BLOODWASH: You Will Need a Clean Pair of Underwear!
After hearing about the release of Puppet Combo’s Night at The Gates of Hell (2022) release on Nintendo Switch (September 2023), decided to play BLOODWASH (2021). I had already played Murder House (2020) and Nun Massacre (2018), and was keen to play the latest console release.
Let me tell you right now that I was not disappointed. If you like PS1-style graphics, effective crap-your-pants jump-scares, and schlocky, tasteless horror, you need to get this game!
Storyline
You play a pregnant college student called Sara, who lives in a threatening world. Drugs, homelessness and crime are prevalent in her neighbourhood, and her home is a run-down apartment complex. She is also constantly the subject of many unwelcome sexual advances. A serial killer known as the Womb Ripper is terrorising the city by targeting pregnant women. This theme of feeling unsafe, particularly as a pregnant woman, permeates the narrative throughout.
The washing machine is bust, and Sara doesn’t have time to launder her clothes for an approaching job interview. A friendly neighbour tells Sara of a 24-hour laundromat on the outskirts of town. He then warns her that with the lunatic on the loose, it’s a horrible time to go out at night.
Of course, the thoughts of every protagonist in every horror film kick in when they have been warned of danger, “it would never happen to me” – so Sara takes the bus to said laundromat. No prizes for who she will encounter there, but will she and her baby survive!?
Gameplay Experience
Whilst I enjoyed the previous releases mentioned above, BLOODWASH is different to the other 2 titles in the sense that there is an aspect of realism in the gameplay that I have not experienced before. It will be no spoiler that part of your character’s journey will involve a laundromat. If you go to a laundromat (or laundrette in the UK), would you just watch your dirty clothes go round and round for an entire cycle, only to do the same again in the dryer? No. You would find means to keep yourself entertained.
To avoid giving too much away, BLOODWASH encourages you to stay entertained. You can do this by playing a handheld game console, go exploring, or reading some magazines. All whilst waiting for something awful to happen! Tension is expertly crafted, cumulating perfectly to the climax.
For the majority of the game, you feel vulnerable. The setting’s seediness, and feeling that you are some psycho killer’s favourite prey translates to an unease you cannot shake no matter how hard you try to distract yourself. Puppet Combo’s signature usage of CRT and VHS filters in the game adds a level of tension where you have to concentrate harder on your surroundings to make sure you are safe and alone.
The only issue I had with this game was that it was very short. I completed it in an evening. But this is like when your only complaint about a meal is that there wasn’t enough. Collecting the various comics to read in the game adds replayability. I missed some in the first round.
Summary
In summary, BLOODWASH is an excellent choice for gamers who are nostalgic for a bygone era of gaming and horror, but who are not put off by very effective jump-scares. The plot of the game is shlock and straightforward. BLOODWASH combines this with aspects of realism and a short completion time, producing a glittering gem for hardcore fans of the genre.
