Bleeding Deities

Bleeding Deities is a hand-drawn, side-scrolling adventure set in a world inspired by Maya lore. You play as Canek, whose brothers are captured during a massacre in his village. With help from the Master, a mythical figure of great knowledge and wisdom, you travel through portals to different tribes to rescue them before they are sacrificed and stop the Teot tribe from ruling.

Story and world

The Teot tribe has oppressed people through fear and abuse of power, invading vulnerable communities to take captives for its annual human-sacrifice rituals. Each tribe represents a different world, with its own atmosphere, temples and unique mechanics. The journey leads through temples, caves and swamps, as you uncover secrets and fragments of a story about love, pain, sorrow and choices that can change your life.

Explore and solve puzzles

The world is nonlinear, so you can explore at your own pace, unlock areas and seek out hidden passages and secrets. Each tribe has temples and mazes with doors to unlock, codes to find and puzzles to decipher. Scenarios grow larger and more complex as you progress, with traps and enemies inspired by ancient Maya warriors who wore masks and animal heads to show their rank.

Powers and battles

You face temple guardians to obtain keys and invoke each tribe’s deity for a fight. Defeating a deity grants a special power that you can equip to gain combat abilities and reach areas that were previously inaccessible. You also solve puzzles to open new paths and face formidable foes in boss battles.

Art, dialogue and music

The characters and environments use 2D hand-drawn, frame-by-frame animation. All spoken dialogue is performed in a living Mayan language. The Maya-inspired soundtrack uses music designed to convey the protagonist’s pain and agony and to give each tribe its own atmosphere.