Bleed (PS4)

This Nephilim Studios created, and Digerati Distribution published indie is one of those inspired gaming experiences that tries to change the retro formula ever so slightly. Taking inspiration mostly from the Contra series, 'Bleed' puts you in the boots of a pink haired female anti-heroine who is on a mission. Armed with dual weapons, the ability to slow down time, and the ability move acrobatically through the the air she aims to clear off her death list which happens to contain the names, and biographies of the six greatest heroes of all time. Her goal is to become the ultimate successor by ending their reign through death, and taking their place. The year, as with most indie platformers of similar design, is 20XX. Going at it alone, or with a second player you, as the pink haired anti-heroine, and your local co-p partner as one of three other unlockable characters will bleed into existence a new era of heroes through a trial and error playthrough where lives don't matter, and the troubling tasks before you are exactly that.

Bleed, at heart is a Contra-like 2D platforming experience. An experience that is made complicated for those not willing to take a look at the controls menu, or the shop menu before beginning their level by level playthrough. Starting off abruptly with one of the death list targets' levels you'll find crudely placed text tutorials that will only stay onscreen as long as you are standing within a certain confined area. These text tutorials give you the basics explaining that your character can triple jump in all directions (even back dash), can switch between two weapons, and fire said weapons in all directions as you are moving about rather quickly. What's not readily disclosed outside of these feature facts is the fact that you can remap the controls to your liking via the "Controls" sub-section of the "Options" menu. That, or the fact that you can visit the store to purchase upgrades, and extra weapons with points you accumulate through an alphabetical combo meter. In regards to the controller setup I strongly suggest at least changing jump to "X" as the initially set "R2" does not allow the quick movement response that you will need to dodge the quicker enemies, projectiles, and traps.

When it comes to gameplay options you will find access to 'Story Mode' to begin with, and later through unlock conditions an 'Arcade Mode' which mirrors story mode, but without story elements. There's even a readily available 'Challenge Mode' where you can select up to three bosses that you've already beat as well as an arena (end boss location), and difficulty. Choosing two or three bosses in a single challenge mode playthrough will have you fighting those multiple bosses at the same time. In 'Story Mode' specifically you will be traversing sectioned, and themed levels that ultimately lead up to a final boss fight. These levels are occupied by lesser enemies, sub-bosses, traps, slight puzzle elements, and environmental hazards of varying sorts. Upon completing a level your efforts will be tallied via a few end-game stats, and points will be applied accordingly with which you can shop and upgrade your character. Your character, which will be navigating these levels is governed by a health bar, and an energy bar. The health bar can't be refilled, but can be upgraded like the energy bar at the main menu store using points you get through the enemy killing combo meter. A meter which fills up, and showcases a rising alphabetical rank until you get hit. The energy bar/meter which also comes into play is tied to the time slowing mechanic that is activated by pressing/holding the "L2" shoulder button. Holding down "L2", or whatever button you have mapped for this function will reduce the meter. Unlike the health meter it will refill once emptied, and even more quickly if you purchase the proper upgrade at the in-game store.

The dual weapons which the main character wields, and uses as tools to dispatch her targets in a bloody manner also play an important role in level playthrough success. They can be switched out by pressing whatever button you have assigned for the shooting function. Initially those settings are tied to the "R1 & L1" buttons, and quite honestly I think that's the best button location for the function. To begin with you'll have access to an auto-fire dual pistols, and a rocket launcher. Each of which can kill any enemy, and destroy/activate any environmental obstacle. Of course the rate of fire, and effect will be different though. I've personally found the dual pistols to be more reliable in most situations including boss fights, but do know there are a handful of pricey alternatives for you at the shop if you wish to switch things up via the "Weapon Change" option that can be accessed by pressing the "OPTIONS" button while in a level. These extra tools of destruction include a high damage laser rifle, a flame thrower, a mine, a ricocheting pistol, and even a bullet deflecting katana. Definitely use what dual weapon setup best suits your play style.

When it comes to unlocking the bonus characters, and extra modes in the game you'll have to play through the main 'Story Mode' on normal to very hard difficulty settings, fully completing the mode each time. There are four difficulty settings to choose from when selecting boss names from the main menu's death list listing. You will be prompted to choose a difficulty setting with each level/boss selection. Those difficulty settings being 'Easy', 'Normal', 'Hard', and 'Very Hard'.

The Presentation ...

For a modern retro indie Bleed does seem a bit dated in the way of visual presentation, and animation. While this hardly hurts the gameplay it is noticeable. Even more noticeable than that though is the control scheme which feels oddly awkward no matter how you choose to adjust it. Thinking back on it I don't believe it's the controls though. I think the randomized enemy attacks, the organization and orientation of the traps/hazards, and the level design often times complicate things through their organized chaos. I noticed this particularly in the boss fights where bosses had set attacks, but not set attack patterns. It felt sloppy, and complicated the strategic part of gameplay.

The Verdict ...

I'm on the border with this game. It can be decent if you get used to the controls, but it can also feel as if you are being cheated by cheap level/enemy construction. I think the awkward situations you usually find yourself in make the gameplay less than fun. It has potential, but for that potential to be realized bosses, and enemies would have to become a more static feature with set positions, and set attack patterns. Leaning on the players' ability to adjust on the fly to randomized enemy actions only frustrates the less than precise jumping/air dash mechanic that is a huge portion of the game's focus. Having movement, and aiming assigned in a radial way makes said functions not as precise as they need to be to adjust to and dodge random occurrences. With all that having been said, and noted I can't recommend the game as is. It needs an old school restructuring, and refinement.