loodRayne is a third-person-perspective action-adventure bloodbath in which players control a Blade-esque antihero committed to wiping out vampires and doing it while wearing clothes that would impress a dominatrix.
The title character, Rayne, is a voluptuous, redheaded half-vampire whose mother was raped by a vampire. The mother gave birth to Rayne but later was killed along with the rest of the young girl's family. Raised by a scientist who knew of her nature—and of her father's—she became skilled in the art of assassination. In the initial BloodRayne, she took on her father's minions within the ranks of the Third Reich during World War II, culminating with his supposed death. This time around, she's dedicated herself to hunting the rest of her extended vampiric family, fueled by a thirst for vengeance and a certain dark love of violence.
The game's played from a fluid third-person perspective, with players controlling Rayne's movement using the right joystick and the player's perspective using the left one. This setup allows players to quickly shift Rayne's viewpoint, rapidly switching perspectives to reveal new enemies and challenges. Rayne may despise her father and his kind, but that doesn't stop her from using her numerous supernatural abilities. These include an "aura sense" that reveals the supernatural world around her, including "vampiric portals" that allow her to move to areas mortals can't see, a "dilated perception" mode in which she can battle her enemies with Neo-like ease, and a "blood rage" that increases her attack and defense capabilities. Additional abilities are gained as the game progresses, such as superspeed and special vampire-slaying handguns.
Some of her abilities, and her own health, are fueled by drinking the blood of her enemies (Rayne never drinks from the innocent, but vampire familiars are hardly innocent). Her more mystical powers are driven by a psychic rage that she acquires as she slays her opponents in increasingly spectacular—and bloody—ways. Rayne also has extensive acrobatic abilities that allow her to jump from building to building, swing around poles and "grind" down stairs, lashing out with bullets and blades as she does so.
Sex, blood and rock 'n' roll
BloodRayne is a straightforward hack 'n' slash sort of game in which the minions are many, the bosses are challenging but not insurmountable, and the story is largely superfluous. The game exists for two primary reasons: to kill legions of vampires in numerous grotesque and bloody ways and to show off Rayne in as many leather-and-latex outfits as possible
On both these points, BloodRayne succeeds, offering up endless rending cleaves, wrenching decapitations and spewing impalements, each of which produces enough blood for a Kill Bill flick. Rayne is beautifully rendered, and the game makes a point of showing off her graphical enhancements by having her leap on her opponents to feed, wrapping her usually unclad legs around them in a seductive embrace. These aspects are more than enough to earn BloodRayne a "mature" rating, but they tend toward juvenility in their excesses. More than a few scenes—particularly early in the game—end up looking like a massacre at a Goth-inspired Victoria's Secret photo shoot.
Combat can be complex—Rayne has numerous combination moves that she can perform—but simple button-mashing and judicious use of her special powers are usually enough. The game's feeding mechanic, which drives both Rayne's health and her supernatural powers, forces players into the interesting dilemma of whether to simply mow down the numerous minions or to use them to refuel Rayne's powers in anticipation of a big fight. It's a nice change from simply hunting down power-ups or rejuvenation potions.
The game's controls and camera angles work well most of the time, but there are occasional glitches that cause Rayne to become trapped in the terrain. Playing through 90 percent of a level, only to have to suicide because the character got trapped between two boxes, is extremely frustrating. The game's music tends toward metal and techno and does an adequate job of complementing the on-screen action, even if it's not particularly memorable. The voice acting is decent, though Rayne repeats her catch phrases too often, particularly "Time to make a withdrawal from the blood bank," which she spouts when she's close to death.
Overall, BloodRayne isn't a bad game, but there's nothing that causes it to stand out within its micro-genre of vampire-slaying antiheroes. Fans of the first BloodRayne or the Blade movies should check out the game, as should those looking for a more risque hack 'n' slash experience. Those who want a game they can play around their kids—or spouses—would do better with Fable.
I liked BloodRayne more than I expected I would, particularly when the main character would surprise me with a particularly devastating reversal or stylized move. I just wish there were more of those elements in the game, and a little less emphasis on Rayne's body parts.
— Ken
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