If a couple of years ago I would have been told that the creators of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice would make a brawler with colorful aesthetics and very strong characters, I would not have believed it. Ninja Theory put on the table several aesthetic ‘clichés’ and mechanics that we know of other games -such as Smite, Over-watch, Sunset Overdrive- and without wanting to go against the flow, he presented his own twist: Bleeding Edge.
The game comes hand in hand with a fairly warm reception: two days before the Microsoft conference at E3, it leaked much of its details, its trailer, and features. The criticism comes from a rather obvious place, which compares it deeply with its multiplayer similes.
What brings Bleeding Edge back to the party?
Four versus four
We tested Bleeding Edge in the context of the Xbox Showcase, where Microsoft shows its progress and new games only a couple of days before the official start of E3 and Bleeding Edge Brings A Four-on-Four Brawling Mayhem To E3. The demo puts two teams of four people in batches of approximately 10 minutes.
Before entering each game, you can test your character in a kind of Japanese dojo is nothing like the map in Japan of Over-watch, where both DPS and support characters can test their skills.
Regarding the characters, Ninja Theory confirmed that the ten we saw in this demo will be the same ones that will be at the launch and that they plan to increase the roster over time. The selection is not so varied so far: four DPS characters -melee and range-, three characters of the Tank type, and three Supports.
The ten differences
We were able to test four characters during our game: first The Bastard, a tank quite similar to Garen of League of Legends, with high resistance, melee attacks and a turn that does a lot of damage. His ability allows him to enter team fights and deal with engage-disengage with ease.
As for the DPS, we first went to Gizmo, an amalgam of D’Va from Over-watch with a submachine gun that does not damage too much but that can place turrets that help to the zone at the checkpoints. Unfortunately, your methods of escape and movement are limited, especially if you are using the machine gun. Its best weapon is a bomb that reunites the enemies – like the ultimate one of Zarya – and allows executing precise combos.
The gameplay
It is impossible to deny that Bleeding Edge is entertaining and agile, although it has certain mechanics that do not completely convince us.
First, and judging by the trailers, it seems that the game has a chaotic factor and certainly something of that permeates the gameplay. However, the mechanics of dodging is limited and consumes stamina, which while interesting as a limitation, does not help at all in fights 2 vs. 1, where eventually faster characters will catch you the same.
Conclusions
Bleeding Edge may not be the newest or the most entertaining bet – we have a whole fair to try, let’s be realistic – but what it has, and mainly the style of game it wants to pay tribute to, is entertaining.
We do not expect the game to immediately become a cult classic or an explosive success. The multiplayer terrain is quite complete and Bleeding Edge brings very little to the ring in a console whose success is still questioned, which sincerely puts it at a disadvantage against its rivals.
The key to doing better is to balance it, think of new alternatives for the maps and break the mold a little. It does not help us as players to see that another company seeks success with the same humor, the same aesthetic and gameplay similar to others. It is a matter of remembering Suicide Squad and thinking that it could well be the same: a major brand failure.
