Follow
Link copied to clipboard
Austin Manchester is a writer and editor living in New York City. At Polygon, he covers gaming and entertainment news, reviews new video games, interviews behind-the-scenes talent, and more. He enjoys discovering hidden gems and sharing them with Polygon's audience. Previously, he was the gaming editor for AIPT Comics and has written for other outlets like XDA, How-To Geek, and The List.
He enjoys soulslikes, character-driven RPGs, and third-person shooters plucked straight out of the Xbox 360 era. He also likes to flex his non-video game nerdy knowledge sometimes, whether that's explaining who's who in the new Wolverine game or recommending a comic book series about a sentient sword.
The Raid-inspired beat-'em-up Acts of Blood arrives in December
While big gaming showcases like The Game Awards are packed full of big-budget games, they usually feature plenty of exciting indies, too. Acts of Blood was spotlighted at last year's Summer Game Fest, and it immediately piqued our interest. It's a martial arts beat-'em-up inspired by movies like The Raid. Think Sifu, but with even more blood.
On Wednesday, developer Eksil Team announced that Acts of Blood will be released for Windows PC on Dec. 4. It was previously only officially announced for PC, but Eksil Team has good news for console gamers too: Acts of Blood will land on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X sometime in 2027.
If you don't want to wait, you can get a taste of Acts of Blood's combat in its demo on Steam. That demo has over 1,500 Very Positive player reviews, with players enjoying its brutal combat. "Great animations, weighty feeling combat, and simple but meaningful feeling combos," one player wrote in their review. "The Raid is a freaking AWESOME movie and now you can play it," another said.
Image: Eksil Team/Big Fan
Acts of Blood plot and gameplay details
Acts of Blood is like The Raid meets John Wick. You'll play as Hendra as he seeks out revenge, ostensibly by beating up hundreds of dudes throughout various hallways and other locales. Here's its official description:
When justice fails, Hendra embarks on a personal quest for revenge that will take him through the bustling streets of Bandapa, Indonesia to uncover the powerful group behind his family’s murder and make them pay for their actions.
Learn, develop and improve Hendra’s combat skills, unlock punishing new moves, and become a martial arts master to beat down waves of enemies, defeat powerful bosses, and avenge your family.
It started as a solo project from developer Fajrul FN, but his friends gradually joined over time, leading to Fajrul FN taking charge of the small indie team Eksil Team. Last summer, I chatted with Fajrul FN about developing Acts of Blood and its inspirations. "For gameplay, it’s a blend of Sleeping Dogs’ counter-based combat and Sifu’s layered combo mechanics. We’re also taking visual cues from games like Max Payne and Manhunt, especially when it comes to grit and tone," he said.
Martial arts is at the core of Acts of Blood's gameplay, with a variety of strikes, counters, and finishers available. There will be an improvisational element too, as you can attack with melee weapons, pick up firearms, and use the environment against foes. "We’re going all-in on violence as a core part of the experience. Brutal takedowns, dismemberment, and yes, our own version of X-ray kills," Fajrul FN said. "We’ve been clear with our partners from the start: this isn’t going to hold back."
To any of us who have enjoyed the brutality of action movies like The Furious or fighting games like Mortal Kombat, that's music to our ears. Acts of Blood will start throwing hands on PC on Dec. 4.