Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood is the first action-RPG title to come out of the World of Darkness mythology. Confirmed in 2020 for next-gen systems as well as PS4, Xbox One, and PC, the game follows Cahal, an eco-terrorist and member of the Garou race as he seeks to undermine the operations of the Endron mega-corporation. During Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood's development, Cyanide Studio wanted to focus on a largely linear story to reinforce the game's themes and experiment with Cahal's ability to shapeshift and manage his rage.
One of the biggest aspects of gameplay in Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood are Cahal's three forms: wolf (Lupus), human (Homid), and werewolf (Crinos). These forms were highlighted in a recent gameplay trailer, and each form helps Cahal to explore the world in different ways, whether it be stealthily via wolf form or smashing everything to pieces in werewolf form. Players are encouraged to switch forms regularly to experience all the game has to offer in terms of social interaction, stealth, and combat.
Other early gameplay footage of Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood seemed to show some complex combat mechanics when in werewolf form, and the thought of raging against a corrupt corporation as a massive monster is probably one of the game's biggest draws. But was Cyanide Studio able to balance combat and stealth approaches to the game to create a satisfying action-RPG experience?
IGN (Leana Hafer)
"If Earthblood had at least been a fun beat-em-up, I would have been disappointed by the missed opportunity but glad we got a somewhat decent game about that one aspect of Werewolf: the Apocalypse. But the clumsy, unsatisfying combat even takes the teeth out of that and leaves nothing much worth your time. The stealth mechanics are actually pretty good in how they interact with the level design, which would be more of a consolation prize if Cyanide wasn’t selling the fantasy of being a massive, savage apex predator. It didn't do much to salve my frustration with the combat, the characters, the animations, the AI, and just about everything else."
Score: 4/10
Eurogamer (Vikki Blake)
"Though full of ideas, Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood leans too heavily on games that have come before it and doesn't quite have the courage to expand its own innovations. Yes, I played to completion without complaint, and yes it's a bloody, good romp at times, but that doesn't mean it's a particularly novel or memorable one."
Score: 3/5
PC Gamer (Luke Kemp)
"Combat is arguably oversimple, and rarely a challenge on any difficulty. The inability to backtrack or create multiple saves means the rare instances of choice are one-shot deals. Yet I've played this game start to finish twice, and enjoyed it both times, which counts for a lot. It's a B-movie experience in the best possible way; not so bad it's good, but so determined it's good."
Score: 79/100
PushSquare (Henry Stockdale)
"You can see Cyanide Studios had good ideas for Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood, so it is a shame to see that potential wasted. Tearing through enemies is undeniably satisfying and Earthblood’s stealth mechanics feel rewarding but with poor visuals, a short campaign, and disappointing story, you can’t ignore these pressing flaws. Cyanide has faithfully integrated Werewolf’s lore here – even if that is a little bare – so tabletop series fans will likely enjoy it, but anyone else would best approach with caution."
Score: 5/10
Forbes (Matt Gardner)
"Sure, the story’s predictable and full of holes, the gameplay is repetitive, the stealth is unforgiving, and the characters often can’t act their way out of a paper bag. At the same time, the gameplay is as intoxicating as it is repetitive, it holds an incredibly smooth framerate, the fighting is dependable and enjoyable, and you genuinely feel satisfied after it’s all over."
Score: Unscored
Destructoid (Chris Moyse)
"With less linear gameplay, more varied locations, and a tighter focus on the moral topics at hand, there is an excellent Werewolf: The Apocalypse RPG to be made, a hypothetical, dark fantasy epic filled with moral conundrums, an exciting open-world, and a cast of fascinating and motivated characters. But Earthblood isn't it. While the tale of Cahal, his Caern, The Wyrm, and Tarker's Mill dances with exciting possibilities on numerous occasions, it rarely strays from a path of outmoded design choices, dull locations, and repetitive stealth gameplay. By the halfway mark, it's all become too long in the fang."
Score: 5/10
BloodyDisgusting (Neil Bolt)
"Still, with the strength of the World of Darkness’s rich universe of lore backing it up, Earthblood is far more compelling than it first appears. Just as it looks like a formulaic, repetitive, action game, it throws enough odd stuff and interesting characters into the mix to add a bit of unique pep to proceedings. It would be unfair to call Earthblood ‘mindless fun’ given it has a more positive message to it than a lot of action games, but its easygoing blend of action, stealth, and narrative adventure certainly make it surprisingly simple to get into despite essentially being three games stapled together."
Score: 3.5/5
Overall, Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood seems to falter when it comes to delivering a game with equally fun stealth, combat, and an engaging story. While some reviewers praised the feel of the werewolf combat and thought the game to be an enjoyable B-movie level experience, others thought the combat was clumsy, oversimple, and repetitive. The stealth gameplay is mostly criticized, though some found it to be preferable to combat. Those that mention the game's tabletop RPG source material, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, say that it is a faithful representation of the tabletop lore. The game's message regarding the negative effects of environmental destruction is also well-received. It seems critics ultimately found the experience had its highs but doesn't strive for innovation or match the level of polish one might expect from the developers.
Throughout the reviews, Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood's performance on both console and PC seemed to yield positive results. The PC requirements for the game are not going to strain most setups, and even though the game does feature hectic action sequences during werewolf combat, its framerate is pretty smooth. Gamers interested in grabbing Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood should be ready for a technically sound experience that might appeal to fans of bloody combat games and lore enthusiasts, but others might find the game simply can't mesh all of its parts together into a cohesive whole.
Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
