I Dracula: Genesis is a game that knows what it is. Even with all the clutter is a good game. It’s not a groundbreaking game, and it can get in the way of itself at times, but overall it’s a fun time.
So being honest, I’m a sucker for 16-bit style games. Something about them just draws me in. I guess it’s the lack of time with them since I’m a late 90s kid. I never really got to experience that love and excitement first-person as a kid. So when I can get my hands on something like that I get super excited. Enter I, Dracula: Genesis to the Steam Library.
I, Dracula: Genesis is an isometric, pixel, shooter set in an alternate, post-apocalyptic reality. Earth as you know it has been destroyed and all the ‘norms’ you had are now gone. You play as a hunter and are forced to survive this new world and environment. You have to fight against demons, mutating monsters, and aggressive robots. Your goal is to defeat the evil Lord Dracula who rules overall. You’re able to pick up a wide array of weapons and have major modifiers to them as you move through the game, as well as mystic perks and spells that you can pick up. There is also quite a lot to unpack when it comes to the game overall. It’s fast pace and fast combat made for a tough challenge for the player.
After going through the tutorial kinda quick I jumped into the first world. Now, I’ll be first to admit isometric games and my keyboard and mouse skills are at almost different ends of the spectrum. I’ve still not had much experience with keyboard and mouse while gaming. Hopping into close and fast combat was super tough at first. I was able to manage though and figure out somewhat correct positioning with my character and my mouse. The worlds are built of different ‘islands’ so to speak. You travel in between radioactive waste and water to go and defeat enemies. Combat also took me some time to figure out. I found myself struggling to get out of my own way at times (mostly due to MY lack of control) but it also felt like the monsters were slightly overpowered at times.
The style of this game is something that I really enjoy. It almost feels 16-bit and that’s something that I mentioned earlier. However, this kinda puts that on its head. In my mind, when I think of pixel-art, I tend to think happy and bubbly games. This, while really cool, definitely doesn’t fit that mold. It feels gritty and honestly pretty dark. It’s like a gross, but a cool gross. It’s like when you’re a kid and you find a lizard and it spits at you when you pick it up. You know it’s really gross and kind of nasty, but you’re mesmerized by it and it’s the coolest thing you’ve seen and you wanna watch it again.
This is a permadeath game also, which I learned the hard way the first time. When you restart, you RESTART. You really have to think and play strategy and safe at times. Using a run and gun strategy may seem like fun and a good idea at times, but more often than not the game will take you out and kick you while your down. You can come by health, but you’re often lucky if you do and will have to savor it, or if you’re lucky enough you can buy it with what money you can acquire. Weapons are super fun in this game. Even just the base pistol (not sure if it’s called that) is really fun to shoot with. Weapons that you pickup are also fun and can be upgraded beyond your wildest dreams. It can be slightly overwhelming with all the choices and you can kinda get lost in all the options you have.
There is a lot that this game offers for the users. From playable characters to worlds, to villains, and more. This is a different game than what most pixel art games I’ve seen. It’s a good game, that at times feels too cluttered. While I was playing it, this threw a bunch of stuff at me at once. The tutorial is useful to get a lay of the land and grab your bearings. Once in the game though, there is just so much that’s given to you. You find your own way and enemies are coming fast and furious at you. Permadeath is fine and wonderful, but at times I found it frustrating as I’d lose progress and be forced to restart due to not finding and health. The number of weapons can be confusing and hard to follow plus the upgrades to them make it a lot to take in. Basically, there’s a lot that goes into this game and the mechanics. That being said it’s a fun shooter and it gives that arcadey feel that I’ve wanted to experience in my life.
I Dracula: Genesis is a game that knows what it is. Even with all the clutter is a good game. It’s not a groundbreaking game, and it can get in the way of itself at times, but overall it’s a fun time.
