Until the recent release of Destiny: Rising, I wasn’t familiar with developer/publisher NetEase. But this Chinese mobile developer commands some serious IP in its roster. While testing out Android games on my new Odin 3, I stumbled upon (nobody asked me to try it or write this article) NetEase’s new answer to rival Tencent’s Call of Duty Mobile.
Destiny, Marvel, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings are just some of the major franchises that have found a home under the NetEase developer/publisher banner. The company looks to have become something of a go-to studio for mobile versions of popular releases. They even ported the mobile version of the recent Metroidvania favorite, Bloodstained: Curse of the Night.
I’m Still on the Treadmill
When the original COD4: Modern Warfare launched all the way back in 2007, it became a worldwide cultural behemoth. For better or worse, that slow drip of multiplayer dopamine has kept players coming back for the better part of 20 years. I can still remember watching Adam Sessler describe the new multiplayer leveling and unlocks system on X-Play, and knowing that this could probably be bad for me. I had to play it ASAP.
Cut to 2026, and I’ve installed and uninstalled Ten Cent’s COD: Mobile from my Odin 2 more times than I care to admit. Usually, I get bored when I can’t find matches anymore, swear that I’m getting off the hamster wheel for good this time, and then reinstall the game when I get an itch a few months later. Blood Strike looks to fill that itch. Things are still early, and the whole thing has a Steam Early Access feel to it, but I’ve been having a lot of fun.
Still Early Days
Something to get out of the way ahead of time is that Blood Strike is not anything of an original effort. This is taking the exact formulas that have worked well in other games and applying them here. Some maps are pretty shameless in their thievery (TenCent sued NetEase for CI in 2014).
For the time being (it’s still very early), Blood Strike seems to be positioning itself as a Battle Royale experience with some bonus classic multiplayer modes thrown in for good measure. NetEase is no doubt aiming to fill the void left by Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile’s shutdown in the spring of 2025.
Battle Royale modes may be the hottest recent flavor in competitive PvP multiplayer since PUBG changed the landscape in the late teens, but it isn’t what brought us here. More classic modes like the Blood Strike take on Kill Confirmed and Gun Battle are what have found me coming back for more. To each their own.
The odds of me sitting down and booting up the latest 100+ gig install in a modern COD on console or PC are almost zero, but me plopping down on the couch without an idea of what I want to play on a handheld…then being able to launch straight into classic multiplayer matches in seconds? That’s appealing. Quick in and out session gaming – where you shoot folks from around the world!
Gameplay Feels Familiar – In A Good Way
Of course, none of the modes or quick game matching means a thing if the game doesn’t play well. I’m happy to report that Blood Strike is the best feeling COD clone that I’ve encountered so far. Games like Combat Master come close, but just don’t feel quite right. Blood Strike, by innovation or more nefarious means, feels just right.
Leveling in Blood Strike isn’t anything new, but it does give a nod to some older systems. Leveling up weapons based on match performance is still alive and well, but completing specific objectives across games is the best way to unlock new items. After a few early matchmaking rounds with bots, I’ve felt like I’ve mostly been playing with real folks on the other end. Always a plus.
Any concerns of pay-to-win mechanics have been null so far. There are seasonal packs and custom skins on sale for real-world dollars all across this game, but I haven’t gotten the impression that I’m running behind in matches because I don’t participate.
Unlocks come at a fairly frequent clip, and unless I really care about custom skins, I don’t see a time when I’d ever be forced to spend a dime on the game. To its credit, this is something I felt COD: Mobile always did quite well. I played that game on and off for years without spending any money, and I never felt like I was getting the short end of the stick. I was able to unlock plenty of cool items, both regular and cosmetic, simply by playing the game.
The gorgeous graphics of NetEase’s Destiny: Rising are what made me give Blood Strike a look. I’ve been on the hunt for Android titles that might be able to make the Odin 3 sweat, and free is free, so here I am.
While it can’t be overstated how early this game is in some places (I’ve regularly had matches with map textures missing), what is here so far really sings on the Odin 3 with the settings cranked up to Ultra and Extreme. Any higher-end Android device should be able to stretch its wings here.
Controller support is available right out of the gate. A welcome option after having to complete that dang touch control tutorial in COD: Mobile every time I wanted to test it on a new device.
It’s Worth A Curious Download on a Rainy Day
So if you were like me and yearned for a new way to tell yourself you aren’t just running on the same hamster wheel, give it a look. I’m interested to see what else the publisher has in the high-end Android market, and between development like this and crossover capabilities like FEX, it looks like Android will continue to have a place in the fight for the central gaming OS of the future.
I’m going to go explore what else is out there in the Android landscape, but first, a quick match…
