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Laika: Aged Through Blood is a 9/10 experience built on a 6.5/10 game. This game has so much going for it - fantastic music, gorgeous art, and a hard-hitting story that serves as this game's heartbeat - that I'm able to overlook a lot of the issues with the game's core mechanics. Was easily worth both my time and money, even if I don't know if I'm planning it on playing it again.

PROS
+ Art good
+ Music good
+ Strong story

CONS
- Gameplay gets stale and backtrack-y
- Not really a metroidvania

A self-described "motorvania," Laika: ATB blends the 2D physics-based motorcycle mechanics you know (and maybe love, I don't know) from mobile games and flash games of old with a large, interconnected map that you explore. Does the game deliver on this premise?

No.

I think Laika: ATB fundamentally fails at being a metroidvania. In a genre that is becoming especially crowded nowadays, I think it's really weird for what is such a polished game to miss the mark so badly. The whole point of metroidvanias is that as you play through the game, you unlock new things that open up the map in new ways, letting you revisit old areas with new eyes to find secrets and unveiling massive sections of the map. In Laika, there are really only two "things" that open up the map in this way - one you get within about the first hour of a normal playthrough, and one you get in the last hour of a normal playthrough. For the majority of the playthrough, you have the same skill set, and the map becomes stagnant. It's especially odd because there are so many things that seem like they would be perfect for this exact thing, but they just... aren't used for anything. There's a point in the game where you unlock something new and use it to blow up a destructible wall, and I thought "Oh great! I bet this unlocks a new section somewhere!" It doesn't. It's used for one very specific thing for the rest of the game and nothing else, and it just feels like wasted potential or even a demo map for a much larger game.

The game also doubles down on this failure in the game design by creating a lot of boring backtracking. Sure, you'll revisit the same areas a few times, but not because you are coming back to find something new. It's more like replaying the same levels a few times because the game needs you to get X from Y location, so you just suck it up and run it back through the levels without much changing. Thankfully, the game does give you something that trivializes a lot of these areas in the endgame which makes running through the last few quests a lot more bearable.

This also represents a problem with the game's quests. I understand that there are a bunch of fundamental limitations on what exactly you can ask the player to do in a game like Laika, but having 90% of quests be glorified versions of "Go here, press E, go back, press E" does get old very quickly. It just feels like obviously leaving things on the table - it's a vehicle game, but we don't have any time attacks. It's (nominally) a game about exploration, but there aren't puzzles or secrets. It's a game about combat and warfare, but we are just going to ask the player to fight the same fodder enemies in the same configuration for all two (TWO!) combat quests I remember getting in my 100% play-through.

And on that note, yes, there is a very very evident lack of enemy variety. There's like... 3 non-boss enemies you fight the entire game, and because of the way the game's designed, they're also all in the same locations every time, which means you very quickly run out of actually engaging combat situations. Once you figure out the line for a room, that's pretty much it.

The bosses are also a little underwhelming. It's kind of sad that I think the game actually peaks with the first boss in the intro segment - it's really tense and engaging, even if it's not actually that mechanically challenging to beat. I really wish that the game leaned into that Shadow of the Colossus style of using bosses as these geometries for the player to interact with mid-fight, leaning more into the mobility aspect of the vehicle game by creating these ramps and stuff for the player to have fun with instead of making bosses these background set pieces that create simplistic "Dodge these projectiles then shoot them" challenges.

I think if I had to sum up my thoughts on the gameplay, it would be "half-baked." The game is fundamentally actually very solid: running through the game is pretty fun, the mechanics are satisfying, and there are a lot of things that I do like about it. For my negativity, John Wick-ing a screen of cannon fodder extras in bullet time while backflipping on a motorcycle is always going to be at least a little fun. The game also leans into the "punishing players for death stops them from doing cool things" philosophy, which makes the game much more fun for me. There's just so many things in this game that feel like the start of something great, but aren't all the way there.

Half-baked is also something that applies to all the non-combat aspects of normal gameplay. Upgrades and unlocks generally just amount to "Go here, shoot X" and aren't something that really change the game in any meaningful way. The full expanded arsenal of weapons sounds like fun until you realize that you pretty much never want to swap off the revolver ever, especially since some of the weapons are pretty much just worse versions of what the revolver already does (cough cough Sniper Rifle cough cough). The cooking system seems really fun but it's also just feels unfinished and shallow. The potential for awesome gameplay depth is right there, but the game just can't quite grasp it.

Ok, so the game is half-baked, but it is serviceable. The mechanics do what they need to do to make the rest of the game work: they give the player something to do while going from point A to point B, they keep the game's pace in check to prevent story beats from just hitting back to back to back over and over again, they have a place in the game's story in a way that I didn't really expect, and they sell the player on one of the core tenets that makes the game's story click: you really do feel like the most powerful entity in the Wastelands.

Convincing the player of that is the step 0 to why this game is so worth your time and money: the story. I wouldn't even characterize this game as one that's exceptionally well-written - a lot of the dialogue is kinda corny, if we're being honest - but man does the game want to hit you in the feels. It's Fallout NV's antithesis - both games have the same premise of you being an unkillable gunman in post-apocalyptica with a habit of making enemies explode into random gibs in slow motion, but they explore totally different sides of that coin. Where Fallout NV uses this premise to give the player incredible latitude to alter the course of the world, Laika does the absolute opposite, and it's amazing. It's not a game about deep moral questions - you're fighting against Captain Kidgutter and Corporal I-Mutilate-Babies, for God's sake - but the linearity is what makes the story work.

Of course, all of this is on top of a fantastic soundtrack, sweet sound design, and gorgeous-looking art. This game's OST delivers banger after banger, to the point where some of the music feels TOO good for what it's actually for. I don't know who in Brainwash told Beicoli to go this hard on music that just plays when I'm toodling around the desert, but it's fantastic. The game looks fantastic as well, with a 2D aesthetic that works incredibly well for the game. I kind of wish we got some more vistas to look at, but it's a statement that this game is still breathtaking in the era of modern graphics.

If you enjoy this game, you will enjoy it for the story, graphics, and soundtrack. The gameplay is just how those elements actually get to you as a player more than anything else.

This game was a revelation for me in terms of a new gaming experience. "Laika: Aged Through Blood" is an atmospheric metroidvania that stands out from others in its genre due to its unique combination of styles and mechanics, as well as its unusual aesthetic. Visually, the game impresses with its hand-drawn graphics, and its brutal violence and frequent scenes of brutality underscore the tense atmosphere of the game world.
The main events take place in a post-apocalyptic world where birds have declared their racial superiority over other species and launched a brutal war of extermination. As a result of constant warfare and the depletion of resources, the land has turned into a desert. The other inhabitants of the wasteland hide, gather in small settlements and try to survive. The story follows Laika, a coyote warrior, as she tries to save her settlement from the invaders.
The majority of the game is spent riding a motorcycle. You can balance the bike, perform various tricks and block enemy bullets. The combat system is implemented in an interesting and unconventional way: a backflip reloads the weapon, while a front flip gives the ability to ricochet bullets back at enemies. Holding down the fire button activates a slow-motion mode, allowing you to better aim and plan your next moves in battle. The one-shot system, where you and your enemies (except bosses) die with a single hit, keeps the tension high and forces you to be more careful. This set of abilities, along with the proper use of the world's terrain, allows for the effective destruction of enemies, even if it may seem a bit challenging at first. As you progress through the game, however, not only does your character improve, but so does your understanding of the game's mechanics.
The game's painterly visual style is very pleasing. Characters, locations and effects are well done and stand out for their originality. The beautiful animated cutscenes are also worth mentioning, although there aren't many of them. The music in the game is wonderful - melancholic and effectively conveys the atmosphere of western post-apocalypse and hopelessness. I particularly enjoyed the mechanic of searching for new music tapes scattered around the world and listening to them on the player while riding a motorbike
Now for the aspects of the game that players may not like. The general description of the quests is well written, but the description of the specific task is often vague, which can make it difficult to complete the quest. For example, a quest may tell you to go to a certain place and find an item, but not give the exact location. This requires careful exploration of the location, which is fine if it is unexplored, but usually these are locations that have been fully explored several times and the item was not there before, or was non-interactive and seen as a decoration. There are also sometimes problems with the detection of interactive items, which can make finding quest items even more difficult. I had a situation where I couldn't find a quest item for a long time, even though I was driving right by it, because it looked like a normal decoration. In addition, quest items can be sold by merchants and are visually indistinguishable from other consumables, making them difficult to find, especially early in the game. The rewards for additional quests are usually small and insignificant.
Bosses are not a strong aspect of the game. In fact, their attacks can be quite monotonous. Some bosses follow a pattern: dodge their attacks until the boss exposes his vulnerable spot for a hit. I expected a lot more from the last boss. In general, the bosses in the game are not bad, but they lack variety and complexity.
As a result, I liked this game, with its beautiful hand-drawn visuals, great music, interesting story and lore, good and unusual gameplay, and was able to get into it and enjoy it. However, due to some of its features, it may not be suitable for everyone, but those who can accept it will get their share of emotion and enjoyment. I recommend trying the demo version first, which will give you a better understanding of the game. Also, if you buy the game, all your progress from the demo will be transferred to the main game.

This is a very good 20 hour game, is the short of it.
Gameplay is incredibly crisp and I fell in love with it instantly. As many have pointed out, the free demo will very quickly let you will even like it. The demo allows like 2 hours of content, and the save is even loadable by the full game.
While playing this game you will feel very damn cool. You will also feel like a massive fool at times. It's amazing when those two feelings are mere seconds apart, because despite having just killed a mob of enemies and successfully reloaded every single weapon, you have face-planted into the ground. Only demerit here with gameplay is the boss fights are a bit... underwhelming? They're not bad, but they are not very hard nor mechanically intense. A bit of a blessing and a curse, as on one hand I wanted a bit more, but on the other I'm also terrible at boss fights in most games. The only boss I had trouble with I figured out was the easiest with a silly cheese strat that made me feel like I was morphing into a cheese wedge.
The music is beautiful. The only issue I have with the music is some locations use their own forced... not even soundtrack, but more like ambiance. Considering how long I was in some those areas, it can get kinda dull. However when in areas the cassette player is available, there's a total of like 1 hour of music when they're all unlocked. The music has found its way into my Spotify playlists, it's just beautiful.
Visually, game is quite lovely. The artstyle is very pretty, and I at no point thought that something didn't look great. (Note my experience with the demo did have a strange graphical bug, but the full game didn't have it.) The only gripe I have here is the camera. Some places the camera will move to give a specific view of a zone, which is great most the time. However when backtracking, it can result in enemies you can't see. The atmosphere of all the locations is amazing. Characters can also get quite expressive too.
Technically the game is quite sound. I got stuck in the ground only twice, and the second time was entirely my fault. I only encountered maybe a handful of bugs, with only one of them I could consistently cause. Besides the one I could cause every single time I wanted it, I encountered 5 gameplay bugs and a harmless UI bug. In total I got stuck in the ground twice, left the camera behind twice, and had the weird progression lock. (I did something very strange and I can easily see how that broke the game, exiting and loading fixed it.) The UI bug is sometimes a quest will be in the logbook twice, but it fixes itself and doesn't cause any instability nor loss of function.
Progression wise the game is decent. There are massive jumps in capability spread throughout the game, and they all feel great. Only thing I wish is the game either was like 2 hours longer after reaching peak capability, or gave the capability a bit earlier. A New Game+ might also help this, as I would love to replay the game with all the tools at my disposal to see how cracked it would be. I only went grinding for resources once, but that's because I wanted to do it all at once. Normal gameplay provides an adequate amount of resources, especially if you don't want to upgrade weapons you don't use.
Now the story. The story is terrible. No, not the quality, the content. The quality is immaculate, but this game is the only piece of media that's put me on the verge of crying. I will shamelessly admit that there was a point where I had to lie down because I couldn't see from teary eyes. It's a shame that the story will be such a small part of this review, because to me this was pretty big plus. It's terribly great, 10/10.
Quests. There's a lot of fetch quests and running around the world. There is a fast travel system, but it isn't convenient all the time. I didn't find that awful as I liked moving through the environment, but I can see how players won't like backtracking and going to places they have been before for simple fetch quests. The rewards are also not great, but eh. I mostly did them for the world building and it making me plan routes through the map.
Now, with being only a 20 hour game for doing most of the game's content (I am at time of writing missing just playing more blackjack and cooking more buffs... and dying a lot), the big question is replayability. The story isn't going to hit as hard, but the gameplay will still be crisp. I'm pretty sure runs could be done with a specific playstyle/weapon/goal in mind.
I doubt it would ever happen, but if the developers came back to this game I would buy a DLC without any hesitation. A New Game+ would be welcome as well, as I mentioned with being able to play the whole game again with all the bells and whistles. I don't see the need for a boss rush, since the bosses are more of a story telling element than a gameplay one, but I wouldn't be against it as it would probably have wicked speedruns.
It's a wonderful game of a coyote mom just trying her best. It's not a perfect game, but the things that make it wonderful easily outshine the bad.