If you were to take a beloved PC classic like Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines and hand it off to a one man studio who...decided it should be a dungeon crawler first and foremost, you'll get something like Bloodlust. While it does have a hub with its share of secrets and areas to explore, a majority of your time will be spent in one of the many dungeons this game has. Nearly everything, from repeatable NPC quests to even progressing through the story will have you returning to one of these procedurally generated dungeons and hope RNG is on your side.
Okay, let's get the negatives out of the way - a game boasting 30+ floors of randomness sounds neat in concept...but when you're merely there just to nab a quest item and get out, it can get jarring. First off, you'll need keys to access a dungeon, although they're plentiful enough. Quest givers usually hand off a couple, and these things can be looted off containers and enemies. While the game says these dungeons are randomly generated, they're essentially identical floors with different layouts. And with that randomness in mind, it can be fruitless to scour every inch of a dungeon and not find jack ***, and have to move onto the next floor. Worse, you don't simply exit the dungeon once you had your fix...again, an exit will appear randomly on the map, meaning you might have to delve through another floor or two and see that red square on your map. Honestly, it's not as grating as it sounds, and at that point you'll be spoiled with enough loot that you're bound to find something that you like...and sometimes I just keep pressing on just to see what other goodies I run across.
People expecting to look like a heavily clad bad-ass will be disappointed, however. Aside from gear you wear on your face like glasses or masks, hats and piercings, the rest of these armor sets are in name and stats only. What outfit your character started off with is something you're going to be seeing forever. In fact, even character creation is very basic, choosing between vampire and dhampir (whose only difference I can tell is that blood depletes slower with dhampirs), your gender, and your class...which is pretty much what outfit you want to be stuck with. Over the span of 2 years, this game has been updated diligently, and character creation is...well, "improved." Aside from the stock model (that you can tell because it's the most detailed) there is some variety, although it's basically the same pale skinned alternate with different make-up, Mike Tyson tattoo, scar or darker skin tone.
Look, I don't want to make the game sound like it's terrible. You're looking at a game costing a sly $13 (and if I remember correctly, released on Halloween a year and a half ago) and yet...I had over 20 hours clocked in. I...really can't explain it. Bloodlust just has enough charm that the padding feels less like a slog knowing the longer I spend in these repetitive dungeons, the more awesome the loot becomes. And hell, it's the perfect place to constantly level up...something you might consider biting to bullet for, considering some of the later gear have some ridiculous stat requirements. And besides...this impressive game was literally made by one guy. I know, I know...it's the usual excuse some developers love to cling onto when their game sucks, but believe me, Bloodlust is one addicting game.
Whether you're hacking terminals to unlock secret doors in the hub, exploring the buildings and figuring out how to open the next door...it's surprising to stumble on a lot of things in this game just by picking locks and inadvertently entering a new vampire lair. It's...also a very cryptic game. Bloodlust is a game I recommend you bring a notepad, because things like passwords and hints don't update on your quest log. I don't know how much has changed since last year, but I just started a fresh run, and the improvements are noticeable. Some crucial items can be bought through a vendor instead of slogging through the dungeons, the graphics have been slightly improved, and some quests have been tweaked to be a little clearer. All in all, if you're looking for a budget PC game that'll last you over a dozen hours...really, $13 is easily getting your money's worth.