Cult of Blood Revives Fixed Cameras and Tank Controls — But Can Melee Carry the Fear?

Why Cult of Blood Caught My Eye

I’ve got a soft spot for old-school survival horror. The first time a camera cut in Resident Evil sent a zombie lurching from off-screen, I was hooked. So when Greek indie studio Dusty Box announced Cult of Blood with fixed camera angles, tank-style movement, and scarce resources, it pinged my radar immediately. The twist? It leans heavily into melee, layering in a dodge and upgrade system fueled by “blood souls.” That combo could be brilliant-or brutal.

• It’s classic survival horror presentation with modern combat tweaks.
• Melee-first design under fixed cameras is bold and risky.
• “Blood souls” upgrades could reshape the genre’s risk-reward loop.
• Story leans into folk horror vibes instead of vampires or zombies.

Breaking Down the Announcement

Dusty Box’s debut drops you into a secluded village ruled by a blood cult and a priestess chasing godhood. The trailer shows foggy streets, candlelit chambers, and swampy ruins-textbook atmosphere for fixed angles. The studio promises deliberate, tank-style movement with refinements for aiming and dodging, scarce bullets, risky melee, and multi-phase boss fights. You’ll scavenge, manage supplies, and spend “blood souls” on gear or weapon upgrades as you push toward a showdown with the cult’s queen. Platforms are PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, with a launch planned for next year. Steam wishlists are open.

The pitch hits all the right nostalgia notes without pretending it’s 1998. There’s a cinematic vibe in the cutscenes, and the combat emphasis suggests they want to keep you engaged moment-to-moment rather than just kiting enemies around camera cuts. If they can balance tension with responsiveness, there’s a real lane here.

Where This Fits in the Survival Horror Revival

We’re in a proper renaissance for throwback horror. Tormented Souls proved there’s appetite for fixed cams done right, and Crow Country showed how modern muscle memory can coexist with classic vibes. Big publishers have gone mostly over-the-shoulder with the Resident Evil remakes, which leaves the fixed-camera niche wide open for indies who understand pacing, scarcity, and dread.

Cult of Blood seems content to wear its inspirations while carving out space with its folk horror angle. It’s not vampires-Dusty Box says the enemies are humans stripped of their souls and bent to a cult’s will. That’s closer to The Wicker Man by way of PS1-era tension, which is a refreshing change from the usual infection plotlines. The studio also claims the story is inspired by a true event. That could be effective grounding, or pure marketing fuzz. The vibe matters more than the footnote—as long as the village feels lived-in and the cult isn’t just hooded fodder.

The Make-or-Break: Melee Under Fixed Cameras

Melee-first combat is the boldest call here. Classic fixed-camera horror usually trains you to conserve ammo and avoid fights. Silent Hill’s pipes and knives were notorious because hitboxes and angles could be cruel. If Cult of Blood wants you up close, it needs modern readability: a reliable lock-on, clear animation tells, consistent hit detection, generous stagger windows, and a dodge that feels fair when the camera cuts mid-swing.

Dusty Box says there are “modern refinements” for aiming and dodging—good start—but the devil is in how those work under stress. Multi-phase bosses can be memorable, or miserable, depending on telegraphs and camera behavior. If the team nails i-frames and enemy feedback, melee could elevate the dread instead of turning every fight into jank roulette. If not, expect frustration to eclipse atmosphere fast.

Progression, Pacing, and Those “Blood Souls”

Using “blood souls” to upgrade gear is intriguing. Survival horror traditionally rewards route knowledge and resource hoarding more than character builds. An upgrade currency suggests a more proactive loop: engage, risk, improve. Questions I have: Do enemies respawn? Can you farm safely? Are upgrades mandatory for bosses, or optional power spikes? If the answer is “yes” to farming, the danger is trivializing tension. But if upgrades are scarce and tied to meaningful choices—say, stronger melee vs. more heals—the system could add strategy without breaking scarcity.

Also on the wish list: a save system that respects the genre (limited saves or at least spaced-out checkpoints), inventory constraints that force tough calls, and puzzles that slow your heartbeat in a good way. The press materials lean on combat, but the best fixed-camera horror remembers you’re here to sweat over keys and crests too.

What Gamers Need to Know

• Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox. Specific SKUs (PS5 vs PS4, Series vs One) not confirmed.
• Release window: next year. No date yet.
• Core design: fixed cameras, tank-style controls with modern dodging/aiming, scarce ammo, melee focus, boss fights.
• Progression: collect “blood souls” to upgrade weapons or unlock gear.
• Story tone: folk horror cult, no vampires; you’re a police officer in a time-locked village.
• Unknowns: save system, puzzle density, accessibility options, difficulty modes, camera assist/lock-on details, performance targets.

One promising sign: the developers openly talk about “suffocating tension,” not power fantasy. As co-founder Angelo Axiotis puts it, “every decision could be your last.” That ethos is the right North Star. Now they need to back it up with systems that are tough but fair.

TL;DR

Cult of Blood looks like a smart, moody throwback with a risky twist: melee under fixed cameras. If Dusty Box sticks the landing on combat readability and keeps the upgrade economy tight, this could be one for fans of Tormented Souls and classic RE who want something nastier and more hands-on. I’m cautiously excited—and watching to see if the fear survives contact with a lead pipe.