A few polygons, a “good old” atmosphere and a pretty good gun – the formula for an ideal shooter with an “OLD+” age limit. A New Blood Interactive is a studio that works according to this formula. Let’s talk about her.
The story of great love (in our case for shooters) began with David Szymanski, a boy who played Doom, Half-Life and Quake. His computer didn’t pull anything else, but he didn’t waste time and got inspired. And in 2006 he started his own project – Dusk. The lone project was noticed in New Blood, and in 2018 the retro shooter was already released. Refined mechanics of the 90s, a rich arsenal and that same nostalgic-brutal experience – critics and players were delighted. And the game received high marks and the title of “authentic old-school shooter”.
AMID EVIL
As you know, old-school shooters quietly exist in the conditions of techno-fiction: the clicking of shutters can easily coexist with the shooting of the undead. But what happens if you turn a shooter into a pure fantasy?? This rake was met by the second project of New Blood – Amid Evil. In 2019, players changed their equipment: guns were replaced by staves, and chainsaw fuel was replaced by mana. The project was good, but did not repeat the success of its predecessor: the game design and soundtrack let us down. Doom and Quake are joined on the list of inspirations by Heretic and Hexen.
The next project disavows fantasy and has been in early access since 2020. Ultrakill is a hybrid of Devil May Cry and Doom Eternal with a combo system: the faster and more sophisticated you destroy enemies, the greater the reward at the end of the level. Among the gameplay innovations is verticality, which allows you to jump through the air from enemy to enemy. However, the abundance of mechanics and sub-mechanics did not overshadow the “low” level graphics and did not kill the “retro”. The players warmly received Ultrakill, and New Blood Interactive, testing the nerves of the industry, came up with the ideal shooter formula.
Now let’s dig under the hood. Let’s start with the main thing – shooting. In Dusk and Amid Evil, the character can carry 9 types of weapons: from a pistol and a magic staff to a sniper rifle and a rocket launcher. If Dusk was built according to the classic scheme of “one gun – one type of shooting and ammunition,” then in Amid Evil the weapon acquired alternative modes when the character uses the “ultimate”.
Ultrakill went the furthest. Each gun has an alternate mode, but no ammo. And to encourage the player to complete combos, all weapons have cooldowns. So you have to juggle your arsenal.
I’m glad that there is also freedom of choice: a sniper, of course, will kill the half-boss in two, but no one is stopping you from killing him with a pistol in four. The developers push for experiments, placing the player in critical situations when there is no time to think.
New Blood’s enemies are the most classic – they wander from project to project, changing skins, but without changing class. There are “close-in”, “long-range” with a slow attack and “long-range” with a fast attack. Changes only happen because of mechanics. For example, a slow mage from Dusk shoots a fireball. But the same magician with a different skin from Amid Evil already jumps over obstacles, knows how to dodge and hits close. And in Ultrakill, a character can generally hit a fireball with his fist and return it to the same magician. But this only applies to weak opponents. The strong ones change from game to game: each has a unique behavior pattern, design and attacks.
MOVE
The key to a good arcade shooter is well-executed movement that is motivated by the desire to survive. Running is enabled by default in all games. For greater speed and dynamics there are jumps from Quake, for height there are trampolines and “rocket jumps”. In Dusk, they added a tackle to everything else, and this is immediately a dash and a dodge. And with the buff you can climb walls. But this is rare, so the character spends most of the time on his own two feet.
If in Dusk and Amid Evil high speed on the ground is the key to survival, then in Ultrakill the emphasis is on maneuvers in the air. And constant speed was replaced by jerky movement, which is directly related to combat.
But not a single mechanic will work on a bad location. And Ultrakill, Dusk and Amid Evil first of all arena shooters. Each of them has approximately 30 levels. And there are almost no similar locations in any of them. The developers made the levels interactive, taking into account the features of combat, player movements and enemies.
Dusk is dominated by open locations and the possibility of non-linear progression. You can take a barrel, put it against the wall and climb over. Can you use the same barrel to break the face of the enemy who is guarding the key to the gate?. You can get lost, but a path of first aid kits will always lead you to the end of the level.
Amid Evil and Ultrakill turned out to be more linear: it’s difficult to take a wrong turn here. But it is possible and necessary. At least to find secrets. Some of them can only be obtained by using certain mechanics: for example, meteor jump, wall parkour.
Low-poly graphics are already subconsciously associated with retro. David Szymanski said that when developing Dusk “The hardest part was making the graphics look bad”. The studio’s next games followed this path. Achieving retro aesthetics has attracted fans of "old stuff". And trailers with old HD graphics also attracted newfags.
The picture helped get the audience excited about the game. One look at the screen is enough to understand that a Quake-style mess is about to begin. And if you want to add a little Doom, you can age the graphics. At the same time, the image does not load the system, so almost every “dinosaur” will run Dusk, Amid Evil and Ultrakill. Aesthetic, practical, authentic.
If we talk about HOW it plays. In all New Blood Interactive projects, music is connected only by scripts. Principle as an example: moments of calm are interrupted in certain places and start again when the last enemy in the arena area dies.
If we talk about WHAT is https://all-wins.co.uk/withdrawal/ playing. Dusk and Ultrakill play rock with techno elements and guitar splitting. But the music from Dusk is heavier, drawn out and darker to match the setting. And the constant speed of the character is ideally combined with viscous guitar parts. Let us remember that movement here is still without jerks.
In Ultrakill it’s different – all movements are clearly divided into “stop” and “go”. And the music focuses on techno, adapting to their sudden change. Cymbal hits take the lead role in tracks, helping players maintain tempo. And the bass guitar is responsible for the brutality.
Amid Evil excelled this time. He followed in the footsteps of Call of Duty and went into the “orchestral sound”. Perhaps because of this the game turned out to be a little weaker than Dusk. The players rolled up their sleeves and prepared to get dirty up to their elbows. But the Indefatigable team responsible for the development rolled everything back.
John Carmack from id Software said: “The plot in the game is like the plot in a porn film. It is necessary, but not important". The inscriptions on the walls help you navigate the plot. You can reinforce your knowledge of what is happening with lore books, and the essence of the mess can be found on Wikipedia. But even there there is just enough for the “porn” to start, so you won’t know much: for example, in Amid Evil the main character’s lands were attacked by monsters, he needs to protect his native land, so he kills everyone. All.
NewBloods, following the example of gaming forefathers, approach the issue of plot from the side of primitive instincts. If the goal of cinema was to scare and make you laugh, then games were created for pleasure in all its forms. The player needs to have a blast, get high, and hear enthusiastic cries: “Look how he got torn apart!”. ». There is no time for a plot in an arena shooter – this is the testament of the old school. This is how NewBloodInteractive works.
For some, the fun may end at the diluting element – at the dark levels. They are in all three games. In Dusk, darkness brings tension. It doesn’t matter that you have full health and an advantage in your arsenal. You have no time for this now – invisible crap is chasing you. In Amid Evil and Ultrakill the scheme is a little simpler. This is a challenge for the player here. But dark levels in all cases are an element that can be thrown away, and the game will not lose anything.
Small details include unusual settings. Adjusting weapon placement, interface style and sight. Well, the opportunity to age the graphics to the level of Modern art and color filter indie art game. These are optional things, but they are there. And that’s cool. Like the loading screen, reminiscent of the start window of ancient versions of Windows.
New Blood Interactive games have a huge number of mechanics that are not just coded and thrown into a pile, but also intelligently connected. The player is able to experiment and test the code for strength. The developers put themselves in the consumer’s shoes and made it interesting for them. Old mechanics have been upgraded to modern standards and given a second life. The introduction of new ideas helped the projects not to be banal plagiarism, but to be proudly called followers of old-school traditions with their own atmosphere, combat and methods of exploring the world.
New Blood Interactive also took care of the wrapper. Low-polygonal 3D from the retro era helps you tune in to the right driving and nostalgic wave. The design for old graphics gave Dusk, Amid Evil and Ultrakill a style. And made games accessible to owners of even the oldest PCs. The plot, appropriate for the specifics, does not interfere with the gameplay. The player must focus on the sensations and rhythm of the game – music helps. This is New Blood Interactive – an echo of a bygone era, which gives oldies nostalgia and newfags – experience.
Best comments
Dusk is like a modern car in retro style. It’s like you’re looking at the exterior, at the interior—everything is from past times. But once you get behind the wheel and drive, you immediately realize when it was made.
AMID EVIL is a much more retro game in this regard. Although there are more external bells and whistles in it. They even brought rays. In its mechanics, this game is much closer to the classics from the 90s.
Undoubtedly Ultrakill, Amid Evil and Dusk are not the level of doom. Both parts have taken a huge step forward and are amazing AAA shooters. But all the games of their materials have a development team. And New Blood Interactive, as a young publisher, does not have a huge amount of funds to sponsor truly grandiose projects. But they decided to work with indie developers. This, I think, is the right decision. Don’t show off, like we’re looking at big projects, but honestly do small ones, but with soul.
Plus, New Bloods specifically work with developers who promote their own ideas about “old school”. This is how David Szymanski initially made a play for old doom, quake and the first halfa. And this joke turned out well. As part of the name of imitation as a tribute to the games of those years. They really are nothing new for the modern gamer. But that was David’s idea. Although this, of course, is not an excuse. Dusk is more of an opportunity to look at what older generations played, but with added mechanics and a little tweaked graphics.
Regarding Ultrakill – a spine-tingling shooter without a plot. But it was designed that way. Here skill is needed for the sake of skill. A bunch of mechanics that are interconnected with each other to create combos and release excessive dopamine. If you approach the project with such thoughts, then it will definitely interest you. (At least I was interested).
Well, the most passable Amid Evil. It’s quite difficult to protect it, because there’s really nothing here besides the unusual setting. The players noticed this moment almost immediately.
P.S. I won’t say that I’m a fanboy. I met the first doom a couple of years ago. Quake was a little earlier. I rather just like the simplicity of the idea of the genre. Yes, no extras. But the ancestors of shooters blew up the charts without excess. Although they wouldn’t be able to do it now. And this is understandable, because the gaming industry has evolved greatly. But these games, in fact, only occupied their niche. This certainly didn’t make them any worse
This is New Blood Interactive – an echo of a bygone era, which gives oldies nostalgia and newfags – experience.
Key phrase. It gives experience and nostalgia, but not pleasure. I played these indie retro shooters. In theory, they are good, but only until the realization comes that it will never be like in childhood. Over thirty years, your tastes have evolved, and such crafts can only play repeat games “like in childhood.”. Imitate the wrapper, but no more.
First of all, they don’t provide a sense of adventure. You’re just going through some kind of mappack for the sake of stats. It’s not that I want a movie-soap, but some kind of sense of adventure and progression is needed.
Secondly, all the mechanics in these games are banal LMB-clicking on enemies. Sometimes they try to come up with something, some kind of concept, but they rarely get beyond the idea.
A great example of this: doom 2016 and eternal. The developers understood all these problems of jokers, that the days were gone when you could make a map out of boxes, place enemies on it and the player would enjoy it. What is needed is manual work on the design of the arenas and game mechanics. Moreover, the laziness of the dlc shows that manual design decides, no matter what the mechanics are, painstakingness decides.
At the same time, it’s very difficult to talk about such subtle matters on these Internets of yours. The cover is beautiful and most people buy it for it. But proving the laziness of the design and its inconsistency within the text is quite problematic. Especially if you communicate with a fanboy: “YES! LIKE IN CHILDHOOD. SHOOTERS. MEAT. NOTHING ELSE IS NEEDED. ».
There are points with which I agree. Adventure is truly a great motivator for starting and completing the game. Adding mods to old games is also an option (but how many of them can be replayed??).
But repeating my childhood, jerking off for the sake of jerking off feels like fun. This gives those feelings of adrenaline and drive from fierce battles. The games within themselves are designed with high quality and function accordingly. This is done simply from the word at all, but this does not interfere with enjoying the game. But this is perhaps subjective for everyone, because it’s hard not to agree that the gaming industry should develop. If she starts marking time, then the players won’t get any entertainment. However, there are not many good projects that convey the spirit of the old school that I know of. Going back to basics can be fun too. These projects were really fun and enjoyable for me. Let me dig through the slop, but I can’t get rid of the sensations. It was based on them that I made this blog.
But all the games of their materials have a development team. And New Blood Interactive, as a young publisher, does not have a huge amount of funds to sponsor truly grandiose projects.
All these budgets are needed only for graphics. They have no effect on mechanics and design. There is a Slayer’s Testaments mod that transfers doom 2016 and eternal to the Quake 1 engine. And it perfectly shows that apart from graphics, these huge budgets are not needed.
This, I think, is the right decision. Don’t show off, like we’re looking at big projects, but honestly do small ones, but with soul.
Plus, New Bloods specifically work with developers who promote their own ideas about “old school”. This is how David Szymanski initially made a play for old doom, quake and the first halfa. And this joke turned out well. As part of the name of imitation as a tribute to the games of those years. They really are nothing new for the modern gamer. But that was David’s idea.
This is called generating information garbage. Games should entertain and bring pleasure, and not masturbate with ideas for the sake of ideas. You yourself are essentially already admitting that all these retro indie shooters play like childhood repeats and don’t carry anything other than the cover.
Dusk is more of an opportunity to look at what older generations played, but with added mechanics and a little tweaked graphics.
Why the hell? If you want to see how it used to be, run old games. If you want a smart graphic, go for fashion.
Regarding Ultrakill – a spine-tingling shooter without a plot. But it was designed that way. Here skill is needed for the sake of skill. A bunch of mechanics that are interconnected with each other to create combos and release excessive dopamine. If you approach the project with such thoughts, then it will definitely interest you. (At least I was interested).
Why the hell? Jerking off for the sake of jerking off is enough for me in other games and even in reality. Jerk off is only fun if the motivation fires you up. Nailing level stats on numbers is just that, interesting only to children and streamers. I want adventure.
I rather just like the simplicity of the idea of the genre.
Which again leads to the idea that such games are good only in theory, and not in practice. Beautiful cover without content.
But the ancestors of shooters blew up the charts without excess. Although they wouldn’t be able to do it now.
Exactly. And trying to defend something here – well, that’s it. I have already said that it will never be like in childhood. And copying primitive products without regard to evolution is creating garbage that distracts from better projects. And entertainment products, including meat jokes, are now an ocean, and all these retro indie jokes only distract the attention of “AZAZAZ” from them. LIKE IN CHILDHOOD. MEAT. RETRO. SHUTAN. ».
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