Article / News

Humble Games & Exit 73 Studios Talk #BLUD

BLUD logo and art of an angry Becky wielding an umbrella

Chances are, if you’ve been following #BLUD (pronounced “hashtag blood”), you may be aware of the game and its developer’s work. #BLUD is a dungeon crawler/action RPG in development at Exit 73 Studios, an animation studio known for their high-quality work for clients such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Disney XD, and more. The project was something the studio originally conceived as an animated series, until one day the idea shifted to making it a video game. The concept dates back to at least 2018, and the studio talked a bit about this shift in early 2019.

The new news though is that Humble Games has now partnered with the studio to release #BLUD on PC next year. Featuring a fluid and wacky animation style, it’s easy to see influences everywhere from classic Nickelodeon cartoons to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but in a unique package that looks nothing like your average action RPG or dungeon crawler. From the publisher:

Humble Games shared a new publishing partnership with animation studio and developer Exit 73 on their debut game, #BLUD. #BLUD is a delightfully zany dungeon crawler that blends the line between video game and cartoon. Take on the role of plucky teen Becky Brewster as you balance school, friends, field hockey and fiend-slaying in this creative take on the traditional action RPG. Unique, high-quality 2D animation filled with personality and humor brings the world and characters of #BLUD to life in this one-of-a-kind animated adventure.

This brand-new trailer introduces vampire slayer Becky and showcases the animation style influenced by “hyperkinetic 90s cartoons” perfectly:

Be sure to also take a look at some screenshots for #BLUD to see more of its art style in sweet, non-animated form:

I know what you may be thinking so far: these screens and cinematic are neat, but why is this on RPGFan? Thankfully, Exit 73 has been sharing clips on YouTube for years, before this publishing deal with Humble Games. Here’s a clip from four years ago (!) that shows more of the UI, exploration, and dialogue sequences. I’m certainly curious how those will look today, after much more development time, but this is how the game was looking at the time:

So that’s what we have today for #BLUD, and you can be thankful I resisted every urge to work the phrase “there will be” before the title throughout this entire article, no matter how tempted I may have been. Exit 73 and Humble Games are aiming to have #BLUD on in your hands — and PCs — sometime in 2024, so keep an eye on RPGFan as we learn more about this colorful dungeon crawler!

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Mike Salbato

Mike Salbato

Mike has been with RPGFan nearly since its inception, and in that time has worn a surprising number of hats for someone who doesn't own a hatstand. Today he attempts to balance his Creative Director role with his Editor-in-Chief status. Despite the amount of coffee in his veins, he bleeds emerald green.

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