Blood Dungeon: Messhof's sidescrolling 'bullet heaven' roguelite arrives Aug 26, 2026

GG Brief Editorial Desk · AI-assisted, source attributed

Messhof (creators of Nidhogg) has released Blood Dungeon, a sidescrolling take on the autoshooter or 'bullet heaven' roguelite that launches on August 26, 2026 for PC (Steam) and runs well on Steam Deck. Gameplay uses auto-fire in scrolling arenas, with short rounds (usually under ten minutes) and level-ups that offer two to three randomized perks to escalate damage and chaos. The game pairs globular 2D art, polished animations, and a frenetic 'dungeon drum 'n' bass' soundtrack with tight platforming controls. While the build is a sleek, well-crafted example of the subgenre, the progression loop becomes increasingly repetitive and hollow over extended play.

• Release date: August 26, 2026; developer and publisher: Messhof; price TBC; tested on RTX 3060 (laptop), Ryzen 5 5600H, 16GB RAM and native Steam Deck support.
• Core loop: side-scrolling autoshooter in a scrolling arena where weapons fire automatically, rounds typically finish in under ten minutes, and each level-up grants a choice of two to three randomized perks.
• Presentation: distinct globular 2D art and standout animations with a high-energy 'dungeon drum 'n' bass' soundtrack; the side-scrolling format shifts the usual top-down bullet-heaven feel into platforming territory.
• Critical verdict: technically polished and one of the stronger examples of the autoshooter subgenre, but the reviewer found its upgrade loop becomes repetitive and ultimately feels meaningless after several hours.