Bloody Service (BS) is CASE's first of hopefully many 80s throwback horror projects. The Argentina-based studio has been in the biz for ages but as it turns out, has been holding out on us! BIG TIME!! What lulled me into the bloodlust was firstly its brand; a slasher-FMV-VN title and right then and there, I knew I had to join in on the fun!! Ironically, I've never played any games with full on senseless, evading a killer type (guess the closest is Until Dawn) but I watched like hundreds of those, so it's long overdue :P

So, more backstory to fill up the space~ I knew of this game through RP (shoutout) and I was all set to review it for them until I engaged in conversation with the dev, who graciously offered me a key and the rest is history from there. Another funny-ish thing? I actually played the demo of their 2nd game and I didn't know it was theirs, so I was all "is this a new fad or something!?" hahaa!! Anyhoo, like some insufferable customer at a fine dining establishment- where on earth is that BLOODY SERVICE!? So here it is~~

As the devs did with the achievement names, I also tried my hand at some tennis puns XD


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2410128204

The Gist:
Position yourself as Jamie, a catering waiter who gets a gig at the highly exclusive Hilltop Tennis Club. Feeling the sharp dissent actually materialize the moment he arrived! There's an important celebration later that night but little did the smug, snooty riches know- an even bigger, bloodier occasion was coming for- I mean to them!! And it's just as memorable~~

! Let it out... Aren't You Tired?!



(a) Ready to Serve... Justly!
Read the text- and into the situation, then you are presented with choices that can either be spur-of-the-moment or pretty lax. These could be how you respond to an awkward conversation, what you wanna learn or even what action to take, the whole shebang!! The inventory system is a point of awe because they matter, could be right away or later on, but they always come back to bit you!

So, if you're not careful with how you place items; the first thing you "get" will be your last!! You can only hold as much as you can carry, and that was a nice touch of realism. There are 7 endings in the form of newspaper headlines, unlocked as you go along~

(b) All That Racket!?
The use of non-static backgrounds; as the camera sways left and right or watching people talk albeit on a loop, intensified the sense of immersion. It's very much like you were there! And it's stressful and thoroughly discomforting!! There is no score, so to speak- but the varied sound effects speak louder than words.

And the human-like but blurry textured aesthetic of characters and environment piqued my interest. It was pleasant to look at, more so when it came to the gory parts. Also, the scenarios can turn from civil to evil within seconds! There's so much built up pressure, I was shaking...

(c) So. Much. Foul Play
The story is delightfully thought up and it hits that black hole of revenge and cutting loose gratuitously!! But it also garners your attention towards the tragic lives of the "antagonists". The characters, as is the nature of a slasher; you have the waiting-to-be-killed snobby extras, and then the ignorant, get caught in the crossfire ones.

But I want to direct you to the protagonist, who isn't just a blank slate but actually one who's well-read but with deep-seated vexes, opinions of his own. The conjoined twins are also distinct from one another in personality, mannerism... It's little things like these~

(d) Crossing The Line!
SCARY: Firstly, the unexpected turn of events which was... wow! A lot can happen in one night! It could change for the better or the worse!! And Jamie's own demon was resolved because of it! Celebrate the therapeutic effects that anger and violence can bring out, be it by your hands or through being a firsthand witness. Though who's to say- that euphoria will last. I for one, enjoy punching the crap out of concrete walls~

Secondly, it paints a pessimistic reality. The central theme is on keeping at arms-length people from opposing class groups and those deemed abnormal due to their disabilities. Here, both sides are equally contentious of the other and so the final act of raining and spilling red could very well be the sole mean of reconciliation. It was unavoidable from the start because people just don't learn!

Finally, you may have pictured this tasty moment of comeuppance long before or even countless times in your mind. But when push comes to shove, could you back up your words? Throughout the game, your role in the bloodshed is ambiguous. So it's entirely up to you to either keep your hands clean (as they possibly can) or would you rather be complicit in the name of vigilante justice!! You can probably guess which route I went~


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2410141420

(i) Dropped The Ball There
As a VN, though not a conventional one at that. It's lacking some other features that makes accessibility like trying to power through lines such a drag. Features like skipping lines with 'ctrl' or heck even skipping between choices!! Having only one save slot at any given time does nothing to mitigate this issue either! It could be an artistic flair, but it's still tough to sit through when you just want to get all them achievements!!

The Spanish to English localization still got some minor mistakes like typos and atypical sentence structures. But you can tell it used to be more of a fixer-upper, from the Steam discussions going on last December.

(ii) A Fixed Game
This problem is barely even traceable anymore in their 2nd game, but here the inventory so innovatively put together wasn't put to its full potential, much to my dismay. As per usual of a "choices matter" adventure, you start to see through how restricted it was. Though, your choices may have felt like they mattered as the popped up for the first time. But I can attest, this isn't the case~

Just to throw this out there, the story is purposely left with balls in the air (chuckles) but I liked this very much! There is no true, fixed villain. But if you're finding it hard to follow, the store page has some (loads) more additional lore that couldn't be fit into the storyline!


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2410144249

BS reeks of classic slasher films in all the 80s glory but with sardonic social commentary! Twists-and-turns ...of bones, blood in this slick revenge tale awaken a thirst inside, of what- up to you. But there's no guarantee you'll like it, not as much as you'll love BS~ Plus, its low-res graphics is bold but oddly charming, the sound effects and well-written dialogue situate you perfectly as the not-so-innocent bystander you may be. Of course, the tennis puns- though hard to appreciate for a non-sports fan, you might just revel in them and pull something!

There are some design qualms that I had, like the highly restricting save and load options, that's a staple to the VN genre. As such, this precarious blending of genres may actually hold it back, albeit just a tad. The localization, is almost flawless- save for a few peculiar phrasings and overlooked words. And of course, the obligatory complaint of "choices" not really mattering much. All in all, a marvelous achievement in bringing slashers onto games and I can't wait for their next one~


Look alive and wishlist "The Parrot That Summons Demons"

Sorry RP for the betrayal XD

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #71 [/url]<-- [i]New review every Sunday[/i][/code] [b]Bloody Service (BS)[/b] is CASE's first of hopefully many 80s throwback horror projects. The Argentina-based studio has been in the biz for ages but as it turns out, has been holding out on us! BIG TIME!! What lulled me into the bloodlust was firstly its brand; a slasher-FMV-VN title and right then and there, I knew I had to join in on the fun!! Ironically, I've never played any games with full on senseless, evading a killer type (guess the closest is Until Dawn) but I watched like hundreds of those, so it's long overdue :P So, more backstory to fill up the space~ I knew of this game through [b]RP[/b] (shoutout) and I was all set to review it for them until I engaged in conversation with the dev, who graciously offered me a key and the rest is history from there. Another funny-ish thing? I actually played the demo of their 2nd game and I didn't know it was theirs, so I was all "is this a new fad or something!?" hahaa!! Anyhoo, like some insufferable customer at a fine dining establishment- where on earth is that BLOODY SERVICE!? So here it is~~ [b]As the devs did with the achievement names, I also tried my hand at some tennis puns XD[/b] [h1]"Hospitality So Good, It's Criminal!"[/h1] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2410128204 [u]The Gist:[/u] Position yourself as Jamie, a catering waiter who gets a gig at the highly exclusive Hilltop Tennis Club. Feeling the sharp dissent actually materialize the moment he arrived! There's an important celebration later that night but little did the smug, snooty riches know- an even bigger, bloodier occasion was coming for- I mean to them!! And it's just as memorable~~ [spoiler] ! Let it out... Aren't You Tired?! [/spoiler] [h1][+] PROS;[/h1] [b](a) Ready to Serve... Justly![/b] Read the text- and into the situation, then you are presented with choices that can either be spur-of-the-moment or pretty lax. These could be how you respond to an awkward conversation, what you wanna learn or even what action to take, the whole shebang!! The inventory system is a point of awe because they matter, could be right away or later on, but they always come back to bit you! So, if you're not careful with how you place items; the first thing you "get" will be your last!! You can only hold as much as you can carry, and that was a nice touch of realism. There are 7 endings in the form of newspaper headlines, unlocked as you go along~ [b](b) All That Racket!? [/b] The use of non-static backgrounds; as the camera sways left and right or watching people talk albeit on a loop, intensified the sense of immersion. It's very much like you were there! And it's stressful and thoroughly discomforting!! There is no score, so to speak- but the varied sound effects speak louder than words. And the human-like but blurry textured aesthetic of characters and environment piqued my interest. It was pleasant to look at, more so when it came to the gory parts. Also, the scenarios can turn from civil to evil within seconds! There's so much built up pressure, I was shaking... [b](c) So. Much. Foul Play[/b] The story is delightfully thought up and it hits that black hole of revenge and cutting loose gratuitously!! But it also garners your attention towards the tragic lives of the "antagonists". The characters, as is the nature of a slasher; you have the waiting-to-be-killed snobby extras, and then the ignorant, get caught in the crossfire ones. But I want to direct you to the protagonist, who isn't just a blank slate but actually one who's well-read but with deep-seated vexes, opinions of his own. The conjoined twins are also distinct from one another in personality, mannerism... It's little things like these~ [b](d) Crossing The Line![/b] SCARY: Firstly, the unexpected turn of events which was... wow! A lot can happen in one night! It could change for the better or the worse!! And Jamie's own demon was resolved because of it! Celebrate the therapeutic effects that anger and violence can bring out, be it by your hands or through being a firsthand witness. Though who's to say- that euphoria will last. I for one, enjoy punching the crap out of concrete walls~ Secondly, it paints a pessimistic reality. The central theme is on keeping at arms-length people from opposing class groups and those deemed abnormal due to their disabilities. Here, both sides are equally contentious of the other and so the final act of raining and spilling red could very well be the sole mean of reconciliation. It was unavoidable from the start because people just don't learn! Finally, you may have pictured this tasty moment of comeuppance long before or even countless times in your mind. But when push comes to shove, could you back up your words? Throughout the game, your role in the bloodshed is ambiguous. So it's entirely up to you to either keep your hands clean (as they possibly can) or would you rather be complicit in the name of vigilante justice!! You can probably guess which route I went~ [h1][-] CONS;[/h1] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2410141420 [b](i) Dropped The Ball There[/b] As a VN, though not a conventional one at that. It's lacking some other features that makes accessibility like trying to power through lines such a drag. Features like skipping lines with 'ctrl' or heck even skipping between choices!! Having only one save slot at any given time does nothing to mitigate this issue either! It could be an artistic flair, but it's still tough to sit through when you just want to get all them achievements!! The Spanish to English localization still got some minor mistakes like typos and atypical sentence structures. But you can tell it used to be more of a fixer-upper, from the Steam discussions going on last December. [b](ii) A Fixed Game[/b] This problem is barely even traceable anymore in their 2nd game, but here the inventory so innovatively put together wasn't put to its full potential, much to my dismay. As per usual of a "choices matter" adventure, you start to see through how restricted it was. Though, your choices may have felt like they mattered as the popped up for the first time. But I can attest, this isn't the case~ Just to throw this out there, the story is purposely left with balls in the air (chuckles) but I liked this very much! There is no [spoiler]true, fixed villain[/spoiler]. But if you're finding it hard to follow, the store page has some (loads) more additional lore that couldn't be fit into the storyline! [h1]"You Must CARRIE On..."[/h1] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2410144249 BS reeks of classic slasher films in all the 80s glory but with sardonic social commentary! Twists-and-turns ...of bones, blood in this slick revenge tale awaken a thirst inside, of what- up to you. But there's no guarantee you'll like it, not as much as you'll love BS~ Plus, its low-res graphics is bold but oddly charming, the sound effects and well-written dialogue situate you perfectly as the not-so-innocent bystander you may be. Of course, the tennis puns- though hard to appreciate for a non-sports fan, you might just revel in them and pull something! There are some design qualms that I had, like the highly restricting save and load options, that's a staple to the VN genre. As such, this precarious blending of genres may actually hold it back, albeit just a tad. The localization, is almost flawless- save for a few peculiar phrasings and overlooked words. And of course, the obligatory complaint of "choices" not really mattering much. All in all, a marvelous achievement in bringing slashers onto games and I can't wait for their next one~ [h1]9.2/10[/h1] [b]Look alive and wishlist "The Parrot That Summons Demons"[/b] [i]Sorry RP for the betrayal XD[/i]