I've Played Blood Money 10 Times - Here's What I Learned

Published: November 11, 2025

Ten playthroughs of Blood Money.

That's about five hours of clicking Harvey.

I have thoughts. A lot of thoughts.

Playthrough 1: Shock

Time: 45 minutes

Ending: Normal

My first run was slow. Confused. I didn't know what I was getting into.

I bought all the tools because that's what you do in clicker games.

Felt terrible at the end. Didn't expect the emotional impact.

Lesson: This isn't a normal clicker game.

Playthrough 2: Redemption

Time: 78 minutes

Ending: Good

I needed to fix what I did. So I went for the good ending.

Feather only. Every single click.

My hand cramped. But Harvey stayed happy.

Worth it.

Lesson: The right path is usually the harder one.

Playthrough 3: Curiosity

Time: 25 minutes

Ending: Bad

Had to see what the gun did.

Regretted it immediately.

Harvey's face when you buy the gun. His offer of $99,999.

I shot him anyway.

Never again.

Lesson: Some things you can't unsee.

Playthrough 4: Speed Run

Time: 18 minutes

Ending: Normal

Decided to optimize. How fast could I reach $25,000?

Muted the sound. Focused on efficiency.

Bought tools immediately. Clicked at max speed.

Fast, but hollow.

Lesson: Optimization removes meaning.

Playthrough 5: The Minimalist

Time: 62 minutes

Ending: Normal

What if I only bought the feather and needle?

Stopped at $4 per click. Earned everything from there.

It took forever. But less guilt than using all the tools.

Interesting middle ground.

Lesson: You don't need to go all the way to succeed.

Playthrough 6: No Tools

Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes

Ending: Good (sort of)

The ultimate challenge. $1 per click. No purchases.

25,000 clicks.

I actually did it. Don't ask me why.

By the end, I was in a trance. Pure meditation.

Harvey stayed happy the entire time.

Lesson: Patience can accomplish anything. Also, my finger hurts.

Playthrough 7: The Scientist

Time: 30 minutes

Ending: Normal

This time I took notes. Tracked everything.

Click rates. Tool efficiency. Harvey's dialogue patterns.

Discovered he has about 40 different voice lines.

His encouragement to pain ratio shifts at each tool tier.

The game is incredibly detailed.

Lesson: There's more depth here than you'd think.

Playthrough 8: The Speedrun Record

Time: 14 minutes, 37 seconds

Ending: Normal

My personal best. Absolutely optimized.

Two-finger clicking technique. Instant tool purchases.

Sound off. No hesitation.

Felt like a machine. Not in a good way.

Lesson: Being good at something doesn't mean you should feel good about it.

Playthrough 9: The Listener

Time: 55 minutes

Ending: Normal

This time I played slowly. Listened to every line.

Let Harvey finish speaking before clicking again.

Discovered so much dialogue I'd missed.

He talks about his dreams. His hopes. His pain.

Made it so much worse.

Lesson: The more you pay attention, the harder it gets.

Playthrough 10: The Teacher

Time: 40 minutes

Ending: Good

I played this one with my friend watching.

Explained the mechanics. The endings. The moral choices.

Watching someone else experience it for the first time was fascinating.

They went for the good ending. I'm proud.

Lesson: Sharing experiences changes them.

Patterns I've Noticed

Harvey's Dialogue Is Contextual

He doesn't just randomly say things.

When you're close to $25,000, he encourages you more.

When you've been clicking fast, he comments on your determination.

If you pause for too long, he asks if you're okay.

The game is watching you.

The First 100 Clicks Are Always The Hardest

$1 per click feels so slow.

Every playthrough, those first 100 clicks drag.

But they're important. They set your mindset.

If you're impatient here, you'll rush the whole game.

Each Ending Has Optimal Strategies

Good ending: Feather only, steady pace, 50-80 minutes.

Normal ending: All tools except gun, maximum efficiency, 15-20 minutes.

Bad ending: All tools including gun, 25-30 minutes of escalation.

You can't accidentally get the wrong ending. The game guides you there.

The Third Tool Is The Breaking Point

For most players, the hammer is where they realize what they're doing.

Feather and needle feel experimental. Exploratory.

Hammer feels violent.

If you buy the hammer, you'll probably go all the way.

What The Game Is Really About

After ten playthroughs, I think I finally get it.

Blood Money isn't about clicking. It's about complicity.

It's not about Harvey. It's about you.

The game asks: when someone offers to suffer for you, what do you do?

Do you minimize their suffering?

Do you exploit them efficiently?

Or do you go further than necessary?

Every playthrough is a different answer to that question.

The Replayability Factor

Most clicker games get boring fast.

But I've played Blood Money ten times. Why?

Because it's not really about the gameplay.

It's about testing yourself.

Each playthrough, I'm asking: what kind of person am I today?

Am I patient? Efficient? Cruel? Kind?

The game becomes a mirror.

Things That Still Surprise Me

Harvey's consistency. He's always kind. Always encouraging.

Even after ten playthroughs of pain, he greets me with a smile.

That hurts more than anything.

The sound design. How the music shifts with your choices.

The way silence becomes louder as violence escalates.

The developer's attention to detail in a 30-minute game.

Tips From Ten Playthroughs

For first-timers: Play it slow. Experience it fully. Don't look up spoilers.

For speedrunners: Two-finger clicking, instant purchases, stop exactly at $25,000.

For moralists: Feather only, take breaks, listen to every line.

For completionists: Do all three endings, but save the bad ending for last.

For everyone: Don't play more than twice in one day. You need time to process.

Which Playthrough Was Best?

The first one.

Not because of the gameplay. Because of the discovery.

Every playthrough after that, I knew what was coming.

The shock was gone. The novelty was gone.

But that first time? When I didn't know Harvey would encourage me while I hurt him?

That hit different.

You can only experience Blood Money for the first time once.

Would I Play It Again?

Probably.

There's something about this game that pulls me back.

Maybe I'm looking for redemption.

Maybe I'm testing my limits.

Maybe I just want to see Harvey smile one more time.

Whatever the reason, I'll probably hit playthrough 11 eventually.

What I'd Tell My Past Self

Before my first playthrough, if I could give myself advice:

"Take your time. This game is short, but it's dense."

"Pay attention to Harvey. Really pay attention."

"Don't feel bad about your choices. But do think about them."

"The game will stay with you. Let it."

"And maybe do the good ending first. Trust me."

The Final Lesson

After ten playthroughs, here's what I've learned:

Games can be short and still matter.

Simplicity doesn't mean shallow.

And sometimes, the smallest choices reveal the biggest truths.

Blood Money is 30 minutes long.

But it's given me hours of thought.

That's what good art does.

It doesn't waste your time.

It makes you think about how you spend it.

Thanks for that, Harvey.

See you in playthrough 11.