Running, jumping, sliding through the air and tearing through enemies before they have a chance to react. That's pretty much what a typical encounter in ALTEREDBLOOD+ (AB+) looks like. Developed by TrueWorld Studios, this fast-paced FPS puts movement at the centre of its combat, with almost every mechanic encouraging you to keep moving and stay aggressive.
During my time with AB+, the movement was easily my favourite part. I loved how fluid it felt to jump between enemies, dash towards weakened targets and use the environment to find new ways through each encounter. The whole experience was a lot of fun, and I rarely found myself wanting to slow things down.
Humanity as the infection
Humanity has managed to outlive almost everything in the universe, but not without a little help from its own creation. In ALTEREDBLOOD+, that creation is MOTHER, a self-replicating megastructure launched towards the centre of the galaxy that eventually consumed almost the entire observable universe. Now, the few humans left have found a way to survive by harvesting MOTHER's blood, carving out a place for themselves inside the very structure that brought about their downfall.
This is where you come in: a Reaper created by MOTHER to hunt down and kill the last remnants of the human race feeding on her blood. It's an interesting twist on a familiar premise. Instead of fighting to save humanity, you're effectively playing the Grim Reaper, carrying out the will of the entity responsible for its downfall.
Mastering the movement
In AB+, movement and combat go hand in hand. The game is designed so that one constantly feeds into the other, encouraging you to use your mobility as part of your offensive arsenal. This is especially evident when it comes to ammo management. All the weapons you unlock throughout the game have very limited ammunition, but instead of having to search for pickups, you can replenish it by performing actions such as dashing, sliding and wall jumping.
This also makes choosing the right weapon for each situation important. You begin with just a knife, which lets you perform quick dash attacks to close the distance on enemies. As you progress, you unlock firearms such as a machine gun for sustained fire and a shotgun that packs a much heavier punch at close range. However, getting access to guns doesn't make your knife any less useful. Firearms can mark weakened enemies, allowing you to finish them off with a knife attack, saving ammo in the process.
Every enemy you kill leaves behind blood that you can use to your advantage. Standing in these pools restores your health and activates the Altered state, which lets you pass through grates and prison bars positioned throughout the levels and empowers your weapons. In a surprisingly brutal twist, this encourages you to paint the walls with the blood of your enemies. Need to climb a wall to reach the next room? Kill a few enemies near it. Running low on health? Mow down some more. Looking for secret paths? You know what to do. All of this makes combat feel like a constant cycle of movement, aggression and using everything around you to stay alive.
Finding your footing
With so much happening during a fight, getting comfortable with AB+'s movement can take some time. Thankfully, the game offers three difficulty settings and two air-control options to accommodate different levels of experience.
Classic Air Control is aimed at players familiar with air strafing, requiring specific Mouselook and Directional Movement inputs. Modern Air Control is more intuitive, letting you move in your desired direction using the corresponding keys without having to turn your camera.
Final thoughts
ALTEREDBLOOD+ has been a fantastic time so far. Its movement and combat mechanics make every encounter entertaining, even if the constant action can become overwhelming at times.
The game entered Steam Early Access on November 4, 2026, with three story episodes spread across six missions, taking you further into MOTHER's depths. While there's still room for more content, what's already available has me curious to see how TrueWorld Studios builds on the experience as development continues. If you enjoy movement shooters that reward aggression and quick reactions, AB+ is well worth checking out.
