Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood

Cyanide Studios have proven their mettle with previous games in the supernatural genre. Their previous efforts include Styx: Shards of Darkness and the Call of Cthulhu. Both games were well received. Earthblood is a solid effort that should get werewolf fans howling with glee.

A joyful mix of stealth and action, the fun doesn't snag on the rough edges.

Despite Earthblood’s roughshot ride over opportunities to dive deep into the lore of Werewolf: the Apocalypse, the focused exploration of this end of the World Of Darkness manages to deliver a bloody good time when the claws come out. It's just a shame that some of the loftier ideas are let down by repetitive stealth gameplay and poorly developed mechanics.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse Earthblood is an old-school action game launching in a very modern arena. Its simplicity in design may not appeal to everyone, but for those looking for a basic stealth and combat action-adventure, there's a lot to love about the latest dive into the World of Darkness.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood is an honest game that might be worth checking out if you're interested in the setting or in its mixture of (light) RPG elements, action and stealth. Just don't expect anything groundbreaking.

So is it the perfect game? No, unfortunately, it is not. But if you like werewolves, are familiar with the original Werewolf: The Apocalypse universe, or just want to hulk around as a giant wolf throwing people around like ragdolls then it might be worth your time.

Werewolf is firing on all cylinders when it lets you take on a wave of enemies, turning them all into puddles of jam. You don't have to think too much about the gameplay, and that gradually becomes a good thing. If this came out 10 years ago, I'd be thinking about it more during end-of-the-year talks.

Good voice acting and cool, bloody werewolf fighting sequences could not fully save the rushed story and flat facial animations of this one-dimensional take on the rich World of Darkness universe.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood is as straightforward as an action-adventure game can be. None of its features are broken, but the shallowness of the entire experience makes it a very hard game to recommend for those who are not into the setting to begin with. It does provide moments of fun here and there, but its linear, derivative experience does not stand out in any way.

Overall, this is a fascinating disappointment. Earthblood is the bones of several good ideas, awkwardly welded together and thrown out into the world. It feels more like Cyanide had a stealth/action game lying around that they decided on a whim to staple a lot of the Werewolf license onto, and while it does do some justice to its source material, it’s not really much fun.

The stealth brawler offers a fresh setting, yet quickly loses its appeal due to shallow gameplay mechanics and lack of enemy variety.

Werewolf is an action RPG that entertains with a nice combat system, but it has too many gaps that are impossible to ignore.

When I think of games from Spiders, Cyanide, Piranha Bytes, or Reality Pump, I appreciate how often ambition overcomes limited resources. Their games (such as Gothic, Two Worlds, Greedfall, Of Orcs & Men) may have glitches and fall short of triple-A standards, but they tend to be fun, have good stories, and mechanics and systems that I enjoy interacting with. Werewolf: The Apocalypse has most of these. I enjoyed taking on an evil corporation, learning more about how the Garou fit into The World of Darkness, and tearing my foes about. I won’t hide from that. But just don’t ask me to hide from Endron’s guards again.

In a world where you can pick up The Last of Us Remastered for a song, there’s no reason to waste your time on Earthblood. Paradox Interactive is no stranger to game development. I wonder which team lead is asleep at the wheel such that Earthblood was allowed to go out the door in its current state.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood is not devoid of charm, thanks to its rich universe and the possibility to switch from infiltration to combat with the three different forms. It could have been a good game with a further developed RPG aspect, less repetitions, and a more inspired story. Technically speaking, the graphics and animations — including lip-sync — as well as the AI feel outdated for a recent game. As a result, Werewolf is below average, and that's a shame.

Whether it’s lack of effort, time or budget, Cyanide Studio does not enough to provide a satisfying combat system, nor an interesting story-telling, nor a decent technical presentation.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood is a low-budget effort with a cool looking blood effects, but not much else. So don't expect anything good from the visuals or the overall narrative.

Cyanide Studios once again manage not to raise the bar. This is a deeply average game reminiscent of cheap B-movies, visually awful and mechanically obsolete. But massacring your enemies as a bloodthirsty werewolf is, not surprisingly, quite fun.

Most of Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Earthblood feels like a game entering early access, and every element would benefit from more time and more polish. Too shallow for World of Darkness fans, too simple for ARPG aficionados, and too much tedious exploration filler for button mashers, it’s hard to recommend this one, especially for the asking price.

The first hour or so of Werewolf the Apocalypse - Earthblood had me intrigued. The story wasn't great, and there were plenty of issues, but I enjoyed the combat. After a while, the game became a slog with repetitive mission design, and no real incentive to do anything other than engaging in one-on-one combat had me longing for the credits to roll. Typically AA games have something to set them apart, but sadly it is not the case in Werewolf the Apocalypse - Earthblood.

While the concept of Earthblood is fantastic, the execution is not. From story to visuals to level design, the game feels outdated and uninspired. One thing I really like though is how it lets you choose between action or stealth.

Ridiculous story, shallow gameplay and poor graphics don’t leave Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood any chance. The only imaginable reason to play it – is to remind yourself how bad and absurd games could get. [Issue#252, p.70]

While Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood may contain interesting ideas, like being able to shift forms in an instant, its gameplay and story are too generic and boring to be worthwhile.

While I may not be interested in replaying Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood any time soon, the game did increase my intrigue to learn more about the World of Darkness universe. I think maybe I’ll steer clear of werewolves for now, though, and instead see what the WoD’s vampires have to offer.

Bland, boring, repetitive, tedious, and totally forgettable, Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood is a game that should go back to the doghouse.

A fleeting handful of positives to share, for Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood is a predominantly dull and tonally-misguided addition to the World of Darkness property.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood is peak mediocrity and lacks any real meat to make it stand out from the rest of the pack.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood has decent stealth going for it, but its weak story forces you into painfully mediocre combat too often to be worthwhile, wasting the potential of the World of Darkness universe.