Bleed 2 review

Reviewed on: Xbox One

If you are a fan of frenetic shooters in the style of classics like Gunstar Heroes and Alien Soldier, Bleed 2 is your game! Great pixel art visuals with fast, precise play in a polished and extremely addictive gameplay. Add to the package a soundtrack that puts you in a mood of uninterrupted action and you have a game that will entertain you for hours and hours.

The first game, originally released for XBox 360 captivated many players with its polished gameplay and pixelated visuals, plus a captivating protagonist.
Bleed 2 is the continuation of the story of Wryn in her quest to become the greatest heroine in the world, but in this new chapter she has more altruistic motives, since the planet is suffering an invasion. Another change is that the platforming parts are now slightly smaller, putting more emphasis on faster gameplay, making the game almost a SHMUP, which in a way it really is, but many prefer to call it run and gun.

And don’t think that is a negative; on the contrary, we have a game with excellent progression and difficulty just right. Very varied levels that allow various kinds of strategy, adding varied mechanics such as triple jump, time slowdown, several different weapons and abilities, all of which makes the game a delicious experience both for the more traditional gamers looking for a good challenge and for the player after a casual weekend session.

As a negative I would only mention its length: in an hour at most you finish the game on normal mode, but that is intentional. The game’s replay value is very high; it’s impossible to finish it and not want to try once more on a higher difficulty, or test the new weapons and abilities unlocked after the credits screen.
Another negative point is perhaps the enemies, which are rather silly and not very varied, and easy to kill, but that also has to do with the more frenetic pace the game has.

The same can’t be said of the bosses; I dare say Bleed 2 has some of the best boss battles I’ve seen in games! There are several bosses of the most different types, each with a well-defined strategy, great visuals and extremely charismatic. Some are improved versions from the first game and others are completely new.

Marvelous visuals, gameplay that recalls the great Treasure classics, first-rate soundtrack, difficulty just right for every kind of player and a captivating character with a simple but engaging little story. There’s no way it can go wrong!
Play this game yesterday!