Crimson Keystrokes or Fatal Fingers?

The realm of indie gaming often throws up experiences that defy easy categorisation, pushing the boundaries of interactive entertainment. We delve into a title that blends the seemingly disparate worlds of typing practice and visceral horror. Can the rapid clatter of keys truly translate into a compelling encounter with the macabre, or does this peculiar fusion fall flat? Read on to find out!

A Symphony of Scares and Sentences

When people think of a fun gaming experience, they typically expect something fast-paced, cerebral, fascinating, emotionally moving, terrifying, even. They typically expect to have to press a number of buttons either on their controllers or keyboards and mice in order to navigate and experience the respective game world. So, naturally, many people won’t be immediately drawn to a game where the main draw is constant typing. On that note, people also typically wouldn’t consider their typing speed to be the determining factor as to how good they might be at said game. In short, typing constantly and at speed doesn’t sound like much fun, and for the most part, that is true.

However, the whole dynamic changes when you incorporate said fast-paced typing into a stunning world, populated with a series of locations to explore, enemies to fight and hidden supplies to acquire.

As such, Blood Typers presents a unique premise: you must type words and phrases accurately (and swiftly!) to fend off a relentless onslaught of monstrous foes whilst navigating a grim, dark, and exciting world. This isn’t your average typing experience, however; the stakes are life and death, with each mistyped letter bringing the gruesome creatures – and thus, your character’s death – ever closer.

The narrative, such as it is, unfolds through brief text prompts, setting a chilling scene where survival hinges on linguistic dexterity. You can also play in a lobby with others, meaning that you are able to share the experience of typing for your lives together!

The Dance of Digits and Dread

The core gameplay loop revolves around identifying the on-screen prompts and transcribing them with precision. This means that each area of the world around you contains a unique word, mostly real words but sometimes random characters, and in order to move your character there, you must type said word / series of characters.

The camera angle can be turned to the left or right by using the left and right shift keys respectively. To enter combat mode, you must hit the tab key, and then a number of words appears over each enemy. In order to attack the enemy, you need to type each of those words as quickly and accurately as you can. Each missed key or accidental keystroke will cause your character to miss their shot, whether it’s with a gun, steel pipe, or wooden plank. Also, if you take too long typing, or if you fumble your keys and make a mistake, the enemy will manage to land their strike on you before you can land yours.

Different enemy types require varying lengths and complexities of text, meaning that adaptable keyboard skills are certainly a bonus! Power-ups, also activated by successfully typing specific words, can either offer temporary respite, or offensive capabilities.

The whole experience feels intuitive, and has been implemented very well. For example, to eat some bread that you find, you must navigate over to it and then type “eat bread”. Easy, but effective! The same applies for picking up supplies – you merely type the prompt which is often in the form of “pick up bullets” and that’s it!.

The escalating intensity, with more numerous and faster enemies appearing as levels progress, ensures a constant sense of urgency and it is really difficult not to be drawn into the world and subsequent setting very quickly and very deeply at once.

Visual Vomit and Auditory Anguish

Despite adopting a deliberately low-fidelity aesthetic, reminiscent of early PC horror titles, Blood Typers looks amazing. Pixelated, low-poly graphics depict grotesque creatures and dimly lit environments really well, contributing to the unsettling atmosphere. The environments are grim, often dripping with gore, and typically fairly dark (but in a good way).

The sound design is suitably eerie, with unsettling sound effects and a minimalist soundtrack that amplifies the tension. While not pushing any graphical boundaries, the art style effectively conveys the intended horror theme brilliantly, and it’s hard not to fall slightly in love with it.

Lingering Nightmares or Fleeting Frights?

Blood Typers has high replay value, which stems from the increasing difficulty levels and numerous chapters that you can choose from. In order to set the difficulty, you are given a list of levels, each listing the ideal WPM (words per minute) typing speed that you must possess to stand a chance.

Mastering the typing demands and efficiently utilising power-ups provide a challenge for those seeking to conquer the textual terrors. For those of you who enjoy typing, then this is certainly a game that you may well have a great time with. However, it’s not for everyone, and mis-typing things whilst being attacked by monsters can understandably become infuriating.

Conclusion

Blood Typers offers a genuinely original, fun, and surprisingly intense experience. The novel fusion of typing mechanics with horror elements creates a unique gameplay loop that can be both challenging and unsettling. While its visual style and high-pressure-typing-only approach might not appeal to everyone, the core concept is executed brilliantly, providing a memorable and often frantic encounter!

Grade: 8.0/10