Laika: Aged Through Blood is a one of a kind side-scrolling "motorvania" that will immediately hook you with it's brutal and spiritual, bittersweet story, and sometimes unforgiving yet addictive gameplay. If you enjoy metroidvanias like Hollow Knight, you'll love this. If you don't want to read the whole review, go play the demo for yourself!

Truly one of a kind, Laika's gameplay is unique solely to it, as you ride through the wasteland doing sick stunts and blasting your way through militaristic oppressors set on destroying your home and wiping out your people. You can both play it safe and pick people off in multiple passes, or catch some major air-time and hit the nastiest combo you can. In the case of the ladder, you'll literally be seeing red thanks to the games stylized combo overlay.

Speaking of style, this game is gorgeous. Laika features a hand-drawn wasteland with a colorful cast of characters and community, short animated cutscenes, as well as sometimes grotesque bosses, and dreadful story driven encounters. Brainwash Gang also uses a powerful soundtrack that both reflects, and contrasts the world around you at the same time. Creating impactful moments through the story, and giving you tunes to cruise through the wasteland with, Beícoli created an amazing soundtrack that the game wouldn't be the same without.

Laika: Aged Through Blood is easily my favorite game, and is one of the best sleeper games I've played in a long time. It earns a perfect 10/10 from me, having left me completely satisfied with it's conclusion, and only wanting more at the same time. Would love to see DLCs for this game, both story driven and maybe something roguelike.