VonGarland Castle: Beyond Blood
Loading critic reviews...
Deals
Finding deals...
Live Streams
Finding live streams...
About VonGarland Castle: Beyond Blood
VonGarland Castle: Beyond Blood is a side-scrolling survival horror game developed by Ash Jackson and published by Monster Robot Studios. Released on January 30, 2026, it drops you into Mayhem Island as Ransom VonGarland, who’s searching for her missing brother while uncovering secrets tied to the Plasmadine Corporation. The game leans heavy into tension-building exploration, with a focus on limited resources, environmental hazards, and unpredictable enemy encounters. It runs on PC and Mac, offering a single-player experience that prioritizes atmosphere over complexity. Think claustrophobic corridors, dimly lit ruins, and a narrative that ties corporate malfeasance to supernatural twists.
Gameplay
You spend most of your time navigating 2D environments, managing health, ammo, and sanity. Combat is tense but methodical, you’ll rarely have enough bullets to fight head-on, forcing you to hide, lure, or use makeshift tools like firebombs. The castle itself is a character: collapsing floors, flickering lights, and sudden door slams keep you on edge. Exploration is key. You scavenge for medkits, upgrade workbenches, and decode logs to piece together the story. Controls are responsive but not flashy, with a focus on precise jumps and crouching to avoid detection. Boss fights mix platforming and timed attacks, often requiring you to backtrack with new gear. Sessions run 2-3 hours, but save points are sparse enough to make every death feel punishing.
What Players Think
The PlayPile community rates it 4.1/5, with 78% completing the main story. Average playtime clocks in at 12 hours, though 25% log over 18. Moods are split: 60% “eerie,” 25% “frustrated,” and 15% “satisfied.” Reviewers praise the “unrelenting atmosphere” and “creepy sound design” but note “clunky inventory management” and “repetitive enemy AI.” One wrote, “It nails the horror of scarcity but gets repetitive in the final act.” Achievement hunters love the 50+ hidden items, but 30% of players hit a wall at the third boss. Critics on PlayPile gave it a 78/100, calling it “a solid entry in the genre despite technical hiccups.”
PlayPile's Take
It’s a worthwhile pick for survival horror fans who don’t mind polish issues. At $29.99, it’s affordable for the story and challenge it delivers. The 47 achievements add replay value, especially for completionists. Skip if you prefer action over tension, or if you hate permadeath. It’s not a masterpiece, but the eerie setting and resource management make it stick out in a crowded genre. Worth your time if you’re into crawling through darkness with your finger on the sprint button.
Game Modes
Single player
Achievements
Loading achievements...
Similar Games
Finding similar games...
Buzzing on Bluesky
Checking Bluesky...