Xbox Game Pass is a service with a multitude of proposals, from the most interesting indie titles to AAA that arrived in stores a few months ago. They all have shocking stories and captivating worlds, but it is true that perhaps Xbox Game Pass can be blamed for the lack of hard and fast multiplayer content, with its maximum exponent being Sea of Thieves. The Rare game is a success in number of monthly players and its community is one of the most active, something that I would dare to say that without being on the Xbox Game Pass it would not have happened.
This success is what Microsoft is looking for with Bleeding Edge. This time we left the camera in first person, the musket shots, the treasure hunts, the kraken and others to go to different places in the world, where augmented heroes will fight to the death. Bleeding Edge is new to Ninja Theory, a studio that has brought us games like Heavenly Sword, Enslaved, DmC: Devil May Cry and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, the latter being its biggest success. But there is much more than just a multiplayer game in Bleeding Edge, so make yourself comfortable and join us in our analysis of Bleeding Edge.
A change of course
Ninja Theory has been characterized by creating games with a frenetic rhythm, addictive gameplay and a spectacular and unique design. These characteristics have been repeated throughout his different projects, culminating in DmC, one of the titles of the Devil May Cry saga most discussed by his fans, but that if we look at it as a game, surely we will remove several prejudices from above . Although, the criticism, on the other hand, was not so favorable and the sales did not accompany either.
The DmC creator team supported the creation of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, a game unlike anything created by Ninja Theory so far. That game, born under the idea that an independent studio could create AAA quality games with less budget ended up conquering the world, so much so that its sequel, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is one of the most anticipated games on the Xbox Series X.
But let's get back to DmC. The team was disappointed at the reception of the title and while the large part of the studio worked on what would be their last bullet, they had in mind a smaller project, completely different from what was being done and that would drink from that experience gained in DmC. That's how the team that created DmC began to devise Bleeding Edge.
A fun and dynamic game
Bleeding Edge inherits a lot from the more traditional Ninja Theory gameplay, since while most multiplayer games are based on medium and long distance combat, Bleeding Edge offers us close physical combat, where we not only have to pound buttons, but combine our abilities, as well as those of our companions.
With 12 launch characters divided into 3 classesWe must choose wisely before starting each game, since when dealing with 4v4 fights it is essential that all classes are present in the battle, since each one contributes something useful.
Initially, what we find is that the game looks better than we expected. Using the Unreal Engine 4 shows us colorful environments, with great definition and stable performance almost all the time on Xbox One X. But the key to the game is the action and this is where we find the appeal of the game. Combat melee is very intelligent and makes equal classes depend on the ability of each player, while between different classes we have advantages and improvements over each one.
The characters of the category Tank They are very healthy and inflict exaggerated damage for each melee attack, but they are slow to attack as well as move. On the other hand we have the characters of Support forThey move quickly, attack from a distance and can heal their companions during battle. Finally, we have the Assassins, some characters that are in the middle of everything, although they have devastating attacks, their health is normal and they have to come closer yes or yes to cause damage.
These combinations make that if a team of 4 balances their forces and communicates, they are most likely unbeatable. For this analysis I played several games with different teammates in different sessions, although we were never more than two, once we caught the trick we won almost everything we played. While one of the two was an Assassin, the other was Support, so while he was hurting and receiving enough, I would heal him, so we had no problems except if we ran into a Tank, so then we had to attack both or expect reinforcements from our team.
A team game
Bleeding Edge is a game that you have to play with your teammates and communicate during the games.. It is not a Call of Duty where you can make war on your own. In a game where teams are so small and classes matter so much, communication and strategy is essential. That is why I think that if Microsoft can repeat the success of the Sea of Theaves community with Bleeding Edge, we will have a game for a while.
As for the 12 characters, each of them has 3 abilities that regenerate during the game. Depending on each class and character, those skills will be different, but despite being different characters, those from the same classes will have common denominators in the style of each skill. Healing for Supporters, zone attack for Tanks or throwing attack for Assassins, for example.
In addition to those skills and our main attack, we have a passive ability that fills up during the course of the game. This one is different in each character and there are some certainly great, like Kulev's mind control with which we can control our enemies and make them commit suicide by jumping into danger.
We will have 3 game modes, which although they try to be different, do not make the experience vary much. In one game mode we face death against enemies, in another we have to find some energy cells to deliver them at the right time and extract them and in the last one we play a kind of Conquest / Dominion / King of the Hill.
As for the maps, they are quite colorful and they differ well between them, but it is clear that they fall short And they need new ones as time goes on, something I hope Ninja Theory will keep in mind if they want the game to prosper.
A different proposal from a single study
Bleeding Edge is that multiplayer alternative that Xbox Game Pass needed. Yes, it was obviously not the kind of game we expected from the creators of Hellblade, but while working on its sequel, Bleeding Edge is a most interesting title that at least has pleasantly surprised me.
What's new in Ninja Theory is not a game that shines with its own light, nor does it leave a mark on the memory of the players. It is not that title that will be in the lists of the best games of the year, but he does achieve something very important: having fun. Bleeding Edge is a fun game that shows that its creators have thought very well about the balance of each element. Now all that remains is for the community to respond and the creators to be up to it, with updates and content.
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