The night belongs to Bloodthief as this vampiric hack ‘n’ slash sensation joins Steam Next Fest with a meaty new demo and blood-pumping speedrunning competition. Developer Blargis (Jake Bedard), whose devlogs have amassed over 4 million YouTube views, invites players to test their reflexes in this high-octane melee runner where every drop of spilled blood fuels your supernatural speed.

Having now sunk our fangs deep into Bloodthief‘s Steam Next Fest demo, we can confirm: this isn’t just another vampire game – it’s a white-knuckle adrenaline rush that perfectly blends retro FPS aesthetics with modern movement tech. What began as a quick refresher session to write this article turned into a three-hour obsession, proving just how addictive its blood-fueled momentum system truly is.

A Sensory Assault (In the Best Way)

The game’s Doom-inspired polygonal visuals and thumping 80s synth beats create a nostalgic yet fresh vibe, while the razor-sharp sound design turns combat into a rhythmic dance. Every action feeds back with perfect audio cues:

• The schwing of a parried arrow
• The crunch of a well-timed ground pound
• The glorious whoosh of a bloodslide at terminal velocity

Although the soldiers sound a bit like zombies, which I think is hilarious, the cues that you get from jumping and sliding, hacking and slashing through your environment, are all spot on and feed into that hind brain decision making. The sound of a bow fires; you know to hit that parry button that second.

Movement That Rewards Mastery

While precision matters, Bloodthief avoids the pitfall of being overly punishing. One thing that occasionally gets me with speed-run games is how punishing they are if you are not Johnny on the Spot with your button-presses. You have to get things exactly, perfectly right, or its game over go back to start. Bloodthief has a little of that, I’m not gonna lie. You have to be perfect if you want the best times. However, the levels are also sprinkled with secrets, built to be explored to a degree.

You’re rewarded for going out of bounds at times with a hidden path that skips a hard part of the run, or artifacts that give you new weapons to try. I won’t spoil the surprises but look out for them the next time you play! You can also recover, occasionally, from botched jumps by bouncing back up between some walls or utilizing combat features like the leaping strike.

The blood slide mechanic emerges as the star – chaining slides into aerial kills into ground pounds creates a flow state reminiscent of Titanfall‘s best moments. That your speed literally depends on maintaining this carnage (via the depleting blood gauge) makes every encounter strategic rather than obligatory.

Combat as Fuel, Not Focus

Killing isn’t the goal – it’s your jet fuel. The demo’s arsenal emphasizes mobility as you become an unstoppable vampire lord, chaining wall-runs, vaults, and brutal melee combos through medieval dungeons. The unique blood-fueled momentum system rewards aggression – each slain enemy boosts your speed, creating a risk-reward dance between methodical combat and breakneck parkour.

You have a blood gauge at the top of your screen that fills with every kill and blood vial you pick up. It depletes over time, particularly when you use your abilities. The slide eats it up quickly, but literally my favorite thing to do is slide around at the speed of sound, whacking dudes as I go. It’s so ridiculous but so satisfying. The slide speeds you up and leaping from it throws you a great distance. You can maintain momentum by landing back in a slide, or ground pound enemies, and even bounce to new heights! Its a very versatile mechanic.

In flight, you also get the option to lock on and leap at your enemies for the kill, which is a great way to cross gaps and avoid damage, as you are invulnerable when doing so. However, watch out! If the gauge is empty, you’re just falling into the abyss. This creates brilliant tension: do you stop to massacre everyone for speed boosts, or risk draining your gauge to bypass encounters?

A Fresh Taste of Vampiric Mayhem

The demo has received a recent update, serving up a brand-new weapon unlockable through three hidden artifacts. There is also even more content in the form of a secret floor! The Forgotten Wing’s hidden level (found via subtle environmental clues) showcases Bloodthief‘s Metroidvania-lite DNA and hints at how Blargis will handle future development. Yes, there will be more levels in the regular game. But how many hidden corridors and blood baths await the true speed-run junkies?

Speaking of awarding speed-run junkies, From June 9-16, 2025, Blargis is hosting a “Full Game Inbounds” speedrun challenge with:
🏆 $100-$25 Steam gift cards for top 5 leaderboard finishers
🎖️ Exclusive Discord role & in-game badge for all participants
📊 Official tracking via Speedrun.com/Bloodthief

“The current record is 22 minutes,” teases Blargis. “But with the new shortcuts we’ve added, sub-20 might be possible for truly fanged players.”

Bloodthief is part of Steam Next Fest: June 2025. Its release date is still unknown.