What is better than to test your mettle in the warm arena sand, beneath the scorching Mediterranean sun! Well, to do it in a fantasy setting of both Roman and Greek mythology. So, it’s not only men and women equipped with gladiuses you have to fear. It’s Minotaurs and magic-users as well, among many other creatures of legend. A bloody good time will be had—in both senses. Welcome to Bloodgrounds!
Gladiator management
In the demo you play as the leader for a noble gladiator house, where you hire, equip and train gladiators. All to find fame and glory, and to have revenge on your father’s murderer, which is none other than the Emperor himself. If there is one gulp moment, this is it. However, it seems you can take your sweet time training gladiators and take on arena challenges to build up your school of fighters. Because taking on the Emperor will surely require top-tier men.
The management and equipping of units can best be likened to Darkest Dungeon, where you also build up a small functioning town of warriors and mages to take on ever-increasing challenges. There isn’t too much to build in the demo, but it shows great promise for the main game. There is a lot to spend your blood-coin on, from equipment to improving your noble hold with new buildings (like a hospital)—and then to level them up!
The arena
The battles seem to be strictly three vs. whatever is suitable, with amount of enemies depending on difficulty level. Picking the right team for synergy will, and is, important, which will probably become more so the further you get into the campaign. The combat is turn-based, where class, and equipment determines the skill of your gladiator. For example, a warrior can’t equip wizard stuff, like wands, and vice versa.
The matches are pretty tense, as perma-death is a thing. If you don’t want to lose your best cold-blooded killer to an ugly spider that rudely spits blue goo, you better take care with your moves. The damage is high, and armor breaks easily, and wounds last from match to match during an arena challenge. But there are also lots of skills, consumables, and arena drops from the audience watching the skirmishes to mitigate damage. I saved my spleen-poking warrior from dying by walking over a bandage a friendly patron of the arts threw into the arena.
If the task of defeating and surviving your enemies wasn’t enough, you also get dynamic quests during the battles. It can be anything, related to skill and combat, with some really cool rewards. Most seem to be loot of some kind, but there are also quests that reward permanent stat bonuses. These are not mandatory, but its inclusion is great, for the increased challenge and reward they provide. I can see myself losing great gladiators in the future because I wanted a specific reward, instead of just decapitating my enemy and be done with it.
All in all, the combat is fun, and deadly, and the pacing is good. Animations play fast, and an arena challenge is over in about five to ten minutes. For the demo, at least.
Pixel Rome
The graphics are retro in the style of pixel art, and it looks excellent. And it seems every piece of equipment has its own graphic. If you equip a hat, he or she will have it on during the battles, which is great for that visual feedback of improving equipment for your men. Overall, Bloodgrounds look very inviting and cozy, but that all depends on if you like pixel art, of course.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed my time with the demo, but I have to admit, I’m not a huge arena fighter lover (in games). I usually get bored after a while, since my need for adventure dulls the experience a bit. I need to see new things and to explore new lands! Even so, the Bloodgrounds demo grabbed me, and will easily go onto my Steam wishlist, since it’s probably the best arena style combat game I have played so far. The management alone seems very interesting, as building up a legacy around that is pretty enticing. Make sure to try the demo yourself, if curious. Release date is set to 2025, but unfortunately nothing more specific.
Thanks for reading.
– Thomas
Tom's Gaming Vault 