REVIEW: ‘#BLUD’ Is A Fantastic 90s Cartoon Love Letter (PC)

Growing up on the likes of Cartoon Network, #BLUD from Exit 37 Studios immediately felt familiar in a good way. The tongue-in-cheek but sincere writing, character artwork, and splash cards that introduced each new chapter feel straight from the 90s. It’s endlessly charming, with a fun cast of characters, solid action combat, and a genuinely great story. The animated cutscenes are similarly fantastic, really adding to the overall package. #BLUD delivers a playable cartoon in the best way, marrying in a lot of classic The Legend of Zelda gameplay to create something truly special.

#BLUD kicks things off with the arrival of Rebbecca Brewster, nicknamed Becky, as she arrives in a new town to call home. Her dad works for Perch, a tech company making phones and headed up by an older white guy that has glasses, a black turtleneck, and totally not evil intentions. Becky has to make friends, navigate an unfamiliar town, and start high school, all while battling an ever-encroaching vampire threat.

The story is a lot of fun, paced well, and is carried by how likable Becky and the cast of characters around her are. Becky is a fantastic protagonist, instantly loveable and quirky. She makes dad jokes but hates herself for it, uses humor to deflect, and harbors issues she can’t bring herself to discuss. She’s awkward, confident, nervous—sometimes all at once. Seeing her journey from start to finish was special, and hopfully we get more of her in the future.

The rest of the cast is similarly strong. From the nerdy kid with an attitude Elon, to the dour but loveable mentor in Kristofferson, every new face is memorable and unique. They’re majorly brought to life by their character portraits, constantly animating as they speak. It puts the game’s charm on constant display, as I found myself talking to everyone just to see their portrait and how they move. The narrative doesn’t pull its punches either. There are genuinely moving moments among the deliciously smarmy high school attitudes.

The main story quests take place over the course of a number of episodes, each with their own unique splash screen, reminiscent of how cartoons sometimes display an episode title. They cover all the bases one would expect, from the Halloween school dance, skipping school to go to the mall, and chasing a vampire goat as it rampages through the school. You know, the classics. Each one is a lot of fun and has some fun narrative beats.

The side quests are equally entertaining, ranging from getting someone’s homework back after a dog ate it, to putting up anarchy posters around town. They’re never long and don’t offer much more than gold or collectibles, but they don’t overstay their welcome and help give the town and folks who live in it more personality. The side quests are immediately thrown at you either, you’ll need to find them and talk to the right people around town.

As all teenagers do, Becky has a Perch smartphone. She can take selfies with her friends and townsfolk, upload them to gather comments from other users, use it to keep track of missions, and house the game’s various maps. The social media aspect is cute and funny. Becky has a number of poses she can hit while readying her pictures, each uploaded with a witty caption. The responses from her friends were entertaining and helped the town feel more lived in. Quest givers will also upload posts about the things they need done. It’s a helpful way to keep track of what is available while offering hints or guidance along the way.

Combat in #BLUD is simple but fun, with a couple of pain points. Becky starts the game with just her firsts to take out the rats and bats after her, but it opens up more after finding Brenda the field hockey stick. The action feels like old-school Zelda, with simple combos and upgrades guiding Brenda through the hordes of enemies. Unlocking new combo finishers changes your final attack’s spread and size, adding more distance or a wider arc. Brenda, like a shield or grappling hook, will get more upgrades as you progress. Becky’s dodge roll has distance but doesn’t roll through attacks or enemies. Becky also has ranged attacks in the form of bombs and pencils. Bombs also help with traversal, blowing up broken-down patches of walls. Pencils can be tossed like arrows, helping keep space away from some enemies.

The dodge roll was one issue that took some time to adjust to. A lot of #BLUD‘s fights take place in tight spaces with lots of enemies. The roll is effective in moving away from enemies or creating a new attack position, but when there’s a lot going on, Becky just ends up taking damage in an effort not to. Being able to roll through enemies would have made for smoother combat. The other issue, similarly, is that Becky’s combo finishers can take a bit to animate through. It leaves her open to attacks from other enemies from behind. #BLUD has a lot of monster closets, overwhelming Becky with enemies to take out, and it can be frustrating taking damage constantly when trying to fight through.

Consistent with every other aspect of #BLUD, the enemy design and variety are chock full of personality. The bats look silly and almost friendly, while the giant vampires smirk at you as they block your attacks. Not every enemy can be taken down by just swinging Brenda. Learning attack patterns will be key. Some enemies, like the teen emo vampire, can only be hurt after blocking their attacks. The vampiress adorned in a white gown will immediately counter, unless it’s after she’s done her screaming attacks. Finding the ins and outs of each new enemy was always fun and not immediately evident. Usually found at the end of each chapter, the bosses can go straight to bullet hell at moments. They’re well-designed and a blast to take down.

Playing across both PC and Steam Deck, I encountered no performance issues at all. This is a fantastic Steam Deck game. It was awesome being able to hop in and explore a new area or knock out a few side quests while on the go.

#BLUD is one that can’t be missed. For any cartoon fans, there’s so much to love here. The cutscenes, animations, and writing are pitch perfect and feel ripped straight from Cartoon Network. The combat is fun and constantly presents new challenges. It’s a love letter entirely devoted to the animated medium, from its design to its characters. Pair #BLUD with a Saturday morning, and you will not be disappointed.

#BLUD is out on June 18th, 2024, on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.