CROSSBOW: Bloodnight (v2020.12.22)

London burns under plague, fire, and something far worse in this compact retro FPS set during the Bloodnight of 1666. You play a hunter from the secretive Coven of Crossbow, an order that treats the Church’s old ban on crossbows as proof that the weapon carries a dangerous supernatural force. Demonic creatures spill out of the dark as an ancient horror presses against reality, giving the action a grim, occult tone rather than a historical-war feel. The result is a focused monster hunt built around speed, pressure, and the satisfying brutality of a weapon that needs every shot to count.

Combat revolves around blasting through swarming nightmare enemies with your crossbow while staying mobile and controlling the space around you. The game favors arcade-like first-person shooting: enemies close in aggressively, so landing shots, repositioning, and reacting to threats matters more than slow tactical planning. Rather than presenting a sprawling open world, it concentrates on immediate survival encounters and score-chasing momentum, letting players jump in, learn enemy behavior, and steadily improve their runs. Its old-school design keeps the controls and objective readable, but the relentless pace can make it punishing when a horde corners you or missed bolts turn into wasted breathing room.

What stands out is the commitment to a single weapon fantasy: the crossbow is not a novelty sidearm but the centerpiece of every desperate fight. Dark pixel-art visuals, infernal enemy designs, and a plague-ravaged 17th-century setting give it the same rough-edged appeal as modern retro shooters, while its supernatural London premise keeps it distinct from another generic demon arena. Replay value comes from mastering encounters, chasing stronger performances, and enjoying short bursts of intense action rather than following a long campaign full of dialogue and detours. Fans of Doom-style aggression, Blood’s gothic nastiness, and compact boomer shooters should find plenty to like, especially if they want a fast FPS with a more unusual medieval weapon at its core.