Blues and Bullets - Episode 1 Reviews
Technical issues mar an otherwise competent investigation
Blues and Bullets has a very rough start, but it has enough shining moments to keep players intrigued to see where Ness's story will roll. If the developers work more with the gameplay, fine tune the controls and add some difficulty with the sleuthing sequences, and continue to ramp up the story, then they will have an indie sleeper hit, even with the low quality character models. They also need to prove that the choices players make for Ness mean anything, because it's hard to say how any of it at this point matters at all. Even as it is now, however, it's well worth the $5 an episode.
It's hard to recommend Blues and Bullets Episode 1 because it feels like two games in one. The first half feels tedious, confusing and poorly paced, but then the second really shows the promise that A Crowd of Monsters has put into the game. If Episode 2 can really keep up the momentum that the second half of Episode 1 had, we're in for a treat. Otherwise, this is one cold case you probably shouldn't open again.
The first episode ended on a truly gripping exchange that sold me on trying the second episode, but the first episode in a vacuum is at times more painful to play through that any new IP can afford to be. Definitely keep an eye on Blues and Bullets. If Episode 2 can start off with the same pacing and tone that Episode 1 ended on, we might have a really strong point and click adventure series on our hands.
With one episode behind me, I feel like the series may be too rough in far too many areas to heartily recommend to all, but regardless there is something compelling about it. Whilst it is not always wise to gamble on future events, now that introductions are out of the way, hopefully the series can grow, and learn to better present its unique offerings in future episodes. I am happy to stick with it to see where it goes.
A lot of the issues with Blues and Bullets come down to the pacing, both that of the story, and the gameplay itself. While it manages to execute them both well, it hasn't really grasped the best way to structure itself. There's a lot of information to take in, and piecing the information together along with Elliot doesn't always end up feeling satisfying. Despite its problems, however, it's a truly gripping story, and the style will definitely leave those interested looking for more.
I think the game has some unique spins on the episodic adventure genre. The shooting is a bit simplistic, but definitely adds some excitement; and I cannot wait to do some more investigating. It's just a shame the rest of the game is a little bland.
A neo-noir aesthetic, gruesome investigations, and pending showdown between Eliot Ness and superhuman cultists separate "The End of Peace" from its genre rivals. However, awkward dialogue pauses, no worthwhile choices, and an inexplicable alternate timeline stop this episode from surpassing them.
I have no interest in finding out where the plot goes, because so far it's Arbitrary Events In The Lives Of Wooden Characters, but I do want to find out which dramatic places it will show me next.