekeeper' mode also came with the demo.

Titanfall Wall Run Feedback: The wall running mechanics are compared to Titanfall for their satisfying feedback, indicating that the movement system draws inspiration from multiple sources.