Indie Corner: Blues and Bullets Best Episodic Ever?

A Crowd of Monsters wouldn’t be my first thought when talking about a potential Game of the Year nomination. It isn’t because they are not qualified or that they aren’t talented enough. It is just that they don’t have the resume of most GOTY candidates. I could be wrong, but this is Crowd of Monsters third game – previously they released a mobile title, and an endless runner that we reviewed called Clash of Titans. I was pleasantly surprised when I loaded Blues and Bullets, and what I hoped would be an hour long session (It was midnight on a weekday after all) turned into a few hours.

Don’t be fooled by the first few minutes of the game, which frankly bordered on the bizarre, eliciting a “what the hell are you playing” response from my wife. While bizarre, the first few minutes of the game lay the groundwork for what is to come, but does not really dictate what the entire game will be like.

You play as ex-detective turned diner owner, Elliot Ness. I don’t want to spoil too much of the story as it is integral to the overall user experience. All you need to understand is that Elliot Ness has numerous run ins with the Italian mafia and renown criminal, Al Capone. That is all I will say about the story, but understand that it is incredibly fantastic!

The game is definitely in the crime-noir genre, where story telling and visuals push they player along. The dominate two colors – greys and reds – help highlight important areas of interest in each and every scene. Excellent voice acting and a great soundtrack make looking over crime scenes both exhilarating and suspenseful. The developers at Crowd of Monsters have done an excellent job balancing game play with visuals and storytelling, something many games fail to do. They either have an excellent story with bland game play, or vice versa.

Blues and Bullets first episode is not without its own problems, but they are few. Sure, the game play could be more difficult, but people who are episodic veterans will understand that these games are more about the choices you make and how they affect the story, rather than how hard or easy the game is. If you have a few hours free, I cannot recommend the first episode of Blues and Bullets enough!