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Night Jackal: Blood Debt
Game
Game2023
Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood
Developer Mega Cat Studios
Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood is a 2023 horror roguelike shoot 'em up video game developed by Mega Cat Studios and published by Skybound Games, which is based on the action horror film Renfield, directed by Chris McKay and starring Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage. Following an early access release on April 12, it was released for Windows on September 20, 2023. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
225 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 3, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
77
LovedLoved
141 positive · 43 negative
95% range 70–82%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 141 | 43 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 5 | 1 | 29 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 3 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
466 of 561 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
76% recommend · 140 yes, 44 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 184 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (704 of 898 positive).
Some reviewers criticize the lack of manual aiming and confusing visuals, like enemy bullets blending with health bugs. [1][2][3]
Liked
Representative posts
- [12]
This is NOT a negative review. Instead, it's a MIXED, but since Steam doesn't have it, I will leave as negative because the cons overtake the pros of the game. It's funny how so many games try to copy what Vampire Survivors did, but fail miserably. The fact is that you can play Vampire Survivors for HOURS, and will always get a new reward, a secret, a new character, etc, without even noticing what you did. That …
- [10]
At launch: a good, genre game with nice graphics and adequate gameplay. At present: a GREAT, genre game made better with every update. Not since Dead Cells have I felt so much eagerness from a developer to fundamentally reshape and tune their already-competent product into something better, something bigger. (The manual-aim addition was the icing on the cake that inspired me to write this review!) What could have …
- [1]
Surprisingly, really quite good. Biggest issue by far is enemy bullets. They're the same colour (and particle effect) as health bugs, come in bunches, and are a complete bastard to spot with all the other screen noise. In rooms with a lot of gunners you can very easily die having no idea at all where the bullets are coming from. This leaves you running around sort of hoping you don't accidentally run into a …
- [5]
Very good Vampire Survivors clone, especially for the price. Impressive pixel art graphics and solid music. Tons of content which trickles out to you over time. There's a lot of grinding, but I like that with titles like these.
- [4]
Totally worth the buy!. More EPIC reviews like this on [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/28519188-Hardcore-Reviews] Hardcore Reviews! ⚡ Inspired by the film Renfield, this beautiful piexlart game offers a unique roguelite experience, blending superb visuals with fantastic music. Very fun yet challenging Hero Survivor with tons of unlockable content! …
Summarised from 34 of the 220 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood sits at 77% positive across 184 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Reactions
60 of 225 · most liked firstDrăculești is LIVE on Kickstarter Play as Renfield, survive the terror of Castle Dracula, and find love in the darkest night in this seductive romantic horror narrative game. Starring Ray Chase as Dracula. Voice/Casting direction by @jennyyokobori.bsky.social 🖤 www.kickstarter.com/projects/171...
neutral · AI labelView post →I might be a wholeass adult, but I've got a birthday WEEK starting tomorrow and I'm very excited. Cake at trivia; movie night is MY selection (Renfield!); dinner, drag race (SNATCH GAME HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME) and another dinner.
neutral · AI labelView post →When I joined bsky, another accnt kept kayfabe as Nosferatu, and I invited myself into the game, moved into the castle, even nicknamed Renfield - “Ren!” - and we’d make elaborate stories about our stoner hedonist life. Then Nos stopped being Nos but I wasn’t having it so we still play castle. 🦇🤣
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm the narrative designer on Drâculeşti, a visual novel adaptation of Dracula. Refocusing the story on Renfield it's a romantic horror about being seduced by power (and vampires). The full game isn't out yet but there's a big demo! store.steampowered.com/app/2537980/...
neutral · AI labelView post →"Drăculești is a Dracula-inspired romantic horror narrative game. All the relationships are queer; Renfield is a gay trans man and he can date one of three cis men or a nonbinary character." - @fine-fiends.bsky.social Incredible artwork, immaculate vibes. store.steampowered.com/app/2537980/...
neutral · AI labelView post →This is NOT a negative review. Instead, it's a MIXED, but since Steam doesn't have it, I will leave as negative because the cons overtake the pros of the game. It's funny how so many games try to copy what Vampire Survivors did, but fail miserably. The fact is that you can play Vampire Survivors for HOURS, and will always get a new reward, a secret, a new character, etc, without even noticing what you did. That keeps the game fresh, and when you do notice, you probably spent many hours playing…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The next six months will define the future of vampire movies after years of box office flops. > After a disappointing few years, the vampire sub-genre of horror is at a crossroads with three high-profile movies on the horizon in Nosferatu, Salem's Lot, and Sinners. Vampire movies have evolved over the years, ranging from the gothic horror of Bela Lugosi's Dracula, to the fantasy romance of Twilight. In recent years, there have been a slew of satirical vampire projects, including highly-rated TV…
neutral · AI labelView post →Totally worth the buy!. More EPIC reviews like this on [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/28519188-Hardcore-Reviews] Hardcore Reviews! ⚡ Inspired by the film Renfield, this beautiful piexlart game offers a unique roguelite experience, blending superb visuals with fantastic music. Very fun yet challenging Hero Survivor with tons of unlockable content! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3076053574 I want to highlight that both the character design and animation,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was immediately sold on the movie Renfield because of Nicolas Cage as Dracula. Then I found out that there was a game inspired by the movie. It looked interesting, I love playing games like this on Steam Deck, the price was low, so why not try it? The first few hours were... difficult. Not so much because of the game's difficulty, but because it just doesn't explain everything clearly. So it slipped quietly into my backlog of unfinished games until I decided to give it another chance (and I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →not even that bad
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →At launch: a good, genre game with nice graphics and adequate gameplay. At present: a GREAT, genre game made better with every update. Not since Dead Cells have I felt so much eagerness from a developer to fundamentally reshape and tune their already-competent product into something better, something bigger. (The manual-aim addition was the icing on the cake that inspired me to write this review!) What could have very easily been a mere cash-in on a movie's passing hype has risen to be a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No option to aim in a different direction from where you're moving, no way to increase pick up radius, no option to disable controller rumble. Feels terrible to play.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros: Beautiful graphics. Great theme. Cons: UI is pretty bad: very little explanation of anything, animations don't line up with hitboxes, enemies (and powerups) can hide behind scenery. Upgrades are uninspired (-cooldown, +damage, etc). Fairly grindy, even for this genre. The starting character isn't very fun - whereas unlocked characters are quite a bit more fun. Weapons are nowhere near balanced. Honestly, the difficulty doesn't come from scaling enemies or building the right synergy like…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Many content updates over the past 6 months have greatly improved the game. This launched with very little content, but after taking a break for several months I can see that there is a TON of new content. This is well worth the price of admission, and I'd highly recommend for fans of the genre.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Leagues ahead of the rest in terms of presentation (sprite work, effects, menus, etc) and with a cool sense of humour based on the movie, and a fun twist on the formula in that you work through levels in a hades-like manner instead of being in one open field all the time. The main drawback it has is that it's slow to get started with the unlocks, and the game is quite difficult early on before you get many unlocks so it might put people off if they die a bunch of times early without unlocking…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Can't say enough good things about this game. Music, mission design, and progression are all top tier for a survivors game. Literally wouldn't have known it was a movie companion if I hadn't happened to see previews. Bought it when it was first released and haven't gotten around to it until now. I was definitely missing out. The soundtrack is literally perfection. Buy it and love it. It deserves it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played a few rounds and it was kind of enjoyable, but: Aiming is in the direction you move, pickup range is nonexistant, you get stuck on random pixels and take ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ damage. Too bad.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Surprisingly, really quite good. Biggest issue by far is enemy bullets. They're the same colour (and particle effect) as health bugs, come in bunches, and are a complete bastard to spot with all the other screen noise. In rooms with a lot of gunners you can very easily die having no idea at all where the bullets are coming from. This leaves you running around sort of hoping you don't accidentally run into a slow-moving bullet-wall of instant death. It also means you actively avoid healing bugs…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →2/10 for this type of game its lacking in the some of most basic features - not twin stick, you attack the same direction you move - you can beat levels by finding a safe corner and just Auto Attacking in that direction the entire time - insane grind for small upgrades - you unlocked a new character, weapon, or level, go buy it!!!!! + works on windows 7
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My new addiction on the steam deck is Renfield. Yes this is based on the movie with the same name starring Nicolas Cage. This game has no right being this entertaining for the asking price of 1$ (4,99 when not on sale). This is a fun and more gory version of vampire survivors, but unique. Took me a few runs to get used to the hit-boxes which felt clunky at first, with some upgrades and practice the game feels way better. Lots on content and replayability in this game and the music and sound…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a 3/10 for this genre. When I bought this game, I didnt know it was based on a movie (didnt read the game's "about" either), so everyhing I may say in the below review is based on zero context to said movie. I've played a handful of vampire survivor type games over the last few years. I've put hundreds of hours into VS, across multiple devices, and started from base line "new game" at least 5 times, so I can clearly draw the conclusion to say, when i compare Renfield to VS; the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's weirder for a right-wing catholic convert to be playing Renfield BOTH to a dark-triad former-game-show-host-turned-klepto-authoritarian-oligarch AND a gnostico-techno-techno-transhumanist-small-o-orthodox-Christian (for whom the 'o' apparently stands for 'only believes in the antichrist'.)
neutral · AI labelView post →while the gameplay could be fun, the balancing is weird, you dont feel getting that much stronger theres no variety/detph you just upgrade levels of skills technically. the gameplay is always the same, and the mobs are always the same, the levels feel the same even if they look different. while the art and sounds etc. looks great. its kindah not well thought thru, the WASD movement is also kindah weird for that type of game, you always feel yourself forced to move in a certain way to not get…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →love the graphics and feel of the game but I don't find the near total lack of healing in a shootem-up/ waveclearer/ bulletheaven very fun.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Was a great little game to chill and play, but after the December 21, 2023 update, it is simply broken. The progress bar is varying degrees of bugged. Seems related to using the new Partners feature. It has been 7 months and still no fix. Don't waste your money.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Way better than a movie tie in deserves to be. Top 10 Vampire Survivor type.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Welcome to Renfield, servant, Dracula demands a sacrifice! Now be a good servant and deliver one, won't you? Please don’t tell me you want to play the good guy and save people? Category Rating Description 🎮 Gameplay 8 Similar to other VS likes, but a lot more intense at times thanks to the smaller, broken up maps 📷 Graphics 8 The blend of pixel art and neon effects is beautiful, although it can get overwhelming 🎧 Audio 10 From the very beginning, I was loving it 💲 Value 6 My…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game has a serious fundamental flaw, enemies spawn right in front of you, that makes kiting useless most of the time, and honestly that's half of the Bullet Hell gameplay. Abilities are boring to look at, unlocks are slow and gameplay is dragged out. But the art style and effects are good. Anyway, NOT COMMENDED.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay alright I owe you an apology Renfield. I wasn't really familiar with your game. This film's fucking hilarious.
positive · AI labelView post →Dracula is a terrific movie, and it was a real game-changer when it came out. But the real standout performance for me has always been Dwight Frye as Renfield. I've always thought it a shame that Frye wasn't utilized better in future monster movies. He could have been as big as Lugosi and Karloff.
neutral · AI labelView post →Spell your name with movie titles 📽️ (Horror Movie Edition) M - Midsommar O - Opus R - Renfield G - Gerald's Game A - Alien N - Nope
neutral · AI labelView post →Renfield ready for game night as an Official Mariners Familiar. Blessed Be, beloveds!
neutral · AI labelView post →If you like Vampire Survivors you will love this, if you do not know what vampire survivors is, you need to check it out as well.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not recommended merely by the fact that there are so many games like it that play better. It's Vampire Survivor with a few choices that make for a slower and less enjoyable experience. Things like the exp coming in the form of insects that also move at you at a slower pace than enemies, making it more difficult to kite the horde away from them to collect them. So you level up slower and it feels more like a slog. Weapons are on the dull side and I haven't found anything with real punch to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very good Vampire Survivors clone, especially for the price. Impressive pixel art graphics and solid music. Tons of content which trickles out to you over time. There's a lot of grinding, but I like that with titles like these.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Alright, buckle up, fellow mortals and occasional bloodsuckers. I dove fang-first into Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, expecting a standard vampire gig. You know, some cape flapping, garlic dodging, and maybe a couple of bats screeching at inappropriate times. But what I got? Oh, baby, this was an entirely different cocktail of plasma. To be fair, the first hour felt like I was waiting for Dracula to find the WiFi signal in his castle so he could start streaming Netflix. Sloooow start. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great vampire survivors clone Love the gore and all the blood!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rendield: Bring your own blood is a pretty and flashy bullet hell/Survivors-type game, that is rife with bugs and poor design decisions. Presentation Visually, the game looks great, but a bit too flashy. The sprites and animations are great, dying enemies explode into fountains of blood, bones and gore. But it is accompanied by excessive amount of flashes, sparkles, particles and bloom. Various weapon effects tend to obscure approaching enemies, which, coupled with massive damage output for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pro: -It looks and sounds very nice Cons: -There is a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ reason every Bullet Heaven after Vampire Survivors has twin stick shooting. This game somehow missed that memo -The floor is made of ice???? Why would you make the movement slippery in a game where touching enemies possibly chunks your a quarter of your health????????????????????????? -Literally 0 pick up range. You have to touch exp orbs to pick them up. They slowly (very slowly) crawl towards you but you can't move without…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm very much appreciating various gothic references though, to figures like Elizabeth Bathory as well as Dracula and Carmilla w these Renfield-esque daughters - it's bonkers going from RE7 which is so surface-level and generic under its swamp aesthetic to a game that feels so well-read 😭
neutral · AI labelView post →Hit detection, movement and animations are so jank 99% of runs will end without you having any idea what hits you. With the way it's designed it would work better if there was a built in healing mechanic to offset the random hits that there is no way to see coming. With all the fx on the screen how are you supposed to see a bullet the size of a pixel? Progression tree is extremely basic and offers no real progression, as well as a vast majority of weapons being extremely underwhelming. I want…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a steaming load of dog-sh*t. For some reason I thought it was a side-scrolling beat-em-up, but it's a 'Vampire Survivors' type experience where waves of enemies appear on screen and you moronically walk around doing absolutely nothing at all whilst the game auto-attacks for you. How exciting *coughs*..... I mean, when I play a game I prefer to use my own reflexes and actually, you know, respond to combat by myself. But I guess if you like this simplistic kind of crap the this might be…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's not a bad game, and I'm sure a lot of people will love it, but I personally got bored a little too quickly. I didn't like the Sloth hazard room (felt like it doesn't add much challenge whilst adding some unnecessary tediousness). Also I hope there's a special place in hell for that owl pet (and this one I MEAN IT).
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great Vampire Survivors clone. One of the better ones with enough characters, levels, powers, weapons and stuff to enjoy for hours and hours.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game feels more like The Binding of Issac's exploration, with a combination of Vampire Survivor's mechanics. I LOVE IT!!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's fun for a bit. But it's an absolute slog to unlock every character, weapon, and stat. Like, it'd take a whole bunch of hours. More than 2. But, you can edit the save file easily enough to make things go quicker. It doesn't screw up your achievements either. I think that might screw up the experience just a bit, because if you're killing things too fast you miss out on the charm that is having tons of enemies on screen at once. Ah well, a guy's only got so much time before he has to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →90% Vampire Survivors 10% Binding of Issac 100% fun It's fitting that this is a Vampire Survivors clone considering Redfield in the film is a Vampire Survivor. This game joins Wolverine and The Mummy Demastered in being better than the movie it's based on.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is perhaps one of the most disappointing games I've ever played because I wanted to love it. It looks fantastic but there are so many confusing design elements. For me, it's completely sapping any fun there is to be had. I like starting with what's good about the game. The art is wonderful. Crisp pixel art and nice looking effects. The game is well made, I can tell the developer is skilled. I've played a lot of games and SO MANY more are far worse in every way you can imagine. As you can…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While I don't think it really breaks any new ground for Bullet Heavens, it just pulls it off so well. Buckets of unlockables, great art style, great controls, etc.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"This Russian cargo ship just set sail from Varna, bound for Whitby in England. They have no idea what lurks below deck... six feet below deck. The seas are fair. The weather is fair. The game is fair. FREIGHT NIGHT: A RENFIELD STORY"
neutral · AI labelView post →maybe you can use a Renfield or a Weird Sister to throw them off their game. Mina's maps and detailed notes are scattered around the randomized levels
neutral · AI labelView post →... Now, all of a sudden, I want a game in the vein of 80 Days... but it's an adaptation of Dracula, where in place of Passpartout and Fogg it's Renfield and the Count, making your way across your Europe and spreading death, disease and occult horror while tending to your master's coffin.
neutral · AI labelView post →🧛🏻 It looks and sounds good, but the game is average, which isn't necessarily bad. It's mostly AFK, where you can find a corner object and stand next to it for the entire wave. The exceptions are straight rooms and some characters on the early stages, but you can just run in circles, even on bosses. There aren't many weapons / skills, LVLing is simple, and combinations don't matter. There are individual mechanics, like pets or victims, but they're insignificant. After Dracula's first defeat,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a shame that not many people cared about the 2023 horror-comedy "Renfield" about Dracula and his servant Renfield in contemporary times, that in my opinion was a solid mix of splatter, over-the-top action, funny situations and some interesting commentary on toxic relationships. So, even less people cared or knew about its video game tie-in, which of course is a homage to Vampire Survivors (see what they did there?) in the increasingly crowded genre of "bullet heaven" games. "Renfield:…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →DEEP LORE in the original design doc for the game Renfield and Dracula were in fact supposed to play cricket
neutral · AI labelView post →In terms of gameplay, there are probably better games than this, yeah. But if you like Renfield, you'll love this! It is super fun and does a pretty good job at matching the vibe of the movie. I love how the game incorporates themes from the movie with the whole "save the victim" mechanic, as well as in the quirky details like all the XP and powerups being bugs and some of the talent/weapon names being themed around things from the film. The levels follow the locations as the plot progresses…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice and bloody.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Renfield video game has this cool, innovative feature to extend playability where every time I come close to unlocking everything, it wipes my save file. It's the ultimate roguelike.
negative · AI labelView post →Would people have any interest in a game stream this weekend? I got the Renfield bullet hell game and I'm addicted.
positive · AI labelView post →can't wait for our Rippers #ttrpg game next week when Joel finally gets to be like this to Renfield ROUND 2 BITCH
neutral · AI labelView post →
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