Blood Nova Reviews

To most citizens of the Velaya galaxy, Empress Adèle's abdication came as a surprise. Heir to the Crystal Throne is her eldest daughter, Love. Sheltered from the realities of life, the young woman has hitherto shown more interest in pop culture and carefree pursuits than in intergalactic relations and diplomcacy. [i]Blood Nova is her coming-of-age story[/i], one that sees her rising to the occasion when suddenly she and her royal sentinel Kel find themselves the only survivors of a bioweapon attack on the lighthouse where they resided before her coronation ceremony. As their distress signal remains unanswered, it is the Princess herself who must produce the antidote that could save her best friend's life. The game transports you back to a different era of science fiction. It made me think of what it must have been like when [i]Neuromancer[/i] just came out and transformed the genre with its stark depictions of body modification and the fever-dream experience through highly advanced technology. [i]Blood Nova[/i] features pixel-art backdrops in various shades of purple, and in its world, diskettes and cartridges are still in wide circulation. Combine this with ominous beats and spherical sounds, and it puts you just in the right mood. As we navigate Love through the hazardous environment, we find ourselves immersed in a world that surprised me with how alive it felt. Unlike many other video games (or even movies and literature), there is no detached info-dumping to bring you up to speed. Instead, glimpses into the wider lore and political realities flow seamlessly from the narrative itself and make you [i]imagine[/i] what the world was like. In the beginning, our world is the Looping Vale. We don’t yet fully understand the lighthouse's official role within the galactic society, but we quickly learn that the release of fungal toxin was possible because it was produced as a bioweapon in its laboratory. We learn that members of Velaya's Nine Houses sell their deadly creations to warlords. The setting blends cyberpunk aesthetics and esoteric mysticism, with lore becoming relevant as you solve the problems at hand. You care because of the human quality of the events. War may cause a refugee crisis, but it’s the fate of a little girl that is at the forefront of your agenda. Don’t be fooled by the low-budget production—nuanced writing and gripping artwork leave no doubt that this was a passion project. Genre fiction is often frowned upon for generic prose, but it can be elevated when creators find the exact off-beat words to make scenes come to life. [i]Blood Nova[/i] delivers many moments of this variety. You’ll vibe with the lighthearted tone and fun characters, and you might even argue that the happy-go-lucky demeanor of the central protagonist is integral to the story. Love’s youthful disrespect for tradition ultimately proves to be her greatest strength and the quality that makes her worthy of the future she’s destined for. As you may have guessed, the gameplay is story-driven to the core. Instead of actively moving around your surroundings, you solve puzzles by clicking on visible objects and combining your findings. For many players, this might not be enough to feel fully invested, and that’s fair. The game is decisively old-school, and you must be prepared to experience it more like an interactive short story. While limited in your options, the solutions to puzzles can get quite involved. Admittedly, I got stuck a couple of times and had to consult a walkthrough to continue my space-operatic adventures. The plot is driven by mysteries that thrust themselves upon you: Who is behind the attack? Why did the Empress abdicate? Who is the mysterious girl people keep mentioning, and where is she now? These questions form the overarching narrative arcs, while operable tasks keep you occupied in each chapter. I particularly enjoyed how Love begins to lose touch with reality as magical elements creep into the mix. You live through her rite of passage as she meets an oracle amidst the pink dunes of a distant planet, recollects the meaning of star signs, or deciphers enigmatic broadcasts sent directly into her mind by an unknown entity. Then again, there are more immediate threats, culminating in an over-the-top showdown where the various villains reveal their true faces in delightful action-movie fashion. For fans of story-driven games with retro aesthetics and thoughtful writing, [i]Blood Nova[/i] is a gem worth exploring. If you are into cyberpunk or space operas, I'm sure you'll love it’s a poignant tale of growth and rebellion against oppressive traditions. Provided that you don't mind its laid-back and somewhat static gameplay.

A bite-sized point and click adventure, Blood Nova packs a tremendous amount of sci-fi fantasy world building into its short playtime. The writing is great, a blend of Douglas Adams and Frank Herbert in its inspirations, and delivers some wonderful character moments. The pixel art, with its dreamlike colour palette, is as expressive as it is beautiful. Big recommend for any adventure game fans.

Great story, lots of twists and turns as the plot develops! From a problem solving perspective, I really enjoyed the way it was structured, with some non-trivial tasks to solve, but still each within a confined enough space that you feel like you'll eventually figure it out.

This game was a very mixed bag. On the plus side, it was quite long, the soundtrack was very competent, and the pixel art was serviceable, but nothing special. On the minus side, the writing is really, really bad. It resembles a spoiled child playing with too many dolls - characters lack proper exposure, depth, motives, personalities, often paper-thin props for the erratic plot, they appear and disappear on a whim, often serving as disposable ballast to plug the many plot holes. For a sci-fi game/story, nothing is ever properly explained, there are some infuriating oversights like a vent just let open after expelling toxins into space - who cares, eh? It's like an open car window anyway. The puzzles are also often illogical, a mundane task that could be completed by dozens different ways (you need to clean something, you pass a sink, but you cannot interact with it). Moreover, the strange move system often leaves you confused - you see a space dome, but where exactly are you? Are you inside, outside, floating somewhere...? And why, for the love of photons and parsecs, is a futuristic bodyguard armed with a katana of all things? Such a cliche...