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Review: Unknown Game 4572
Author: SlowMotionRiot
Added: 28/07/2004
Overall:
Average:9/10

If you're looking for non-stop action, flying gibs and copious amounts of blood, and a gnarly retro feel to your action game, look no further than Pit Blood. Essentially, it's a top-down shoot-em-up paying homage in equal parts to Smash TV and the classic Robotron games. Very fun and INCREDIBLY addictive, you'll find yourself playing Pit Blood for hours, and still coming back for more.

PRESENTATION: The over-the-top blood and gore factor of this game permeates all aspects, ranging from the blood-dripping title screen (complete with a dangling skeleton used as a cursor--nice touch!) to the deep red menu backgrounds, sparse text and story, and metal music-style background tune...you've got a gritty game that stays true to its roots as a quick and dirty action title. One of the only notable drawbacks in this area is the lack of a high score table: something I would have loved to see for such a fine shoot-em-up.

GAMEPLAY: Controls are simple to understand and easy to master...which is a good thing, since enemies come at you from all directions and don't stop! "Game Levels" don't actually exist; instead, a timer in the bottom corner ticks away until it reaches zero and the "boss monster" appears. Once you destroy it, the cycle begins again. Things get frantic rather quickly, however, and you find yourself scrambling across the map to snatch those powerups (which, thankfully, frequently appear) before you're chopped to death by Mutant Spiders, the lizardlike Runners, or Zombies. It would have been nice to implement separate directional controls for movement and shooting (a la Smash TV), but the current control scheme works adequately.

GRAPHICS: Clean, stylized, and a little cartoonish, the various characters you shoot at serve as little more than that--if something moves, shoot it or dodge it. The flying limbs and spattering blood are an amusing (and commonly found) touch. A lot happens on a screen at once, and even though I experienced a little slowdown at times, when huge explosions took place, the game picked up and quickly resumed its fast pace.

SOUND AND MUSIC: From the opening announcement of the game's title--someone screaming "Pit Blood!" into a desktop microphone--you know you're in for an old-skool treat. The sound effects are all adequate, but the background music is a bit lacking. Once you realize you've been playing for over an hour and the tune has fallen to the background as if you're playing some sort of puzzle game, you realize that sound could have been utilized more for an even more engrossing playing experience.

LASTABILITY: I can't belive how many times I find myself itching for a Pit Blood fix. It's so simple to learn--yet so insanely challenging at the same time--you'll find yourself wanting to play "just one more game" to see if you can beat your last high score...Again, a high score table would be icing on the cake!

OVERALL: Pit Blood is a shining example of what makes all those older arcade titles still at the forefront of peoples' memory when they think of the golden age of quarter-gobbling arcade games. All aspects of this title cooperate to bring the player a great action game that you'll want to play again and again. I give two gore-encrusted thumbs up for Pit Blood!

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