Orangeblood Reviews
A game about anime waifus spouting rap slangcould be great, but somehow Orangeblood is simultaneously too insane and too boring to make it work.
Orangeblood offers a unique spin on the offbeat RPG formula that was popularized by EarthBound. This is very much a quirky turn-based game, but its foul language, hip hop music, '90s-inspired tone, and adult themes make it a weird, enjoyable curveball. Performance is stunted slightly compared to the PC version, but the game is still a good time.
Orangeblood is a great throwback to 16-bit JRPGs but sets itself apart with some unique twists on the standard gameplay loop and simple plot. This title also excels graphically in creating a wide array of environments within the confines of such a small world.
When all the profanities have been said and all the odd jobs have been done, Orangeblood is a one-of-a-kind experience that's equal parts endearing and incoherent. There's just enough to see, hear, and do to warrant a two-day getaway to New Koza.
Orangeblood is a mixed bag. On one hand, it's visually striking and has a conceptually deep battle system. On the other hand, the english translation is incomprehensible and your characters are too powerful to really have any sort of challenge or interesting fights. It won't physically and emotionally destroy you like the Lisa games, but it's still a decent enough RPG that I can recommend if it's on sale.
Orangeblood throws you into an alternative history timeline where you control a party of girls taking on the dirty and corrupt underworld of a Japanese municipality. It’s a game that merges cultures and aesthetics in a uniquely interesting way, but also struggles to find its footing at the same time.
Come on into New Koza, a man-made island off the coast of Okinawa, in Orangeblood. A stylish hip-hop-inspired JRPG marred by clunky battles and dreadful dialogue. Gorgeous to look at and overall has a good vibe, but it's just not enough to save it.
Orangeblood is by no means a must-play JRPG but it does have some redeeming qualities. The look and sound of it are the best parts and while the combat system didn’t impress me it worked well enough for me to see it through. It’s really too bad that the story and dialog weren’t better otherwise I could more highly recommend this one.
It’s too edgy and incomprehensible to be a good story, too blurry and noisy to look nice despite all the clear effort, and the combat system ultimately adds up to grinding and making your basic numbers go up. It’s a style over substance kind of situation, but without the style to actually pull that off.
Orangeblood is your simple, run-of-the-mill JRPG that gives you that nostalgic feeling for the games we played growing up.
I enjoyed my time with ORANGEBLOOD. It is very rough around the edges and while the story is not a very optimistic one, the style and flavor that the world of hardened criminals and punk city aesthetic has going for it, is something I had a lot of fun with. I would like to see what the developers can come up with again though, maybe with a more cohesive story, a more likeable protagonist, or strictly speaking, more resources to make a bigger game in this style. I got plenty of hours out of ORANGEBLOOD. It took me about 12-15 hours to finish and 20 to complete those pesky chests and extra items to search for. With an asking price of $19.99 you will get your money’s worth in my opinion. This game was so close to being something really special, I urge you to give it a try if you’re intrigued by the setting or need an RPG with a different style going for it.
Orangeblood could have been something unique while calling back to the days of retro JRPGs, but its derogatory dialogue holds it back from being an experience worthwhile.
Orangeblood feels like a great game mired by small technical issues and has a short road to being an easy recommendation. With the developers still working on and releasing updates for the game regularly, Orangeblood could be a great pick-up for the turn-based JRPG gamer that’s looking for something off the beaten path.
Ultimately I would have to call Orangeblood rather lacking as a package deal. There are tons of concepts there that could really rule, but just get pummelled and that ain’t cool. A game with a focus on music and hip-hop, should have some rhymes that just don’t stop. Instead what we get is some sub-par translations, I swear I’ve seen better in MTL stations. While combat and gameplay provides something unique, it just isn’t quite enough to get a winning streak. So while Orangeblood is definitely worth trekking, it certainly needs some quality checking. So while a somewhat subpar score I’m contriving, I really do hope these devs keep on striving. Peace out homes.
It tries to do a lot of things, and definitely has a distinct personality from anything else I remember playing. Layering everything with needless profanity is not the magic bullet to become amazing though, and using the game’s real bullets is often more complicated than it should be.
Orangeblood is a game of half measures. It feels like it’s afraid of taking its bold style all the way, and the game suffers for it. While it did catch my attention at PAX West last year, actually sitting down with the full release was a disappointing experience.
Orangeblood has some really nice ideas, but the execution can feel lacking at times. However, the soundtrack and battle system is robust, which made getting through the game pretty entertaining at times. However, the confusing story and excessive padding keep Orangeblood from reaching its full potential.