Beware of the Womb Ripper

Bloodwash is a survival horror action video game wherein you must visit a laundromat late at night—and avoid getting caught by a notorious serial killer. Developed by Black Eyed Priest and Henry Hoare and published by Torture Star Video, this 3D first-person PS1-style game features a narrative-focused horror experience with gore a-plenty.

Similar to Northbury Grove, Bloodwash offers both a normal appearance for the graphics and a VHS Mode for a more immersive feel of the horror genre. However, while the atmosphere itself is pretty unsettling, the first half of the game can feel far too stretched out despite its short length. 

How long is the Bloodwash game?

In Bloodwash, you play as Sara, a pregnant college student who sadly lives with her alcoholic boyfriend. He hardly helps with the chores so Sara eventually finds herself having to visit a 24-hour laundromat on the outskirts of town when the apartment’s washing machine breaks down. She has no choice but to go at night since she badly needs fresh clothes for tomorrow. Unfortunately, a serial killer is on the loose.

The game’s controls are pretty easy and you’ll mostly be guided on what to do next by either Sara’s internal monologue or the numerous interactive items and the NPCs you can talk to. Progressing through the story is linear enough. What you’ll really spend time on is exploring all areas as they contain item descriptions and clues on what’s been happening around town in this giallo or crime thriller plot.

Everything here is highly atmospheric—from the voice-acting to the low-poly graphics to the horror and gore elements. However, the pacing can be a bit off since the game is divided into two sections: Sara’s task of doing laundry and the thriller slasher scene. This is because there’s an actual timer during Sara’s first part so you’re really forced to slow down—making an average of 1 – 2 hours of gameplay.

Don’t go out at night

All in all, Bloodwash is a pretty great indie horror game to try out if you’re a fan of survival horror and creepy PS1-style game. While the pacing can be weird—with the chase scene much shorter than what you would expect from all that build-up—everything else in the game makes it a solid Puppet Combo presentation like Murder House and Babysitter Bloodbath.