Blues and Bullets

Blues and Bullets is an episodic alt-history noir video game developed and published by A Crowd of Monsters on Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The first two episodes of the five-episode game were released in July 2015 and March 2016, and the remaining three episodes will likely never be released, as developer A Crowd of Monsters ceased operations in 2016.

Blues and Bullets
Developer(s)A Crowd of Monsters
Publisher(s)A Crowd of Monsters
Producer(s)Marta Serrano
Ruben Marquez
Designer(s)Daniel Castellanos
Programmer(s)Rafael Gonzalez
Xavier Jorba Cano
Artist(s)Daniel Candil
Composer(s)Damian Sanchez
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player 

Gameplay

The player searches for clues to find leads in the investigation. Clues include mutilated body parts. Clues can be matched to witnesses. There are also shooting sections.[1] The game's narrative is told in monochrome with occasional tints of color. Interacting with other characters also plays a large part in the game.[2]

Plot

Eliot Ness (voiced by Doug Cockle) is the agent who jailed gangster Al Capone (voiced by John Guerrasio). In this new episodic game, Eliot Ness is a retired cop who runs a diner called Blues and Bullets.[3] One day, someone tells him that Al Capone needs his help to find his kidnapped granddaughter. His former nemesis is the only man he trusts to get her back. There are other characters in the game, which include: Milton (voiced by Tom Clarke Hill), Delphine Dockers (voiced by Jules De Jong), Osmond Burke (voiced by Joseph May), Alice (voiced by Laila Pyne), Little Girl (voiced by Laila Pyne), Little Boy (voiced by Jules De Jong (episode 1) and Alexa Kahn (episode 2)), Dickinson (voiced by Kerry Shale), Jim Dockers (voiced by Colin Stinton) and Nikolai Ivankov (voiced by Bill Roberts).

Development

The game was first announced on August 13, 2014.[4] Several more screenshots were released on November 22, 2014,[5] and the game was featured at the 2015 Game Developer's Conference.[1] The game was awarded at Game Connection Development Awards in the category of Excellence in Story & StoryTelling.[6] A trailer was released on March 4, 2015.[7] The first developer diary video of the game was published on May 16, 2015.[8]

Episodes

The game was expected to be separated into five episodes, released in several month intervals. Episode 1 was released on July 23, 2015 and Episode 2 was released on March 8, 2016. However, developer A Crowd of Monsters ceased operations in late 2016. Leaving future episodes (as well as the franchise) in doubt.

No. Title Directed by Written by Original release
1"The End of Peace"Daniel Candil and Daniel CastellanosJosue Monchan
Story by Daniel Candil, Daniel Castellanos and Josue Monchan		July 23, 2015 (2015-07-23)
Eliot Ness is a retired cop running a diner called Blues and Bullets. When his old nemesis, Al Capone asks for his help in finding his granddaughter who has been kidnapped.
2"Shaking the Hive"Daniel Candil and Daniel CastellanosJosue Monchan
Story by Daniel Candil, Daniel Castellanos and Josue Monchan		March 8, 2016 (2016-03-08)
Eliot Ness embarks on a journey into the mysterious submarine that emerged out of the water. While wearing a disguise made up of bandages, attempts to make a deal with Ivankov, the ruthless Russian mobster.
3"Mourning the Dead"Daniel Candil and Daniel CastellanosJosue Monchan
Story by Daniel Candil, Daniel Castellanos and Josue Monchan		TBA
4"Behind the Mask"Daniel Candil and Daniel CastellanosJosue Monchan
Story by Daniel Candil, Daniel Castellanos and Josue Monchan		TBA
5"The New Untouchables"Daniel Candil and Daniel CastellanosJosue Monchan
Story by Daniel Candil, Daniel Castellanos and Josue Monchan		TBA

Reception

Episode 1: The End of Peace

GameSpot awarded the first episode a score of 7.0 out of 10, saying "Although Blues and Bullets isn’t without its flaws, this first episode sets a distinctive comic-book, crime-noir attitude compelling enough to keep you playing and looking forward to what the series will offer in future installments."[9] ComboCaster awarded the first episode 8.3 out of 10, praising the story and pacing.[10] The Sixth Axis awarded the first episode a score of seven out of ten, saying "The End Of Peace feels like A Crowd Of Monsters has crammed too much within the two and a half hour introductory episode, with lots of characters and events occurring without much time to digest what came before."[11]

References
  1. Turi, Tim (March 6, 2015). "The Very Best Indie Games Of GDC 2015". Game Informer. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  2. "Blues and Bullets at Gamescom 2014 - Our Noir Action-adventure Game". A Crowd of Monsters. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  3. "Home - Blues And Bullets". Blues And Bullets. Archived from the original on August 10, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015. Eliot Ness, former leader of the legendary Untouchables, only wished to spend the rest of his life working in his diner and not thinking much of the cesspit of corruption his city, Santa Esperanza, had degenerated into. Of course things rarely go as planned.
  4. Caccamise, Marc (August 13, 2015). "Blues & Bullets Announced". TrueAchievements. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  5. "Blues and Bullets, Screenshot Saturday 22-11-2014". A Crowd of Monsters. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  6. Lennox, Cindy. "GDC 2015: Winners Announced For Game Connection Development Awards". Biogamegirl. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  7. Tamburro, Paul (March 4, 2015). "Xbox One Noir Detective Game Blues and Bullets Gets a New Trailer". CraveOnline. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  8. "Blues and Bullets team releases developer diary and tribute to Eliot Ness". Gamasutra. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  9. Brett Todd. "Blues and Bullets Review - GameSpot". GameSpot.
  10. Tiago Roque. "Blues and Bullets Review - ComboCaster". ComboCaster.
  11. http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2015/08/06/blues-bullets-episode-one-the-end-of-peace-review/
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