A dark pixel art metroidvania inspired by history and folklore
Pixel Beer Games, a one man indie team from Moscow, wants to introduce you to a dark and atmospheric new title. It is a handcrafted adventure that blends brutal history with twisted fantasy. The game launches this year, and a free demo is available right now on Steam.
The game is called Blade of Mercy: Bloody Countess, and it's a 2D action platformer with deep metroidvania elements, all rendered in a soulful pixel art style. Think 16th century Hungary, the infamous Bloody Countess Bathory, and a world where folklore comes alive to kill you. This is not just a fairy tale. It's a desperate fight for family, honor, and survival.
The dev has prepared a trailer that captures the game's grim soul. It is an explosive mix of fast paced combat and mystery, seasoned with cozy yet dark retro visuals. Step into the shoes of Sophia, the last hope of the fallen House of Bathory. Rescue your sister. Defy the darkness. But remember: in these lands, even beer is medicine.
Blade of Mercy: Bloody Countess isn't just a game. It's a bloody, beautiful love letter to classic retro adventures. Lovingly crafted pixel art summons memories of childhood tales, only darker, stranger, and soaked in gothic horror. Step into a world packed with hidden paths, original boss fights, and a combat system that'll test your tactics, agility, and will to survive. Slash through undead hordes, dodge werewolves' claws, and chug beer like it's the only thing keeping you alive.
Key features:
Traverse a vast, hand drawn world: from crumbling villages to shadowy caves and ancient castles. Far deadlier than anything you'd expect from cozy pixels.
Befriend strangers in a hostile land and learn their secrets before they might turn on you.
Uncover dozens of eerie nods to the Bloody Countess's dark history and Hungarian folklore.
Take control of Sophia: master saber and axe, wield pistols, bows, and bombs in tactical, fast paced combat.
Fight off intoxication with hearty goulash and restore your health with frothy beer.
Face beasts, merciless bandits, restless dead, and true creatures of the night, including werewolves and vampires.
A haunting original soundtrack and soulful pixel animations that will creep under your skin.
Sophia Bathory never asked to be a hero. But with her sister falsely accused of vampirism and entombed alive, and vultures circling her family's legacy, she has no choice. A desperate mission under the cover of night? That's the stuff of nightmares. An ancient evil stirring in the heart of the kingdom? A real opportunity to prove her mettle. Wield the Blade of Mercy, tear through the darkness, and restore your family's honor. But at what cost?
Blade of Mercy: Bloody Countess is the brainchild of Ivan Chernykh, a solo developer and chemist by education, who poured his passion for history, fantasy, and dark worlds into every frame. Music by Artem Akmulin. Cutscene art by Ilya Saraev. This small, obsessed team is back to push the metroidvania genre into darker, more beautiful, and more unforgettable territory.