Laika: Aged Through Blood Reviews
Laika: Aged Through Blood mixes motorbikes and gunplay to create an incredibly unique metroidvania experience. Bolstered by a beautiful soundtrack and brutal story, its unapologetic approach to mastering both bike and bullet rewards learning from frequents death with some seriously slick and satisfying combat.
Laika: Aged Through Blood is a haunting metroidvania unlike any other. The blend of breakneck motorcycle combat and a harrowing story of revenge smash together to create an artistic experience few games this year can rival.
Laika: Aged Through Blood is a game like no other. While its influences are clear, the manner in which these aspects have been combined is masterful. Traversing the thoughtfully designed world and skillfully eliminating enemies feels great. Although it can take a while to truly get to grips with the mechanics, when it clicks, it’s incredible.
Laika Aged Through Blood takes some time to get used to but offers a unique combination of gameplay styles. Still, it's not without growing pains, like button combinations not being as intuitive or the pace taking some misteps. There's still some cool ideas here in terms of gameplay and narrative that should be checked out even if you're only a little curious.
If you've missed Trials, love dark and well-designed worlds, and dream of short play sessions, there is simply no better choice for a few minutes before bed than Laika: Aged Through Blood.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Laika: Aged Through Blood is a metroidvania that experiments in interesting way with stunts and slow motion in combat and exploration thanks to the motorbike mechanics. It has a wonderful diegetic soundtrack and a cruel plot well screenplayed with some great ludonarrative moments.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Laika: Aged Through Blood is a fairly remarkable game, even if it got on my nerves something fierce due to its predilection for unnecessary mechanics.
Still, despite these problems, I’m glad I took the journey across Laika: Aged Through Blood’s barren hellscape. Despite its extreme violence and unapologetic bleakness, this space is defined by a surprising emotional range thanks to its compelling protagonist and her brutal quest to save those she loves. Motorcycle treks through the wastes are backed by a soundtrack that teases out pain only partially staunched by the thrills of motorcycle-backed duels. And perhaps most notably, it works as an underrepresented game about motherhood, detailing both the unfair expectations and triumphs that come from being a mom. It’s an experience capable of conjuring powerful feelings: disgust, despair, and a smoldering hope that our gunslinger’s actions can improve the lot of those closest to her.
Laika: Aged through blood is one of the most interesting metroidvania in recent years. The combat mechanics with the motorcycle are truly original and, although complicated to handle at first, very satisfying for the player. Special mention to the artistic design and the settings that will dazzle more than one when they take control of the game. If you are a metroidvania fan, do not hesitate to get this game and if you are not and you like challenging games you will also enjoy it a lot.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Even with some mechanics that make gameplay more difficult, Laika: Aged Through Blood leaves a trail of intense emotions as you maneuver a motorcycle through the desert against a relentless army. The contrast between the raw violence and the beauty of the designed scenarios and, especially, the songs with vocals, converges to the representation of human tragedies in the fight for survival in this unique, bloody and beautifully melancholic metroidvania.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Laika: Aged Through Blood promises to be much more than a revenge story, with an adventure that puts its own spin on the metroidvania genre.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Laika: Aged Through Blood is a rather unique metroidvania experience that scores with very satisfying motorbike traversal, and a melancholic atmosphere that's supported by one of the best soundtracks of the year.
Whilst I’ve listed a few nit-picks during this review, I thoroughly enjoyed playing Laika. Within the first few hours, I was already telling fans of the genre that they had to check this out, and that’s still the case now. I feel like the lack of a general buzz around this game is only down to the fact that it has launched during such a busy period of big-budget titles.
Laika: Aged Through Blood is a must-play for fans of both motorbike action and metroidvania games. Its fast-paced vehicular combat, breathtaking hand-drawn world, emotionally resonant story, and innovative genre blend make it a standout title in the indie gaming scene. If you’re looking for an unforgettable gaming experience that offers both challenge and depth, Laika: Aged Through Blood is the game for you.
The new Brainwash Gang disguises itself as a "normal game" to explore, perhaps more deeply than ever, the themes that have obsessed the Madrid-based studio since its beginnings.
Review in Spanish | Read full review