Blood Message Hands-On Preview – Combat Shines In This Familiar Song And Dance

Platform:
PC

Publisher:
NetEase Games

Developer:
24 Entertainment

Blood Message is developer 24 Entertainment’s first AAA single-player title, and in several ways feels like the team looked to the best playbook for making such a thing: first-party PlayStation. The game boasts incredible production values and cinematography, centers on a father/son relationship, has scripted high-octane linear chase sequences, and feels as much like watching a prestige historical TV drama as a game. I’m not saying that with any shade; I’ll always enjoy that popcorn blockbuster flavor of interactive experiences. But more than anything else, Blood Message wowed me with its cinematic and realistic combat. 

Blood Message is set in 848 AD during China’s late Tang Dynasty. The nameless protagonist is no great significant figure, but rather a rank-and-file soldier and messenger. Caught in a massive conflict, the messenger must embark on a brutal 1,000-mile journey to Chang’an alongside his young son. In addition to surviving skirmishes with enemy forces, they’ll have to contend with the unforgiving terrain and the elements themselves.

My demo opens early, with the messenger and his brother, racing to return to the former’s home as their city falls under attack. To the protagonist, nothing matters more than getting home to protect his son. I don’t get much in the way of plot details beyond this, but the presentation makes up for it. Blood Message is a beautiful game, and while I can’t 100% confirm it, it appears to feature a single-shot camera. I can’t recall seeing any camera cuts during my time playing, and the cinematography reminded me heavily of the modern God of War games. 

I moved through the linear street alleys, semi-abandoned homes, and rooftops, mashing button prompts to push an obstruction out of the way (like a fallen shelf) and squeezing through narrow entryways. It’s all very familiar fare, but it’s achieved with a AAA shine. It’s Blood Message’s impactful sword-combat that raised my eyebrows the highest. 
The action on its face is nothing new; assault foes using light and heavy attacks, block and parry offense, and occasionally QTE-button mash out of an enemy grapple. But the realistic animations of the intimate and brutal encounters add a satisfying, visceral edge to the action; this is not a stylish action game, but something more grounded and weighty, yet still slick. 

Attacks are mapped to the right shoulder triggers while blocking/parrying occupy the left bumper; it’s a very Souls-like setup, but this is not a Souls game, to be clear. I didn’t find the combat particularly challenging, but I quickly settled into a fun groove of chaining light attacks, using heavy attacks to break the defenses of shield-bearing foes, parrying any form of retaliation (creating satisfying sword clashes), and initiating highly-scripted executions. Watching the combat is like watching an impressive tech demo that looks too good to be true, but I can confirm that, at least in this build, it’s all very real. I always smiled when another wave of enemies tried to impede my progress. 

Some areas allow for stealth, letting me sneak up and quietly – and violently – execute targets, such as pounding the point of a hammer into their throats. Again, the stealth segments are basic AAA fare: crouch behind some cover, sneak up, and drop the targets, with the protagonist’s brother joining in synchronized ambushes in some instances. The same familiarity applies to a big chase sequence where, upon being spotted by the enemy, the protagonist must flee down linear streets, leaping over scripted obstacles, where things are exploding, arrows fly my way, and structures crumble around him as he makes a dramatic leap, just barely managing to grab hold of something before crashing down anyway. It’s a sequence Nathan Drake would feel right at home in, and while it’s nothing new, it’s executed well and is fun to watch.

This early section of Blood Message suggests it will provide a meat-and-potatoes experience for the average AAA action fan. It checks off many of the boxes that made games like God of War and Uncharted successful; it sports visual fidelity you’ll want to show non-gamer friends to brag about how far video games have come; its combat is easy to grasp but oh-so fun to execute. I didn’t see anything to suggest it will reinvent the action game genre, but not every game needs to or can, for that matter. I had a great time playing the demo, and I’m most interested in finding out whether Blood Message has the storytelling chops to match its razor-sharp presentation and combat. We still have no idea when the full game is coming, but for now, I’m optimistic it will be a completely enjoyable take on a proven formula.