A Tense Trilogy Finale Packed with Ambition
Concluding a gaming or film franchise as a trilogy is always a massive risk. For one thing, you have to tie up all the loose ends from the previous two instalments while still pushing the narrative forward and introducing fresh gameplay elements. You also run the risk of struggling to attract new players to the third entry, as it relies heavily on the established audience from the previous releases.
Now, The Coma series is back, bringing new changes, storyline resolutions, and a few returning characters who are a little bit wiser with The Coma 3: Bloodlines. Does it still hold that classic coma magic? Let’s find out.
Since 2017, The Coma series has provided a highly successful 2D survival horror experience, boasting strong narratives alongside exciting gameplay. Set in South Korea and heavily inspired by local urban legends, the two previous games (The Coma: Recut and The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters), as well as the spin-off (The Coma 2B: Catacombs) were primarily set within a school haunted by demons and supernatural entities. It essentially featured two overlapping realms occupying the same location: one normal, and one demonic.
For this final story, the franchise reunites its old protagonists. However, instead of playing as just one of them, you take control of all three at various points throughout the campaign. Each character possesses slightly different abilities, but we will get to that later.
A Standalone Tale to Conclude a Saga
The story can be enjoyed even if you are entirely new to the series, as it functions reasonably well as a standalone tale. That being said, there are numerous references and returning characters with deep histories, meaning you will definitely get more out of the experience if you have played the previous games. Narratively speaking, Bloodlines feels far more ambitious in its scope, locations, and overarching plot than the first two games. It does a fantastic job of bringing back established villains while providing much more context to the wider supernatural lore. I actually enjoyed this entry’s narrative more than that found in The Coma 2, and it delivers a satisfying conclusion.
The gameplay takes the established mechanics of before and expands upon them nicely. The biggest standout feature is the ability to switch between the three heroes, which sometimes involves replaying the exact same scenario from an entirely different perspective. One character is heavily into stealth, while another is much more durable when absorbing attacks from demons. It doesn’t work as a massive shift in overall playstyle, but the differences are subtle enough to work well and keep the core loop interesting.
Mechanically, The Coma 3: Bloodlines still largely revolves around being pursued by enemies, forcing you to utilise hiding spots or simply run for your life. Interestingly, there are moments with one specific character where combat is actually an option; a first for the series. While this is a welcome change of pace, it isn’t the most robust system and can feel a bit scrappy in practice. Furthermore, the enemy AI often feels random; foes have a habit of popping up illogically from out of nowhere. Then again, perhaps that is just me making excuses for playing badly!
The Nightmare of Backtracking
Exploration, inventory management, and puzzle-solving remain the strongest elements of the game. You must carefully explore your surroundings, examining documents and environmental clues scattered across all areas. Some of these puzzles are fair yet demanding, while others are obscure to the point of forcing you to wander aimlessly and engage in tedious backtracking.
But the save system could have been far more generous. I died quite a few times, and was then forced into repetitive runs that quickly became annoying; slightly easier checkpointing would have gone a long way.
The 2D world created in The Coma 3 is packed with environmental design, superb atmosphere, and fantastic lighting. I loved the world and this entry feels bigger and bolder in that regard. There are also some brilliantly drawn animated cutscenes that perfectly bring that amazing comic-book feel to life. The character design is superb, and the audio design is full of chilling music alongside highly effective jump-scare sound effects. The voice acting once again feels much more involved than in previous games, delivering solid performances across the board.
A Worthy, if Frustrating, Korean Horror Send-Off
To conclude, I enjoyed returning to this world in The Coma 3: Bloodlines, taking in how the story ties itself up. I liked how the game evolved, particularly the developers’ willingness to try new things, like sharing the narrative load across three protagonists to create a much larger story. That said, some of the gameplay mechanics were a bit frustrating. The enemy AI occasionally felt unfair, and I disliked the save system, which led to a lot of annoying repetition of the same old areas.
Overall, though, it successfully retains the charm of the previous games, and I highly doubt this is the last we will hear from The Coma franchise.
Important Links
The Final Chapter Unfolds In The Coma 3: Bloodlines – https://www.thexboxhub.com/the-final-chapter-unfolds-in-the-coma-3-bloodlines/
The Coma 3: Bloodlines is the Final Chapter in the Acclaimed Horror Saga, Coming in 2026 – https://www.thexboxhub.com/the-coma-3-bloodlines-is-the-final-chapter-in-the-acclaimed-horror-saga-coming-in-2026/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/the-coma-3-bloodlines/9nc9lr43b2n7
