Bloodwash

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A pregnant student, a killer loose in the city, and a late-night trip to the laundromat.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (92% of 1,400 reviews)
Length: 1 to 2 hours
Players: 1
Made by: Black Eyed Priest, Henry Hoare
Released: 2021

Get it on Steam PlayStation Store (PS4, PS5)Xbox Nintendo eShop

What frightens Sara, a pregnant college student, has to take her laundry to a 24-hour laundromat on the edge of town while a serial killer called the Womb Ripper is murdering pregnant women. In first person and grimy PS1-style graphics, you wait out the wash among strangers: a man in a mask on the night bus, a raving junkie, scrawled faces on the walls, with the sense that anything could come up behind you and g
Content: gore, violence against pregnant women, brief nudity, strong language, jumpscares.

Bloodwash is a short first-person horror game in PS1-style graphics, published by Puppet Combo's label Torture Star Video. Sara, a pregnant college student, has to do her washing at a 24-hour laundromat on the edge of town while a serial killer known as the Womb Ripper is hunting pregnant women.

About Bloodwash

Bloodwash is a giallo-inspired horror game made by Black Eyed Priest and Henry Hoare and published under Puppet Combo's Torture Star Video label. It came out on Steam in September 2021 and later on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.

You play Sara, a pregnant college student who lives with her alcoholic boyfriend in a run-down apartment block. A serial killer the papers call the Womb Ripper is murdering pregnant women around the city. One night the washing machine in the basement breaks, and a neighbour tells Sara about a 24-hour laundromat on the outskirts of town. Getting there, and waiting while the laundry runs, is the game.

It is a narrative horror piece more than a game of fights or puzzles. You take the night bus, talk to the odd people around the laundromat, explore its rooms and run errands while the machines turn; players note that the wash plays out in real time. The low-poly graphics are deliberately crusty, and a VHS mode adds tape grime. The first-person view means, as the makers put it, that anything can sneak up on you, and when the violence comes it is bloody.

Bloodwash suits players who like Puppet Combo's other retro slasher games, such as Murder House and Nun Massacre, and want a story they can finish in one evening. Players describe it as a short, tight horror story with a few jumpscares and an ending that leaves things open.

How to play Bloodwash

Start the game in normal mode or VHS mode for a grainier picture.
Follow Sara out of her apartment when the basement washer breaks, and take the bus to the 24-hour laundromat.
Load the machines and explore the laundromat and the places around it while the wash runs.
Talk to the people you meet and do the small tasks that come up while you wait.
Keep watching behind you as the night goes on and the story reaches the Womb Ripper.

Screenshots

A row of coloured washing machines in a pink-lit laundromat with a PLEASE DON'T sign on the wall

A hooded junkie in a shabby room saying the people in the walls took it from him

A screaming face with the word VOID scrawled on the wall of a dark, empty room

A dirty basement with an out-of-order washing machine and a red tool chest

Tips

Play it in one sitting at night; the makers say it lasts one to two hours.
Explore while you wait for the laundry; much of the story is in the side rooms and the people you meet.
Try VHS mode on a second play for the full low-budget video look.
Use headphones; players single out the soundtrack and the jumpscares.

Questions

How long is Bloodwash?

Its makers give an average playtime of one to two hours, depending on your pace and how much you explore.

Is Bloodwash a Puppet Combo game?

It was made by Black Eyed Priest and Henry Hoare and published under Torture Star Video, Puppet Combo's label; the console stores list Puppet Combo as publisher.

What platforms is Bloodwash on?

Windows on Steam, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.

Is Bloodwash gory?

Yes. The makers describe it as drenched with gore, and Steam notes blood and gore, brief nudity and strong language.