Bleed 2 Review

Six months after the original Bleed debuted on Xbox One, Bleed 2 has arrived courtesy of Digerati Distribution. I loved the art style and retro feel of Bleed, and I’m happy to report that Bleed 2 does more of the same, only better. It wasn’t until comparing both games in one sitting that I could appreciate the changes made in Bleed 2.

Concept:

In the first game, our heroine Wryn was on a mission to defeat the 7 greatest heroes of all time, and succeeded. Now that she stands alone she must defend earth from an invading force of villains. There are 7 levels in story mode with over 25 boss fights. After completing the game, you unlock playable characters and can play on 4 different difficulty types.

Gameplay:

Bleed 2 is a twin-stick shooting action game that combines gunplay, melee attacks and triple jumping. What you end up with is an incredibly fast-paced and stylish shooter where you never worry about running out of ammo. If you played the original Bleed then you know what to expect, except Bleed 2 controls even better. I found the jumping to be much more responsive and easier to control in Bleed 2. My main double guns felt more powerful and the graphics were improved as well. Wryn can melee pink projectiles back at enemies, which is not only fun but incredibly satisfying. The time meter from the original game returns, allowing you to attack enemies in slow motion. Everything just feels so smooth; shooting, jumping and melee make for fun and engaging boss fights. One big difference I noticed in Bleed 2 is that there is less traversal of stages and instead more boss fights. Expect to dispose of a few bosses in every level. While every boss fight requires a certain strategy, I did occasionally long for more run and gun gameplay against lesser enemies. Players are still scored by a points and letter grade system at the end of each section.

Additional gameplay types include arcade, challenge and endless mode. Challenge mode pits you against up to 3 bosses at once and it’s as intense as it sounds. Arcade mode was also in the original game and it challenges you with beating the game with a single life. Lastly, endless mode is a gauntlet of randomly-generated levels. The game still supports 2-player local co-op and additional weapon types will change your style of play.

Presentation:

Bleed 2 has that 16-bit style going for it, but much more detailed than games of that era. I never experienced any slowdown or waiting on loading screens. Even dark areas are full of life with pink and yellow enemies and projectiles. I did notice that Bleed 2 is priced higher than the original at $14.99. While the story mode is relatively short, you do have 4 difficulty settings and those in search of all S ranks will stay busy. Like the original, earning all the achievements in Bleed 2 won’t be easy, but will likely be incredibly rewarding

Final Take:

Bleed 2 is the type of sequel that fans wanted, more of the same but better implementation. The graphics have improved, movement has improved and there are more boss battles than ever. If you liked the original game, there is no reason to not grab Bleed 2.

Rating: 8.5/10

Written by: Jordan650

Gamertag: Jordan650

Positives:

+Retro art style looks better than original

+Fast, fluid and fun gunplay

Negatives:

-Story mode is still short

-I sometimes felt there were too many boss battles in a stage

Ethics Statement: The reviewer spent approximately 2 hours running, gunning, and slashing bosses. Earning 3 out of 33 achievements.

A code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

You can purchase Bleed 2 on the Xbox Store here