Ex Sanguis
Ex Sanguis
Game
Game2020
Othercide
Developer Lightbulb Crew
Othercide is a horror-themed tactical role-playing video game developed by French indie developer Lightbulb Crew and published by Focus Home Interactive. It was released for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on July 28, 2020 and for Nintendo Switch on September 10, 2020. It received generally positive reviews. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
280 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 3, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
76
LovedLoved
142 positive · 46 negative
95% range 69–81%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 142 | 46 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 30 | 4 | 46 |
| Mastodon * | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Lemmy * | 1 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
2,408 of 2,951 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
A stylish but divisive tactical roguelite with punishing difficulty.
Many players praise the game's unique art style, soundtrack, and tactical combat, calling it a great iteration on the XCOM formula. Some find the difficulty rewarding and the atmosphere immersive. [3][5][12][13]
However, others criticize the lack of information, grindy progression, and the core mechanic of sacrificing units to heal. Some also report bugs and poor UI. [6][10][28][29][31]
Praised art style · soundtrack · tactical combat
Criticised lack of information · grindy progression · sacrifice mechanic · bugs
Summary drafted by an AI model from the 36 reactions it cites ([n] links open each post), then checked by code: every paragraph cites real posts and every quote is verbatim. Written Oct 9, 2026. Method
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Othercide sits at 76% positive across 188 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The PC and PS4 versions of the game received generally positive reviews upon release according to review aggregator website Metacritic, while the Xbox One version received mixed reviews. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, being recommended by 68% of critics. Leana Hafer from IGN awarded the game a 9/10, praising its combat and difficulty. She concluded her review by saying that "Othercide is a tactical roguelike with a flair for the dramatic, full of satisfying combat, careful planning, and sometimes heart-rending decisions". Tom Hatfield from PC Gamer also enjoyed the combat and described the combat system as "a pleasing puzzle". He also…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 280 · most liked firstOthercide is one of those games that I don’t really want to leave a negative review on, but the game simply gives me no choice. THE GOOD Visuals. The game has an amazing style: with mostly black&white palette with small amounts of red it creates a very nice, grim style that fits perfectly for the story the game tries to tell. Sound. Sound effects are good, narrating voices sound fitting, BGM for random combat is kinda average, but boss soundtracks are really good. Overall…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Surprisingly, the French XCOM-like Othercide (whose aesthetics are immaculate by the way) understands the power of this and plays its menu theme at a climactic moment in the game.
positive · AI labelView post →The game was fun until I was unable to calculate the damage to finish off enemies, looked it up to see if it was me who was doing something wrong and it turns out that the way armor works is bugged, such a shame, specially considering it being a fundamental part of the gameplay. I could just keep it in mind and play around the bug but I'm demotivated already, my daughters died because of uncaring devs. The game has been out for almost 6 years already... they even have another game under…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Started watching a trailer for a new game, thinking "hmm this looks just like Othercide" Text appears on-screen "from the makers of Othercide" Ah OK, as you were
neutral · AI labelView post →"Your anger is ours now. Avenge those who have been slaughtered, become the reaper of the unpunished executioners. I appeal to ultimate violence, in the name of justice." Made a pose based on a game I really like, Othercide! #lalafell
positive · AI labelView post →I could forgive the roguelite progression that, depending on when you acquired your last+15% damage upgrade, either has encounters be too easy or your reminder that your run should end so you can restart with better upgrades; I could forgive the stylized look even though the black and white look is monotone after a while; I could forgive the lack of enemy and unit variety since this is a small indie studio's first game; I don't need to forgive the use of health points and your own units as…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is... frusterating. It had potential, art, story, atmosphere and core gameplay idea, but the execution is where it's failed. In particular, information. This is a game with semi perma death, lasting damage, and a rouglike aspect of fail your run and start again on a whole new playthrough with some unlocks from the previous one. Each playthrough however can be several hours long, depending on how many arcs the game has, over ten I'm thinking if you don't start skipping content. So you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a decent idea with ok execution so I wanted to like this game. But the core premise of killing off your (strong) units to heal others isn't really something I enjoy. And other aspects are lacking too. The only way to heal a unit is to sacrifice a unit of same or higher level - there are no abilities, items, or other effects that restore health. Quite the opposite, counters and reactions cost HP. Units can be resurrected but the tokens required are scarce. To me, this also inflates the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't get me wrong, this is a cool game. The classes system is tight, you have to make a lot of careful decisions with character health, trait manipulation, and the bosses have fun mechanics to me. However, the regular missions are VERY grindy. The moment you have more than 6 enemies, the rounds take forever. This could be resolved by tightening up the game's AI and UX animations to recover some of the speed of the game. The slower animation beats are fine in games where you have 3-5 enemies on…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It really amazed me. Total hours played: 50/60 The game runs great on Steam Deck A strategic roguelike where you have to send your daughters on missions: - If your daughters die in battle, they end up in the graveyard, and bringing them back to life isn't that easy (in fact, you'll cry a lot if a high-level one dies). - Battles are turn-based, but everything depends on a timeline based on buffs/debuffs and action points. - It's a punishing game; you need a bit of patience to progress through…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game just hits different The Gameplay: Immaculate The Soundtrack: Got me moving like a claymation figure The Art Direction: Eh. It's ok. I give it a 10/10 The Performance: It functions (massive compliment) The Lore: Uh...I didn't actually read any of it, but it seems cool The Main "Problem": This game requires an intense amount of patience to finish. The fact that it's completion rate is almost identical to Darkest Dungeon is enough to send a very clear message. You will…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An incredibly cool game, I really like the mechanics and the art is absolutely amazing, however there are some issues with the game; Firstly , although the art and music is absolutely amazing, the voice acting and story just aren't great. For example; The "Villain" Child's voice just isn't great, it sounds neither like a child nor a Villain. Furthermore, I presume the story will get more developed towards the end, but the introduction summarised is just; There's the "Mother" and she failed…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Positives: - Attractive female characters. - Persistent progress. Negatives: - Clothes are boring. - DLC is boring. - No mods. - No THICC representation. I'm not sure why you would bother with this when the Disgaea series does everything this game does but better.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the best iteration on the xcom style of gameplay. don't let the recent negatives scare you off trying it. they're all skill issues
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10 female characters to get to know me! Video game edition! Y'shtola - FFXIV Samus Aran - Metroid series Red Mother - Othercide Sarah Kerrigan - Starcraft Lily Shen - XCOM 2 Alia - Megaman X Kasumi - DoA Chun Li - Street Fighter Rinoa - FFVIII Krystal - Star Fox series
neutral · AI labelView post →I really wanted to like it. Art is great, music is great but its too masochistic even for me. If you dont mind being spankwanked this game is for you. I however am not into it, no matter how hot the nun is.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →they say the grass is always greener on the Othercide but that's bullshit, that game is monochrome as fuck—except the red—and i'm pretty sure has no grass in it
negative · AI labelView post →While I love the visuals and aesthetic of and my initial impression of the gameplay was very positive; Othercide is an annoyingly repetitive game that loses it's charm very quickly.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game has potential. They did many things right. I love challenging games and I am not unfamiliar with unforgiving games - I have played xcom with long war 1 and 2 in iron man, so those 5% misses can be soul crashing - but hey, it is a risk management game. In a game such where stakes are high, you do not heal across missions and skills cost life (!!!), some uncertain things or bugs can be just unacceptable. Example. I have a sort of tank. It has an ability "interrupt an attack to an ally…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In a few words this game is a Loop. If you like learning from your mistakes and try again, you are going to have a field day. It's a game with squad manager and tactical RPG elements, similar to XCOM, Phoenix Point or Disgaea series. The game setting is dark and depressing, exploring a fictional 19th Century child traumas. Your characters are albino ladies called 'Daughters', specialized in 3 classes (4th near the end): -Shieldbearer (Tank): Since you can't recover HP in a battle, the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'll be honest, I saw a video of this, with its distinct visuals and the x-com lite combat and I was immediately sold. If there is one thing this game gets right, it's the vibes. The soundtrack, especially the opening theme song is amazing and brings a tear to my eyes. The monochrome+red visual style is truly inspired. Really capture that Sin City style. The whole game has this looming sense of melancholy and strife, which melds nicely with the grotesque otherworldly creature designs straight…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to like this game. The aesthetic is fantastic, but the combat completely killed it for me. The biggest issue is that enemies seem to ignore the same rules the player has to follow. The game shows a grey zone indicating how far enemies can move and attack, but that's apparently more of a suggestion than an actual limit. At first I thought, "Fine, whatever." Then I started noticing how lopsided the mechanics really are. My daughters can usually move only a few spaces and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Steam] Othercide ($4.49 / 85% off).
neutral · AI labelView post →How is it possible that there are SO many bugs in this game even 6 years after the release??? Armor calculation doesnt work at all, it is literally doubled for any buff the enemy or your own units get. (if it WAS intended just display that number instead) This bug makes enemies like the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ cancer Infected as fun as trying to shove a pitchfork up your rectum with the spiky end first.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →oh shit yeah. Lightbulb Crew, the people who made Othercide, have a new game that basically looks like Othercide With Vampires vs The Final Shape
neutral · AI labelView post →First of all: the UI is a piece of s##t. The game doesn't tell you anything, it's incredibly hard and frustrating to learn what happens and why, there's a lot of trial and error involved... which wouldn't be that bad if the game wasn't a f### roguelike, where each error costs you dearly. With that out of the way, the music is great, the artstyle is awesome, the story is intriguing. Once you painfully figure out how the game works, you will find one of the deepest and most satisfying…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolutley adore this game. I was stressed and confused almost the entire time but like, in a fun way. Every play through I promise myself I wont get emotionally attached to my army of (somewhat doomed) spooky daughters and every time I am lying. 5/5
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We beat Hyper Light Drifter, and man what a gorgeous game. Then switched to Othercide for chill vibes ^^ Thanks @infamousbee.bsky.social and @ephrysvt.bsky.social for the raids ;w; i appreciate y'all!! We raided into @goblinkinggrg.bsky.social who was doing Warcraft 3!!
positive · AI labelView post →Ex Sanguis is now available in Early Access right there: store.steampowered.com/app/3275050/... Spoiler: it's not Othercide 2, despite all the comparisons you could draw out of the team behind both game or the similar vibes it creates. It's something else!
neutral · AI labelView post →I just woke up for no reason, and can't seem to sleep, so I'm gonna try this new game I picked up. Othercide. I actually love the soundtrack so far.. it's moody & guitar heavy. Also... it has as an option "DISABLE CUT SCENES!" It's a tactical RPG you can pick up now for $3 on Steam.
positive · AI labelView post →Cool visual style. Xcom style combat and level up skill set. Should have been an instant favorite. But being forced to reset several times as a game mechanic and only keeping a handful of fighters got very annoying. Sure there is an option to reset at later stages, but you sacrifice upgrades to do that. It eventually got super boring have to reset to Stage 1, probably 6 times. I just didn't have the stamina for it. If I had enough patience to keep playing through a reset game mechanic, I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Back to the noir goodness with #Othercide! Gotta admit the game is super solid! Later we return to all the chaos and pit delving in #Pathfinder2 with #SevenDoomsForSandpoint with our DM @tabletopobscura.bsky.social #Moonbeam www.moonbeam.stream/user/TheDwar... #Twitch www.twitch.tv/thedwarfdown...
positive · AI labelView post →Playing Othercide a few years ago really made me realize that, while I personally enjoy *some* amount of randomness in *some* specific parts of a tac combat game, it does not belong in every action. The most compelling tactical experiences for me are in choice. RNG is spice, choice is the dish.
neutral · AI labelView post →EX SANGUIS is a new tactics roguelike from the devs of Othercide. If that game is anything to go off of, it'll be INCREDIBLY difficult, interestingly innovative with it's tactics mechanics, and just a bit horny in ways that hit a lot of women on the internet i know
neutral · AI labelView post →today's #indiegamedev shoutout is for Ex Sanguis youtube.com/shorts/9g24z... the follow up to Othercide by @lightbulbcrew.bsky.social with even more timeline-based tactical combat store.steampowered.com/app/3275050/...
neutral · AI labelView post →I love this game. I'm a big fan of tactical strategy games like X-Com and Phoenix Point and this game gives Phoenix Point some strong competition for my favorite of the genre. This game shines if you really like tactical combat and you like it to be tough as nails. This game has given me more challenge than a game like X-Com ever did and without any of the rage-quit frustration of something dumb like whiffing multiple 99% shots in a row. The combat is satisfying, it can be punishing if…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yeah, no. As much as I wanted to like it, Othercide is just not up to snuff. The key issue to me is the immensely low variety between combat encounters. The game does try to keep things fresh by introducing new types of enemies over time, yet this didn't feel good enough to me. It's not like variety is just about the opposition you face; not all is well in this regard when it comes to objectives and your merry warband's capabilities. The number of skills each character gets is nothing to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So when this came out, I recall it getting a pretty poor reception, I bought it on sale and left it in my backlog for like four years before trying it out. Kind of a shame. Without looking too much into the development of the game and how they handled things, I can guess that they released the game with just the Nightmare mode. I can imagine the game is extremely grindy and frustrating when you don't have the ability to heal except by killing your other daughters of the same or higher level.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome and unique art style and atmosphere. Hard at first, but gets easier as your daughters level up. But the most important thing ... the soundtrack of the very first boss is A BLAST!! Why such epic music just for the first boss, I don't get it but ehh doesn't matter, I'm still listening to it! I WILL NEVER FAAALLL ~ !!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay, so there's actually a good game in here. A lot of the negatives bashing it for core design decisions aren't really legitimate criticisms. But there's enough individual little flaws that add up that make it hard to recommend. I'm no stranger to "masochistic" games as I tend to enjoy games like Fear and Hunger or Iron Man X-COM. In broad strokes the game is a combination of rogue-like and X-COM. You are expected to fail runs and start over with stronger buffs you can purchase for each run…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game gets a 10/10 for visuals and presentation. 2/10 for gameplay(it's not developed enough) 2/10 for pacing(it's grindy) and a 1/10 for balance(they didn't think this through very well at all).
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Long-ass time ago I saw a dude reviewing-playing this thing on youtube and the art style caught me eye. This is not my kind of game as I generally avoid turn-based games because I suck and cba to git gud. Needless to say, on a more limited set-up and plenty of time to kill at work, thought it wouldn't hurt. I now have countless deadlines, messages and missed calls I blame on this thing.. and for under 5 euro's on sale, you will too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hope was the first to die... Literally my first Daughter that died was Hope. >,< This is a tactics game with a weird overarching strategy tied to gaining power long term via short term losses; aka. sacrifices. It is isometric turn/initiative based, almost like XCOM in presentation, but it DEFINITELY goes in a different direction combat wise. Briefly pushing aside the big thing people immediately talk about, here is how the game is structured. You start a run (recollection) with 3 Daughters…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Playing Othercide on stream today! #Gamer #Streamer #VTuber #Twitch #Othercide Watch fox_fire1998 with me on Twitch! www.twitch.tv/fox_fire1998...
neutral · AI labelView post →9. Othercide: An XCOM-style game that said "What if the people who think XCOM is for babies?"A punishingly hard turn-based strategic RPG set in a bleak, dying world where badass clones of a mother fight to save a child from the god of Suffering
neutral · AI labelView post →I want an anime or show out of this. This is a pretty great turn-based game. But for me, what really shines is the setting and story. Traits are among my favorite things. It shapes a personality for each character based solely on their experience and buffs/debuffs accordingly
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Style over Substance, but so much Style, I don't really care that the gameplay is repetitive.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have no right to give a full review because I didn't beat the final boss, but I can at least say a few things. The design overall is definitely interesting, and the voice acting is great. I like the gameplay, but for this particular project, it feels a bit rough without proper polish, but it's good enough.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great XCOM-like tactics with amazing presentation - everything from the music and art design to the missions and bosses is top-notch. But there is a big BUT. The game presents itself as a grim, hardcore experience where you'll fail and die a lot. It even includes an easy mode, which implies the base difficulty is already brutal. But the game is lying. In reality, it's a very easy roguelite. You grow stronger passively, and failures have no downsides or lost progress. In fact, you'll become…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Othercide is a great game. GAMEPLAY: Gameplay-wise, Othercide manages to offer an enjoyable, layered system that challenges the player without overwhelming them with a complex array of mechanics. While early on, players will find themselves enduring the reality of fielding low-level squads, good tactics and positioning will see your Daughter's levelling up and opening up numerous new combinations. From there, players will need to utilise a combination of teamwork and ability combos to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very stylish turn based tactics game attracted my attention simply with visuals when saw trailer and only after that was gameplay, which seemed to suit my taste. So it is quite simple turn based tactics title where everyone goes in order of their initiative, which could change for better or worse with buffs or debuffs, combat is quite standard, flanking and backstabbing got bonus dmg, there are skills that are activated immediately and those that take time, buffs, debuffs, pushes, aoe, etc.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →33. Other than writing, my main hobby/interest is video games, yeah. FFXIV would be my main game, but I still hop around several. Big fan of XCOM 2, Othercide, Megaman X, Metroid, etc.
neutral · AI labelView post →As much as I love the aesthetics and overall story of this game, I can't recommend this to just anybody. I can only recommend this if you have a strong itch for turn-based strategy and are willing to give anything a go. This game has some excellent aspects but it does fall into some tedium unfortunately.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →@ami_angelwings I generally don't put up with bad media, but the Mother in #Othercide. The game isn't *bad*, but it's pretty mid, and the writing should be on a game twice as good. I wanted to hear more about the setting. Tell me more about this immortal woman who's made a pact with the eldritch incarnation of memory, who has been, at different times, a samurai, a paladin, and a wild west gunslinger.
neutral · AI labelView post →I really want to love this game. And the mechanics and the idea of the game is very appealing. Though for me, the game is quite buggy, from a scale of 1 to 10 i'd say the UI and UX navigation is about 7. I often find myself having difficulties moving my characters somehow. And sometimes some skills dont work like how they're supposed to. There is this one interruption skill where it triggers when an enemy attacks. I have fulfilled all of it's condition (enemy and ally targeted are in range)…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ex Sanguis Roguelite turn-based tactics game with a striking black-white-red colour scheme. Immediately reminiscent of Othercide from the same devs, but faster and more aggressive. ...Very rough demo though; I'm looking forward to the full game, but I get the feeling it's gonna take a while.
neutral · AI labelView post →Ex Sanguis demo is happening. New black/white/red colored tactical fights game from the Othercide people. Sweeet. I still need to finish Othercide (my brain is bad at extended tactical fights) but damn if I ain't tempted anyway.
positive · AI labelView post →Not very good at all. Why you make a roguelike game where you have to restart over and over to get stronger each run when the runs can take so long. That type of structure only makes sense in games where each run in shortish like less than 5 hours tops. This isn't like that. Nope, instead enjoy 10-20 hour long runs each which you gotta do over and over to slowly power up so you have a slim chance at progressing. Just a flawed concept from the start,
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm just not into these Nightmere-Scenarios, specially, when you got thrown into a 'Story' like this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Idk what problem these tards have with the game, it's goated, music, art and gameplay, all goated, they just have no hands to play it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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