Blood Reaver

I jumped into Blood Reaver because the description promised a love letter to old-school Zombies with a darker, demonic twist. On April 15, 2026 Hell Byte Studios launched it in Early Access and what you get is a fast, round-based FPS for 1–4 players that mixes tight gunplay with spellcasting and a neat in-wave progression. If you miss those late-night survival loops and frantic friend‑group runs, Blood Reaver scratches that exact itch—while occasionally reminding you it’s still an Early Access baby. It’s equal parts nostalgia trip and experimental rogues-with-guns, and I’ve had a blast despite frame drops and one-map syndrome.

Reaving Through Rounds: Shoot, Cast, Survive

Blood Reaver plays like a distilled version of classic COD Zombies filtered through a dark fantasy lens. Each round you face escalating hordes of demonic enemies while juggling guns, utility spells and big ultimates. The core loop is satisfyingly tactile: aim, shoot, harvest blood from fallen fiends and funnel it into your abilities or weapon upgrades. Movement is punchy enough for sticky situations and the weapon feel is intentionally weighty — headshots and recoil both reward attention. Solo play is viable, but the design truly shines in 2–4 player squads where coordinated ultimates and shared in-wave progression turn clutch saves into memorable moments. Matches revolve around map objectives and defensive choke points, with occasional enemy types that force you to rethink your usual holdout spots. Expect tension, frantic reloads and the kind of last‑second saves that make you whoop and then immediately start the next round.

When Blood Becomes Currency: Decks, Infusers and Synergies

What sets Blood Reaver apart from a straight wave shooter is how it weaves short‑term and long‑term progression together. The Deck of Fates gives you in‑wave choices—pick cards for health, temporary perks or weird mutators that change pacing. The Blood Infuser lets you sacrifice weapons to gain powerful Blood Infusions, creating a satisfying loop of risk vs reward: offer your favorite rifle to craft a legendary variant, but lose it if you fail to manage resources. Abilities are highly modular—Blood Magic, Ethereal Arts and Forbidden rituals all play differently and can be swapped mid‑wave, which encourages experimentation and creative synergies. Combining a time‑warp ethereal ult with a burst‑fire blood rifle can clear a choke in glorious, messy fashion. There’s also discoverable lore and secrets hidden around maps that reward exploration, which feels great when you find a hidden chest or an odd easter egg referencing OG Zombies.

A Gritty Look and a Sometimes Grittier Engine

Visually Blood Reaver leans into moody, gothic environments: torchlit corridors, bone‑strewn courtyards and grotesque demon designs that are distinctive without being art‑directed over the top. The sound design is effective in moments—distant shrieks, the thunk of a heavy shotgun—but audio can be inconsistent in Early Access (players and I noticed muffled cues and balance issues). Performance is the other big caveat: on some rigs I experienced stutters or crashes when waves balloon, and several community reports mirror that—devs are responsive, but right now optimizations are a work in progress. Accessibility options are basic but present; control remapping quirks (mouse wheel weapon switch binding missing) have irritated some players and should be fixed soon. All told, Blood Reaver looks and sounds like a game with potential; it just needs a bit more polish to match its mechanical promise.

Blood Reaver is a promising Early Access title: it captures OG Zombies nostalgia while adding meaningful new mechanics like Blood Infusions and modular magic. If you love cooperative wave shooters and can tolerate Early Access roughness, it’s absolutely worth a shot—especially with friends. Wait or buy depends on your tolerance for bugs and limited maps, but keep an eye on Hell Byte Studios; they’re listening.