We analyze one of the indie surprises of this beginning of 2020, a worthy successor of the very addictive Hotline Miami style for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
Bloodroots bursts into force among the indie offer of this first quarter of the year, a frantic action videogame in the purest Hotline Miami style that bets on the most beastly direct fun and that depicts authentic choreographies of blood and dismemberments in a very Wild West particular. This is the proposal of the Canadian study Paper Cult Games in multiplatform format, that is, for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, a title that immerses us in revenge and the need to dispatch enemies with any type of weapon within our reach All this in a cartoon style that contrasts with the constant blood splatters and the most gore scenes that we can imagine. Let's see if Bloodroots manages to find a place among the most celebrated action arcade games in the genre.
A story of revenge that Tarantino would sign
We play Mr. Wolf, the sole survivor of a town ravaged by the Blood Beasts, a gang of thugs led by Mr. Black Wolf and his three cronies; presumed dead, we woke up half-dying with a single objective: to consummate revenge and to end all the components of this gang of bandits, from first to last. With this somewhat hackneyed premise a vendetta story begins that will lead us to hunt down the four components of the band, one by one, while we devastate their ranks of bandits spread throughout the many levels that We will have to "clean" to access the following areas, successively.
The real appeal of Bloodroots lies in its truly frenetic and addictive gameplay and experience at the controls, with the trial-error mechanics very present although more balanced than in other titles with similar mechanics. And it is that the story remains in the background, fed by text dialogues (in basic Spanish, yes) in the protagonist's camp between groups of levels and that we can even ignore if what we want is to focus on his formula game, the true central axis of Bloodroots.
And it is that the title of Paper Cult Games bets without concessions for direct and accessible gameplay, leaving aside other aspects that in this case are not secondary. Thus, the player's objective is to destroy all the enemies of each level in the purest Hotline Miami style and the like; once we finish with all of them we will go to the next level. And so on until you reach the final bosses of each group of levels. The grace of the matter lies in the fact that we will be able to use any element of the scenario as a weapon to destroy the rivals, also armed with their own weapons.
From different swords to axes, through laser pistols, fish, chairs, carrots, sticks, oars, hooks, ladders, vases … Almost any object on the stage will be capable of being wielded to dispatch enemies; Special mention for the winks to certain weapons of video game classics. Of course, each type of weapon will have a limited number of uses, from one to three, which will force us to change objects or weapons continuously if we do not want to bite the dust at the hands of our enemies. And it is that a touch means death, which will take us to the immediately previous control point to try again, again and again until we finish all the enemies and go to the next level.
Of course, one of the main attractions of Bloodroots lies in the different strategies that we can adopt to overcome each set of scenarios; and it is that depending on our actions we will have to face one challenge or another, making each game or try a new challenge. The effect of each weapon has a lot to say in this, resulting in authentic orgies of blood and dismemberment. Of course, as we go through the story, the difficulty curve shoots up to almost desperate levels, only within the reach of the most skillful players; and patients. And this includes battles against final bosses, who propose their own mechanics. In addition, the standard levels alternate with other more platform phases, keeping the trial-error as leitmotiv, although not so well resolved, as a general rule.
On the other hand, we have the possibility of equipping different caps of our fallen enemies, which will give us different advantages on the battlefield, that yes, only available in levels already overcome. In addition, we will be able to obtain better scores and climb positions in the online leaderboards. The exploration of the scenarios is also enhanced with the presence of collectibles such as the wolf statues, very well hidden, by the way. The total duration of the degree can be extended up to eight or ten hours, depending on our ability; Although if we aim to achieve the best marks and unlock achievements and trophies, the duration can be doubled and even tripled.
His staging exudes personality on all four sides; and it is that in the graphic style in the purest Samurai Jack style we must add a fairly high level of violence and gore, including fatality scenes for each weapon when finishing with the last rival of each level. The physics engine runs quite smoothly, although the protagonist's jumps leave much to be desired, especially when they ruin all the progress of a particularly complicated level by means of a false move. Of course, the models are quite flat and do not pay attention to many flourishes. Special mention for a soundtrack based on western classics with an electronic touch that encourages us to continue distributing bast over and over again, along with sound effects decidedly successful by forceful and, to some extent, funny.
CONCLUSION
Bloodroots stands out from the first approach for its tight gameplay and mechanics that are as fun as they are challenging; and it is that continuing with the most arcade style of recent titles, it bets on an exemplary execution only marred by the odd mismatch, especially in the sections of jumps and platforms, in any case, secondary. In this sense, the trial-error mechanics plays a fundamental role and in the case of the title of Paper Cult Games it seems well balanced; you always want to try again and again, thanks also to the dynamism of the games and the continuous feeling of learning and reward. A title that will convince fans of the genre and that can even attract the attention of the uninitiated.
THE BEST
- Great variety of possibilities to face each level
- Gameplay as hectic as it is dynamic
- Curious mix of humor and violence
WORST
- Truly suffocating final stretch
- Below-average platform phases
- Certain control mismatches that can be frustrating
Good
It meets the expectations of what is a good game, it has quality and does not have serious flaws, although it lacks elements that could have taken it to higher levels.
