
In a market inundated with Metroidvanias, Laika: Aged Through Blood does something remarkable: it actually tries something new. That’s not to say that recent examples haven’t had a good crack at standing out amongst the crowd — Animal Well is certainly testament to that — but many largely stick to the same rulebook. Laika tears it apart and chucks it into the fires of Mount Doom.
So what makes this one so different? Well, it’s all about the traversal: Laika expertly blends motocross gameplay with more traditional Metroidvania mechanics, doing away with segmented rooms and corridors in favour of sprawling, interconnected landscapes. You’re specifically encouraged to travel at high speeds, launch yourself into the air, and pull off badass flips that will have Trials fans giddy.
Unlike other Metroidvanias, where the environment begins to fade into the background as you familiarise yourself with its layout, Laika demands that you continue to pay attention, as one false move can result in your bloodied carcass staining the ground. It’s not just your control of the bike that you’ll need to keep an eye on, however, as a band of ‘Bird’ soldiers will be dotted around the landscape, eager to put a bullet in your head and end your journey.
Taking more than a few aesthetic cues from Mad Max, Laika stars the titular heroine who, as a resident of a rundown settlement called ‘Where We Live’, is the only one with the authority to head out into the Wasteland to find supplies. After tragedy strikes early on, Laika must embark on a deadly quest to vanquish the Bird clan while fulfilling parental duties to her young daughter, Puppy.
To put it bluntly, Laika is a bleak and brutal game: dark, mature themes are tackled head-on, NPCs swear with reckless abandon, and gory scenes occur with such regularity that it frankly makes the likes of RetroRealms: Ash vs Evil Dead look tame by comparison. Don’t let the bright colours and anthropomorphic animals fool you; this is absolutely not for youngsters.
To contrast this, however, Laika is beautiful to behold. The character and environment design is impeccable and there’s always something interesting to look at or interact with on your travels; quite an achievement given the barren, post-apocalyptic setting. Quieter moments where you’re simply tearing down a dirt track are also bolstered significantly by a sublime OST largely made up of vocal tracks from composer Beatriz "Beícoli" Ruiz-Castillo. We’re going to go on record and say that it’s probably one of the strongest video game soundtracks we’ve heard in years; marvellous stuff.
Of course, this would all be rendered moot if the gameplay wasn’t up to scratch, but as we've alluded to, the motocross traversal mixed with the deadly encounters with the Bird clan is magnificent. Initially, you’re granted a simple handgun with opportunities to increase its measly two-bullet chamber at stores dotted around the landscape, but for most scenarios, two bullets at a time is all you need.

Getting to grips with the controls can take a few minutes, but the gist is that you accelerate with ‘L’, shoot with ‘R’, balance your bike with the left analogue stick, and aim with the right. You can reverse direction by briefly holding down ‘Y’, and this will also neatly deflect bullets if you manage to time it just right. It’s not what you might be used to in a Metroidvania, so if it feels a bit weird at first, don’t panic; it won’t be long until you’re performing multiple flips and popping the heads off countless Birds in one go.
That said, it’s a bloomin’ difficult game. The gameplay's very nature means that if you bail or get shot, you die immediately. To offset this, however, checkpoints are provided at a generous rate, meaning you’ll never have to travel very far if you want to get back into the action. In addition, holding down ‘R’ will activate bullet-time, giving you a few moments to line up your shots and pull off some of the most incredible stunts. It’s much appreciated given that the majority of your enemy encounters will likely happen while you’re mid-air.

Acrobatic flips aren't just for show, either (although it does always look cool): they're actually necessary to ensure that you’re well equipped for battles. Flipping backwards reloads your gun, while flipping forward recharges your ability to manually deflect bullets. You can also skip a lot of encounters, if you wish, but taking on as many enemies as possible is encouraged in order to gain ‘viscera’, the literal internal Bird guts that act as the game’s currency. Gross.
With this, you can purchase a number of additional weapons, including shotguns, crossbows, machine guns, and more, or you can upgrade your current arsenal, stock up on crafting materials, and even purchase cute little presents for Puppy back home. There’s also a merchant who will fill in your map for a small fee; a vital purchase that will make exploration exponentially easier, even if he does always call Laika a… Well, we won’t say it. Such a potty mouth.
With multiple major areas to uncover, dungeons to explore, and formidable boss characters to vanquish, Laika will likely take you around 15 or so hours to complete; a handful more if you’re looking to gather up all optional collectibles and store purchases. The difficulty might prove a bit much for some, and unfortunately despite its lengthy delay on Switch (in fact, some of you may have grabbed the game off the eShop last year before it was hastily recalled), there are still some minor performance hitches to be ironed out. Nothing that completely derails the experience, but a handful of moments in which the frame rate stutters, or the camera bugs out a bit after transitioning to a new area.
Conclusion
Now that the Switch version Laika: Aged Through Blood has finally arrived, it can finally join Hollow Knight, Animal Well, and Blasphemous II as a true modern classic in the Metroidvania genre. The premise and gameplay are like no other, seamlessly combining motocross gameplay with badass bullet-time shootouts that constantly feels satisfying. Chuck in one of the best soundtracks we've heard in years and maybe iron out the remaining performance hiccups, and Laika could well be an early contender for Switch GOTY 2025.
Comments 41
I noticed this on the eShop in the upcoming section a few weeks back and loved the look of it. The visuals look great, and Thunderful has a pretty spotless track record. May pick this up at some point.
Gosh... I love this game.
It gives me Katana Zero vibes gameplay wise - despite the obvious differences of the setting. I wonder if I'm right here.
Thanks for the review, while I'm not particularly interested in this personally considering how "bleak and brutal" it is and especially its difficulty (although it's appreciated that checkpoints are frequent at least) I'm glad to hear it's so good for those who are - fingers crossed that the few minor performance issues can be eventually fixed so that it's even better on Switch!
"Soundtrack is one of the best we've heard in years"
Wow, I might pick up the game just because of this.
For those who dont like the difficulty, there is an strategy called git gud, it is based on trying a couple of times before succeeding.
I love Metroidvanias, Souls difficulty, and Trials games, so this would be right up my alley...
...if only it didn't have all the gore and profanity. That makes it a no-go for me. Too bad since this sounds really intriguing otherwise.
Gotta be worth a shot, just to reward them for bringing a bit of novelty to the scene. Any word on physical?
All these mvs piling high in my Switch be making it more stable than any firmware patches.
This sounds so interesting and reads like a 9. I'll have to watch some videos to confirm if I'll love it, but I'm very hopeful.
@Princess_Lilly Or I could just not waste my limited time and money on a game I know I won't enjoy that much. That seems like a better strategy to me.
Oh boy! Pixel style metroidvania/roguelike #42,420 I can’t wait to ignore it!
@Olliemar28
Thanks for the review! I forgot about this game as it disappeared from the Eshop. I’m glad I snagged it on the final day of the sale! Up there with the likes of Hollow Knight is certainly high praise. Do we know why the game was pulled for over a year?
Really good game, I'm having fun with this motorvania. Just curious: does anyone know what the difference is between this version and the one published last year on the eShop and then delisted?
@Bydlak
Katana Zero was a pretty cool game! I could be wrong but I thought there was a free DLC expansion that was planned for the game years ago?
@Swooce I'm kind of mixed on this. If the checkpoint is close to a boss I don't mind a strong challenge or if their is a way to upgrade your stuff and come back. I just really dislike playing the same pre boss area over and over. My only issue with Metroid Dread is they put that elevator right before the final boss, on the harder difficulty I got very sick of that elevator.
@Princess_Lilly many games force you to fail before you have any chance to succeed which is a turn off since they dont let you save game whenever you want to
Mentioning the Trials game got my attention. I love Trials Rising. And I love metriodvanias. But the difficulty. Yes I know git gud. And I died 5000+ times in Celeste. But the game needs to be very good to justify the time spent getting good. This game might be that good. Thanks for the review!
Thinking I'll grab this one on PC. Was curious if they'd be able to push it to 60fps on Switch, and it's at 30fps; will probably end up doubledipping if it can be pushed up to 60fps on Switch 2?
@Overzeal Go look at the screenshots and tell me this is a pixel game lol
@Overzeal
Yeah not sure what you’re looking at…let alone complaining about a game you’ve never played or actually seen does come off as ignorant. To each their own but you’re gonna miss out on a ton of gems with that approach
@Rainz
You're right! They boasted of a huge DLC and we haven't seen any yet!
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/03/katana_zero_dev_says_free_dlc_is_now_so_big_its_more_like_katana_1_5
This is a very cool concept, I think I’ll pass tho as it’s a bit too bloody and vulgar for my liking.
@Bydlak
Ah Ha! Ok thank you for confirming I’m not crazy lol. Yeah I remember that article now…I’m assuming this means the DLC will essentially become Katana Zero 2….err…Katana One perhaps? That was 4 years ago already…this game is a lowkey Silksong 😝
I'm playing it atm and have to agree, the soundtrack is absolutely amazing. It needs a Collector's Edition bundled with a soundtrack CD asap. It is beautiful.
My family heard me playing it and asked what the songs were I was listening to, it is that good.
I'll add something that the reviewer didn't even mention, you can collect cassettes on your journeys that let you listen to the songs on your cassette player whenever you want, and they're worth listening to.
The gameplay is some of the most original since Yoku's Island Express.
It mixes motocross with gunfights superbly. It is difficult but rewarding at the same time.
Highly recommended
@Overzeal
Ignore it at your own loss.
If you right off games on how they look them you really need to rethink your strategy, there are some amazing games you'll be missing out on.
This is not pixel art but beautiful hand drawn artwork.
@ChakraStomps
This game has generous checkpoints, there is literally one before every boss and it always starts you right before them.
Also, the boss fights are some of the best moments in the game, a definite highlight.
I've been watching this game the whole time, have been really hyped on it, and auto bought it when I saw the 9/10.
And I really regret it. Laggy controls, forced, overly complex gameplay gimmick, embarrassing edgelord 'tude with cussing animals and unnecessary gore from the very first moment. The rather challenging opening tutorial makes you "hold A" to advance through every dialog, every attempt, which gets old very fast. I saw odd graphical glitches on my first run. trying to land on your wheels while aiming a gun and parry rather fast attacks is made very frustrating by surprisingly laggy controls, even for a switch game. its about as much fun as trying to bathe your dog while doing math in your head.
This is a review of initial quality, and I'll report back if things change for me. I'm feeling pretty burned on this one, and I suppose I shouldve read the review, but like i said I've been pretty much planning to check this out, and the 9 just sealed it. no regrets and all, but this one is just anti-fun for me, right off the bat. ✌️
@Rainz @Bydlak
https://x.com/devolverdigital/status/1874153883708383594?t=snZphYbZi66qhOKfI69klw&s=19
It may finally be coming this year?
@Princess_Lilly I love your comment haha! But in this day and age you gotta put your best flameshield before the internet comes for you that brave comment! Stay safe
Damn it, I missed it when it was on sale. I wish you had this review ready back then hahaha, I would have got it for sure!
It'll be mine in the next one.
So many great metroidvanias!
@-wc- Really nice of you to share a different opinion. I almost got interested in this game, I like a challenge and I love when they try new things ... but at the same time I've already learned that my taste in games is just completely different from that of the reviewer. I was just listening to the soundtrack, and as much as I appreciate them using acoustic guitars, it certainly is nothing that sounds amazing to my ears, some sort of whining pop-y full of filters almost atmospheric music. Tells me enough about the game already. Curious about your opinion when you give it another go ... but just reading about laggy controls makes me lose interest instantly.
Good thing there are different kinds of games for different tastes in any ways. Wouldn't want to sound too negative 😅 Reviews can be very subjective.
Kicking myself because it was 35%off before launch! Looks incredible! Will wait for the next sale because backlog… or go physical if Super Deluxe Games gets one out that is cool. Hopefully game has a performance patch planned soon!
@Wisps I grew up hearing mostly harsh words, more harsh words won't bother me. And to truth be told, my own comment was a bit stern, but I feel like it had to be stated. A game is no fun if it plays itself. Finding ways to overcome difficulties feels wonderful, and you can't feel that if you breeze through a game
@Princess_Lilly I 100% agree. I will always appreciate that gaming options are diverse and that different games exist for different people (as always have been), but it has felt weird to me how in recent years, the challenge in a videogame has somehow evolved into a negative feature. Some videogames do require a bit of the player effort and dedication and I believe that a rich personal connection between the player and the game developer is made when these things happen.
@-wc- Your disgruntled view is spot on in my opinion, I bought this and played via the steam deck and refunded just before the 2 hr window. This game is beyond frustrating, and it's due to issues with the controls.
I say this as someone who loves hollow Knight, trials fusion and very challenging games in general, but this game feels broken more than challenging in many situations.
There will be many who buy after reading your warning and wish that had taken it seriously.
@Wisps yeah, that's completely true. And I probably should have clarified that I don't think everyone should play difficult games only, but lowering the difficulty for every game just to get a better review score is ridiculous.
In Celeste, for example, difficulty level plays a huge role in storytelling. Moreover, if you have a long buildup to a boss that is supposed to be terrifyingly powerful, you can't just make him a wussy in the battle, or else the whole storytelling is falling apart
So thrilled to see this was worth the long wait!
@Ziondood Bullet Time and Zion.... Have we entered the Matrix?
Cool game BTW but yes it's hard, I have died every other second 🦊☠️
Funny, despite the difficulty, everything else is right up my alley. A Metroidvania at only around 15 hours at that? Fwiw, it sounds like it won't out stay its welcome.
I bought this on PS5 in order to avoid the performance issues mentioned in the review. I love the concept, and the story execution is way darker than I was expecting (in a good way). But the controls are so complex and the difficulty is so unforgiving that I'm already raging at this game. Maybe I just need to get better at it, but I feel like it's harder than it needs to be — like I'm fighting the controls more than the enemies.
I started this one last night (been waiting to play it since its original launch date) and yeah, it's difficult. One shot kills, having to hit the parry button before a shot is even fired, irritating pop-up tutorial screens, dialogue during the action, aiming while back/front flipping your bike and making sure it lands squarely on it's wheels... It's a lot.
I thought I was getting better at it after an hour, but apparently not. I'm hoping it'll all eventually click, but right now it like 'retake this 15 second sequence 20 times before moving on to the next 15 second sequence'. I usually like difficult trial and error games, but there seems to be too much going on at one time here.
Still, I'll stick with it for now, because there is a lot of satisfaction in managing to pull off a sequence.
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