“Bleeding Edge” is the name of the latest exclusive game for Xbox One and PC. The foundation is solid, but can be expanded.
The developers mix a number of different concepts in this “4v4 brawler”, as they call the game. Sure, teams that fight against each other are well-known, but instead of relying on shooting like many other arena shooters, Ninja Theory uses a hack-and-slash fighting system. In addition, you can constantly upgrade the fighters and refine the strategy.
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Only eleven characters
In the matches themselves, the game rewards precise positioning in the arenas, precise timing and skill. With a little practice, it feels great to hit combos in rows around your opponents’ ears. Like “Overwatch”, just me more melee and counterattack. In some cases, the game inspiration is likely to have come from classic fighting titles.
And just like in the Blizzard shooter already mentioned, the eleven characters available (one standard attack, three special attacks and one ultimate attack) have an immense amount of personality. The basic theme is the symbiosis of man and machine – just in a rather silly way. There is, for example, Buttercup, a biker who is almost a human motorcycle, or Kulev, an ancient scientist who has planted his consciousness in a robot snake that moves his body, which has now become a zombie.
Most characters are melee, some ranged are the exception. With these you have to master the game very well, because the entire gameplay does not seem to be entirely designed for them. The problem: the further you are from your opponents, the less you meet them. But if you get too close to the melee, they flatten you.
Two game modes
Bleeding Edge currently offers two game modes. In “goal control” both teams have to check different points on the map, for which there are points. In addition, a kill earns your team 10 points. Whoever reaches 600 points together first, wins. The second game mode is called “Energy Collection” and is divided into two phases. In the first, energy containers have to be destroyed and the energy cells contained in them have to be collected. In phase two, which team delivers more cells to a collection point counts. If you are hit by an enemy, you lose your cells.
By the way, thanks to Xbox Play Anywhere, “Bleeding Edge” supports Cross Play and Cross Save. You have full access to the account at all times on Xbox One as well as Windows 10 and Steam. Everyone who played in the closed beta will keep their game progress.
Conclusion
“Bleeding Edge” is probably a few years late. The game is quite fun and visually appealing, but (still) does not provide enough content to keep up with the big genre top dogs around “Overwatch”. Hopefully the scope will be increased considerably in the coming months – the basis is rock solid.
