Bleed (PlayStation 4) Review

The '80s and '90s feels like a long time ago, and for some these are times dearly missed. Those gamers usually refer to this time as the pinnacle of gaming as a whole, with perfectly designed platformers filled with deviously difficult levels and creative bosses, which demanded the player to actually practice to beat, all while having to keep saying "one more time, please!" when dinner was ready. Many dishes grew cold, and more will now since Bleed is released. This does a wonderful job in recreating the feel that the games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras delivered with it great level design, as well as its creative and challenging boss fights.

The story is as nonsensical as would be expected, to the point of complete cheesiness. Wryn has a dream, and you must help her achieve that. She has always wanted to become the greatest hero in the world. Her solution? As the perfect edgy '90s action heroine that she is, she found that the best way to do so is to simply kill off all the world's best heroes. It is a humorous plot that is played through for its entirety on its fullest by giving each hero (in essense, the stage boss) profiles, and a full-fledged backstory of heroism.

It is cheeky to the point of being extremely adorable, and there is more of that with wonderful details such as how Wryn keeps whining about things such as that you pressed the wrong button and that you should decrease the difficulty if the player dies. It is an adorable way to replicate all the excuses and whines people of the '80s and '90s are more familiar with than they would ever admit today.

While this heavily plays on gaming nostalgia with its picture perfect action heroine and gameplay that sets every trope of the time to a T, it is not afraid to play around with mechanics that were unavailable at the time. It offers full, multi-directional gun control, a feat that was very difficult for those times before the Nintendo 64 introduced the analogue thumbstick as a mainstream feature. It also features bullet time, paying homage to what might be the most defining action movie of the 90s, and maybe of all time.

These features feel extremely fluid, and, most importantly, put the player in full control. So whenever death arrives, you can be sure that it is your own fault, even if you, in true gamer fashion, still keep blaming the game for old times' sake! Bleed truly feels like what would happen if the developers from the '90s did their old action platformers today. It is a gem for anyone into old-school gaming, or simply those who just look for a fun and challenging experience. Few has done such a good job as this does to both cater to that feeling of nostalgia, while at the same time incorporating modern features. Bleed is clever, creative, and a blast to play!