Ultrakill

What happens when a combat machine runs on blood — and Hell is full of it? Ultrakill answers that question in the most explosive way possible, and you can jump in free right now. Developed by Arsi “Hakita” Patala and published by New Blood Interactive, this retro shooter pulls from the best parts of classic and modern FPS games at once. It’s fast, furious, and built around making every kill feel like a masterpiece. 🎮

• You play as V1, a combat machine that literally drinks blood to survive
• Style scoring rewards creativity — the flashier your kills, the higher your rank
• 33 campaign levels plus 7 secret levels are already available in Early Access
• Combines Quake, Doom (2016), and Devil May Cry into one brutal experience

What Is Ultrakill?

Ultrakill is a fast-paced, ultra-violent retro first-person shooter developed by Arsi “Hakita” Patala and published by New Blood Interactive. You play as V1, a combat machine that descended into Hell after humanity went extinct. Hell is packed with demons and tormented souls — and every one of them carries the blood V1 needs to keep running. The more enemies you destroy, the more fuel you collect.

What makes this title stand out is how it blends two very different game styles together. It takes the raw speed of classic shooters like Quake, the hard-hitting gunplay of Doom (2016), and the expressive combo scoring of Devil May Cry. The result is a shooter that rewards you not just for killing enemies, but for how you kill them. Every encounter becomes a performance, not just a firefight.

The browser version loads with impressive sharpness even on standard school-grade laptops — the pixel-crisp retro visuals mean there’s very little strain on older hardware. Controls feel snappy from the very first second, with almost zero input lag on mouse aiming. That responsiveness matters a lot in a game this fast.

Ultrakill Gameplay — Style, Speed, and Blood

The core gameplay loop in Ultrakill is built around two things: survival and style. You move through arena-style levels, fighting waves of demons using a mix of creative gunplay and deliberate movement. Standing still is basically a death sentence here. The game pushes you to keep moving, dodging, and attacking all at once.

The style scoring system is where things get really interesting. Every kill earns style points based on how varied, fast, and creative your combat is. Repeating the same move too often drops your rank. That means you’re constantly forced to switch weapons, try new approaches, and express yourself through the chaos. It’s the kind of scoring system that turns every room into a puzzle with infinite solutions.

How the Style Rank System Actually Works

The style meter doesn’t just go up and down — it has real named grades you climb through. From lowest to highest, the ranks are D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS, with SSS displayed as the word “ULTRAKILL” on your screen. Each rank reflects how creative and relentless your combat has been in that moment. It’s basically a live report card grading your every move.

The tricky part is that your rank decays over time if you stop doing cool stuff. Stay idle, repeat the same attack, or let a gap appear in your combo, and the meter drops fast. There’s no exact countdown shown on screen, but most players feel the decay kick in within just a few seconds of slowing down. That’s why top players never stop moving — every pause is points lost.

Think of it like the combo meter in Devil May Cry. The game is always watching how inventive you are. Switch weapons, mix in parries, dash through enemies, and keep the action flowing — that’s how you hold SSS and make the screen light up with “ULTRAKILL.”

Levels and Progression in Ultrakill

The game is structured across acts — three total, plus a five-level Prelude. The current Early Access version already includes the complete Prelude, First Act, Second Act, and the 7th and 8th layers. That’s 33 campaign levels, 7 secret levels, and 2 Prime Sanctums already available to explore. Each act introduces new enemies, new bosses, and new challenges that escalate the intensity significantly.

Secret missions and Prime missions add extra depth beyond the main campaign. These aren’t just bonus stages — they’re serious tests of skill that reward players who’ve mastered the core mechanics. The structure gives both newcomers and veteran players something to chase, whether that’s clearing a level for the first time or chasing a perfect style rank.

Early Access Roadmap and Community Involvement

Ultrakill will stay in Early Access until Act 3 — the third and final act — is finished and released. Act 3 is set to wrap up V1’s journey through Hell and bring the full story to a close. Once it launches, the game will leave Early Access and move to a full release, likely at a higher price than what it costs right now.

Developer Arsi “Hakita” Patala has been actively listening to players throughout development. Feedback shared on the Steam discussion boards and the official Discord server has shaped updates, balance changes, and new features. If you want to help influence how the game turns out, joining the community and sharing your thoughts is a real way to do it.

There’s no confirmed release date for Act 3 yet, but the developer posts regular updates on Steam. Following the game on Steam or joining the Discord is the best way to stay in the loop. The good news is that even the current Early Access version already has dozens of hours of content to work through.

Game Modes and Challenges

Beyond the main campaign, Ultrakill includes the Cyber Grind — an endless arena mode where the goal is simply to survive and score as high as possible. It strips away the story structure and puts your raw skills front and center. Each wave gets harder, and your style score keeps climbing as long as you stay alive.

The game also features Dual Wield powerups that temporarily let you double your firepower. Most of these last 30 seconds, but specific hidden versions in levels like 4-2 and 5-3 last a full 60 seconds. Finding those secret pickups is part of what makes replaying levels so satisfying. There’s always something new to discover on a second or third run.

Weapons and Combat Mechanics

V1 carries a loadout of distinct weapons, each split into categories with unique alternate-fire modes. The Feedbacker is V1’s robotic arm — it’s used for parrying enemy melee attacks and punching back with force. The Shotgun fires a spread of pellets for close-range damage and can also parry incoming attacks with precise timing. Together, the Feedbacker and Shotgun form your core defensive toolkit.

The Sharpshooter Revolver is where things get creative. Its alternate fire shoots a coin into the air that ricochets bullets between enemies when shot again. Even cooler — you can fire the Revolver at a Shotgun blast mid-air to detonate the pellets before they land, dealing burst damage in a new spot. These weapon interactions are the heart of Ultrakill’s combo system.

Weapons also have variant forms you unlock as you progress. Each variant changes how the alternate fire works, opening up new combo routes and style opportunities. Switching between weapon variants mid-fight isn’t just fun — it’s one of the main ways to keep your style rank climbing. The more you experiment, the more powerful and expressive your loadout becomes.

How V1’s Blood Absorption Really Works

Here’s something most players don’t realize at first: V1 doesn’t just heal when enemies die. Blood is absorbed passively whenever V1 is close enough to a damaged enemy, even mid-combo. That means you don’t need to wait for the kill — staying near a hurt enemy while you keep attacking refills your health in real time.

This mechanic completely changes how you think about positioning. Instead of backing off after each attack to stay safe, the game rewards you for staying right in the middle of the chaos. The closer you are, the more blood you soak up. But being that close also means more incoming hits — so it’s a real risk-versus-reward trade-off every single second.

The smartest players use this to stay aggressive even when their health is low. Getting up close to a tough enemy feels scary, but it’s often the fastest way to refill your health bar before the next threat arrives. Think of blood absorption as a reason to attack harder, not a reason to retreat. Aggression literally keeps you alive in Ultrakill.

Graphics and Audio

Ultrakill uses a bold, retro visual style that pays clear tribute to the FPS classics of the 1990s. The environments dive deeper into Hell with each act — shifting from grim combat arenas to increasingly strange and twisted landscapes. Enemy designs are distinct and readable at high speed, which is critical when everything moves this fast.

The audio design matches the intensity of the combat perfectly. Every gunshot, parry, and kill lands with satisfying weight. The music escalates with the action, pushing the energy higher as fights get messier. When nearly 72,000 players jumped in at once for the Layer 8 release, the community’s reaction said everything about how well the game’s presentation lands.

How to Play Ultrakill

Getting started is straightforward. You step into the boots — or circuits — of V1 and immediately get dropped into combat. The game doesn’t hold your hand for long, which is part of the appeal. You learn by doing, and dying teaches you faster than any tutorial could.

The key habit to build early is staying mobile. Enemies hit hard and often, so constant movement keeps you alive long enough to rack up style points. Experiment with different weapons on each enemy type — some combinations unlock massive style bonuses that less adventurous players will miss entirely.

Ultrakill Controls

Use WASD to move and your mouse to aim and look around. Left-click fires your primary weapon, and right-click activates alternate fire modes. You can parry enemy melee attacks using the Shotgun and Feedbacker with precise timing — nail it twice in a row for a double parry. On mobile, tap the screen to interact and use on-screen controls for movement and aiming.

Playing Ultrakill on School Computers and Chromebooks

Ultrakill’s browser version is one of the lightest-loading shooters you’ll find online. The retro low-poly art style keeps GPU demand really low, so even older school laptops and Chromebooks can handle it without lag. It doesn’t rely on heavy WebGL rendering pipelines the way modern 3D browser games do, which is why it runs so smoothly on modest hardware.

If you’re on a school or library network, the game loads directly through your browser without needing any downloads or plugins. Most content filters that block downloads or app installs won’t affect how the game runs. Just open your browser, head to arcadino.com, and you’re good to go — no install, no account, no hassle.

Tips and Tricks for Ultrakill

• Stay close to enemies for blood refills: V1 absorbs blood on contact, so fighting up close keeps your health topped off during big fights.
• Mix up your weapons constantly: Repeating the same attack drops your style rank fast — cycle through options to keep your score climbing.
• Learn the parry timing: The Shotgun and Feedbacker can parry melee attacks — master the timing and you’ll turn enemy aggression into free damage.
• Hunt for secret Dual Wield Orbs: Levels like 4-2 and 5-3 hide 60-second Dual Wield pickups instead of the standard 30-second ones — they’re game-changers in tough arenas.
• Replay levels for hidden missions: Prime Sanctums and secret levels unlock extra challenges that push your skills far beyond what the main campaign requires.
• Watch out for the Hideous Mass mortar: This enemy’s mortar attack deals around 60 damage — that’s enough to chunk your health in one hit. Keep moving sideways and don’t stand still when you see it wind up.
• Respect Sentry charged shots: A Sentry’s charged Ricoshot can deal roughly 43 damage and tracks your movement. Use cover or time a parry to bounce it back for massive style points.
• Prioritize ranged threats first: Enemies like Sentries and Soldiers that shoot from a distance are often more dangerous than melee demons up close. Clear them early so you can focus on getting blood from the rest safely.

Key Features of Ultrakill

• Blood-as-health mechanic: V1 heals by absorbing blood from enemies mid-combat, making aggression your best defensive strategy.
• Style scoring system: Every kill is graded on creativity and variety, pulling inspiration from character action games like Devil May Cry.
• 33 campaign levels + 7 secret levels: The Early Access version already delivers a massive amount of handcrafted content across multiple acts.
• Cyber Grind endless mode: A survival arena that tests pure combat skill without the structure of the main campaign.
• Deep parry and alternate-fire system: Weapons interact with each other and with enemies in complex ways — like using the Sharpshooter Revolver’s alternate fire to detonate Shotgun shells mid-air.

Where to Play Ultrakill

Ultrakill is available to play free through a demo on Steam, giving newcomers a solid taste of the full experience before committing. The full game is in Early Access on Steam, with the price set to increase as more content gets added — so earlier is cheaper. You can also explore the game on arcadino.com, where it’s accessible without restrictions and loads quickly in your browser.

There is currently no official mobile version of Ultrakill available on the App Store or Google Play. The game is a PC and browser experience only — any app claiming to be Ultrakill on mobile storefronts is unofficial and should be avoided.

For Parents

Ultrakill is rated for mature audiences due to its ultra-violent content — the game features heavy gore, demon combat, and intense action throughout. It’s not appropriate for young children and is best suited for teenagers and older players who are comfortable with graphic FPS gameplay. There is no in-game chat system in the main experience, so online interaction with strangers isn’t a concern during play.

The game does reward creative thinking and quick decision-making, which are genuinely useful skills. However, parents should be aware that sessions can run long given the depth of the content — 33 campaign levels plus 7 secret levels are available in the current version, totalling 40 levels of content. Setting a time limit before play starts is a smart move with a game this engaging.

Similar Games to Ultrakill

If you love the speed and style of this retro shooter, these games share a similar fast-paced DNA worth exploring.

• Doom 1 — the legendary shooter that inspired Ultrakill, delivering the same relentless “rip and tear” energy and fast-paced demon-blasting action.
• 1v1.LOL — a fast-paced 3D shooter with building mechanics and tight gunplay, sharing Ultrakill’s focus on movement and skill-based combat.
• Shell Shockers — a multiplayer FPS with quick matches and precise aim, capturing Ultrakill’s emphasis on speed and gunfight mastery.
• Time Shooter 2 — a Superhot-inspired shooter where time moves only when you do, delivering the same “feel like an action movie star” satisfaction as Ultrakill.
• CS Online — a tactical FPS with classic shooter mechanics, perfect for Ultrakill fans who want more first-person combat variety.
• Funny Shooter 2 — a chaotic FPS with over-the-top weapons and wild enemies, sharing Ultrakill’s explosive arsenal and dark humour.
• Fortnite Z — a fast-paced 3D shooter with building and combat, great for Ultrakill fans who enjoy movement-focused gunplay.
• Masked Special Forces — a tactical shooter with intense firefights, delivering solid FPS action for Ultrakill fans craving more gunplay.

Want more shooters like this? Check out the full Shooter category for more fast-paced action games.

FAQs About Ultrakill

What is Ultrakill?

Ultrakill is an ultra-violent retro first-person shooter set in Hell. You play as V1, a combat machine that runs on blood, fighting through demon-filled arenas across multiple acts. The game blends classic FPS speed with style-scoring mechanics inspired by Devil May Cry.

Who developed Ultrakill?

Ultrakill was developed by Arsi “Hakita” Patala and published by New Blood Interactive. It’s been in Steam Early Access since September 3, 2020. The developer has been actively shaping the game based on community feedback throughout development.

Is there a free version of Ultrakill available?

Yes, a free demo of Ultrakill is available on Steam. The full Early Access version requires purchase, and the price increases as more content is added. Playing early gets you more content for less money.

How many levels does Ultrakill have right now?

The current version has 33 campaign levels and 7 secret levels. It also includes 2 Prime Sanctums and covers the Prelude, Act 1, Act 2, and Layers 7 and 8. The third and final act is still in development.

What is the style scoring system in Ultrakill?

Style scoring ranks how creatively and efficiently you kill enemies. The meter climbs through named grades — D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS (displayed as “ULTRAKILL”). Repeating the same attack lowers your score, and the rank decays if you slow down, so you’re rewarded for constantly mixing weapons, movement, and tactics.

What is the Cyber Grind mode?

Cyber Grind is an endless arena survival mode in Ultrakill. You fight escalating waves of enemies and try to keep your style score as high as possible. It’s the best mode for players who want pure combat without the campaign structure.

Is Ultrakill finished?

No, Ultrakill is still in Early Access as of now. The game will leave Early Access once the third and final act is complete. The developer has confirmed the full game will consist of three acts plus a five-level Prelude.

Conclusion

Ultrakill is something special in the world of fast-paced shooters. The blood-as-health mechanic forces you into the fight, the style scoring rewards you for being creative, and the sheer variety of levels — from the Prelude through Layer 8 — gives you dozens of hours of content to tear through. Nearly 72,000 players showed up at once for the Layer 8 launch. That kind of energy doesn’t happen for ordinary games.

If you’ve ever wanted a shooter that treats every kill like an art form, this is it. Head to arcadino.com, load up V1, and show Hell what a combat machine can really do.