Slasher horror Short horror PS1 horror Puppet Combo

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
Stores: Steam, itch.io
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (92% of 1,408 reviews); 4.59 of 5 stars on the PlayStation Store (977 ratings); 8 of 10 from Destructoid
Length: about 1.5 hours
Players: 1
Made by: Black Eyed Priest, Henry Hoare
Released: 2021

No. 23 of the city horror games · No. 10 of the arcade horror games · No. 6 of the mall horror games

Get it on Steam PlayStation Store (PS4, PS5)Xbox Nintendo eShop itch.io (Windows, comes with a Steam key)

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 butchering pregnant women. The night is quiet and full of people until it is not, and the gore is shown in full.
Content: gore, violence against pregnant women, jumpscares, brief nudity, strong language, drug references, sexual themes.

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. It takes about an hour and a half.

About Bloodwash

Bloodwash is a giallo-inspired horror game made by Henry Hoare and Jordan King (credited on Steam as Black Eyed Priest and Henry Hoare) and published under Puppet Combo's Torture Star Video label. It came out on Steam and itch.io on 16 September 2021, and on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S and Nintendo Switch in autumn 2022.

You play Sara, a pregnant college student who lives with her alcoholic boyfriend in a run-down apartment complex. A serial killer the media call the Womb Ripper is murdering pregnant women around the city. You have a job interview the next day, the washing machine in the basement is out of order, and a neighbour tells Sara about a 24-hour laundromat on the outskirts of town. The last bus is about to leave.

Most of the game is the wait. While the machines run you can walk the plaza around the laundromat, talk to the man at the pizza place and the pawnshop, the other customer and the attendant, and dig into the mystery behind the killings, or simply read a comic, watch television or play at the arcade. Destructoid compares it to a walking simulator with some action; its co-developer built combat and enemy AI into it for when the night turns.

What sets it apart from Puppet Combo's other games is the place. Murder House and Nun Massacre put you in empty buildings; Bloodwash fills a late-night strip mall with people, so it feels safe at first and you wait to see how the killing will start. It leans on jump scares, and the low-poly graphics show some gruesome scenes in full. The VHS and CRT filters can be turned off if the warping picture is too much.

It suits players who like retro slasher films and want a story they can finish in one evening. Destructoid gave it 8 out of 10 and called it a horror snack, like a low-budget tape from the back of the video store.

How to play Bloodwash

Choose normal mode or VHS mode for a grainier picture; the filters can be switched off.
Find the basement washer out of order, then catch the last bus to the 24-hour laundromat.
Load the machines and explore the plaza while the wash runs.
Talk to the people around the laundromat and look into the killings, or pass the time with comics, television and the arcade.
Stay alert when the night turns violent.

Screenshots

An empty pink-lit laundromat with a row of coloured washing machines and PLEASE DON'T signs on the wall, in a grainy VHS look

A grimy basement laundry nook with an out-of-order washing machine, a dryer and a red toolbox

A tall figure in a tuxedo with a pale mask and red eyes standing by a yellow pole in a rusty night train carriage

The empty aisle of a run-down, rust-stained train carriage with patterned seats and dark windows

A shirtless, tattooed man in a grimy room by a noticeboard, saying the people in the walls took it from him

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

A grainy black-and-white photo of a gruesome shape on a black screen, with Sara's caption: Has to be fake

Tips

Play it in one sitting at night; it takes about an hour and a half.
Use the wait to explore and talk to everyone; the background of the story is in what you find, and the ending means more for it.
Read the comics in the laundromat; Destructoid singles them out as the best of the side content.
If the warping PS1 picture tires your eyes, turn off the VHS and CRT filters in the options.

Questions

How long is Bloodwash?

About an hour and a half for the main story, according to HowLongToBeat. The makers give one to two hours depending on your pace and how much you explore.

Is Bloodwash a Puppet Combo game?

It was made by Henry Hoare and Jordan King 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 and itch.io, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. It costs $7.99 on PC and $9.99 on the PlayStation and Xbox stores.

Is Bloodwash gory?

Yes. The makers describe it as drenched with gore, and the ESRB rates it Mature for blood and gore, drug reference, intense violence, sexual themes and strong language. Its villain targets pregnant women.

What languages is Bloodwash in?

It is voiced in English. The PC version is in English only; the PlayStation and Xbox versions add on-screen text in French, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.