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Bloodmoney places the player in a confined environment with a single objective that never changes: earn a fixed amount of money. At first, the goal seems straightforward and purely mechanical, as you begin with only the most basic methods to generate income. These initial actions are slow and require significant time to reach even a fraction of the target. However, the game steadily introduces alternative ways to earn, each with faster results but a clear negative effect on Harvey, the only other character in the room. This creates an immediate and ongoing moral tension, as you must decide whether speed is worth the visible harm it causes. The static setting and unchanging objective amplify this tension, making every new choice feel more significant than the last.
The progression in Bloodmoney is entirely tied to your earnings, with each milestone unlocking new tools or actions. These range from harmless but time-consuming interactions to far more aggressive methods that rapidly increase your balance. Because the game never changes location, Harvey’s reactions remain your primary feedback mechanism, and every action you take shapes the atmosphere of the experience. The simplicity of the mechanics means you are never distracted by additional systems; your focus is locked on the cause-and-effect relationship between your actions and Harvey’s state. This direct connection is what drives the emotional weight of the gameplay.
Bloodmoney uses minimal resources to create a layered experience through its mechanics and consequences:
These features combine to make the game both simple to understand and complex to navigate on an ethical level, as the consequences are always in front of you.
Bloodmoney offers several endings based entirely on how you reached your monetary goal. Choosing only non-violent actions results in an outcome where Harvey remains unharmed, but it demands much more time. A mixed approach, occasionally using faster harmful methods while relying mostly on harmless ones, produces endings that acknowledge the compromises you made. Taking the most aggressive route leads to the quickest completion but leaves Harvey in the worst possible state, making the moral cost impossible to ignore. The multiple outcomes encourage experimentation, allowing players to replay the game to see the results of entirely different strategies.
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