Blues and Bullets

Blues and Bullets is an episodic noir adventure game that garnered praise for its dark, gritty storyline, unique black-and-white visual style with red accents, and strong voice acting including Doug Cockle as Eliot Ness. Players control the retired detective in a narrative-driven experience combining investigation, dialogue choices, and on-rails gunplay. The game’s atmosphere and storytelling captivated many, invoking comparisons to Telltale titles and classic noir films.

However, despite releasing two episodes, the game was abandoned by its developers, A Crowd of Monsters, with no further episodes forthcoming. This left the story incomplete and many players frustrated, especially those who purchased the season pass expecting five episodes. The developers went silent, their website disappeared, and communication ceased, leading to widespread calls for refunds and warnings against buying the game. Technical issues such as crashes and control quirks were minor but noted. Ultimately, while the first two episodes showed promise, the unfinished nature severely impacts the overall experience.

Highlights

Players especially praised the game’s dark, immersive noir atmosphere and unique monochrome art style with selective red coloring that enhanced the mood. The storyline and characters were gripping, with a mature, violent narrative that kept players engaged. Voice acting, particularly by Doug Cockle, was highly regarded for adding depth and authenticity. Gameplay mechanics blending detective clue-finding, dialogue choices, and occasional on-rails gunplay were considered varied and enjoyable, with an emphasis on story-driven exploration. The soundtrack also received positive mentions for complementing the noir setting.

Criticisms

The most frequent criticism was the game’s abandonment after only two episodes, leaving the story unresolved and players feeling cheated, especially those who purchased the full season pass. The developers’ lack of communication and transparency compounded frustration. Some players experienced technical issues like random crashes and awkward controls, particularly with keyboard and mouse. The episodic release schedule was considered too slow, and the limited camera angles sometimes hindered exploration. Additionally, some felt the gameplay was simplistic and the narrative pacing uneven. The absence of refunds for the incomplete content was a sore point for many.