We review the first Ninja Theory title as part of the Xbox Game Studios family. This multiplayer experiment fails to sharpen your aim.
The purchase of studies by the Xbox division begins to pay off. Of those big names that your user base demands, there is also room for small projects. Long-haul projects that serve to increase the headline package first on Xbox Game Pass. Ninja Theory takes the first step in its new family with Bleeding Edge.
Since its announcement last E3, at FreeGameTips we have experienced its journey. From that initial build in the Los Angeles scenario, to the almost final version during X019. In any case, and with the game already in our home, we review whether the good vibes of these months are confirmed or, conversely, you have room to cover.
Between two worlds
At this point it sounds topical to explain what Bleeding Edge is. Its beginnings, narrated countless times by its director, Rahni Tucker, were radically opposed to the final formula. Placing yourself between two worlds, between the MOBA and the Hack and Slash, results in an experiment that shines when you squeeze how it should be done: coordinated, attentive and perfectly balanced.
The studio proposes a four against four combat through, for the moment, two game modes that test the communication of each squad. Both Target Control and Energy Gathering are reinterpretations of traditional target modes. The new ingredients include providing a dynamic, changing selection throughout the game, not only of the objectives themselves, but also of the map.
Having timed and live capture zones allows you to delve into the multiple strategies that the game takes you to learn. In this sense, it takes its most MOBA side, when choosing which teamfight is worth fighting for, when to pick the healer to scare him away … at the same time as you take into account the effects of the environment on them.
For example, in the Jersey Depression, its best-known map, a couple of trains randomly cross the map, even when capture zones are enabled. If he catches you in full capture, he will earn your opponent a few extra points. In this sense the action feels fresh, especially in the way of collecting energy cores. The same happens as in the previous one, with the exception that it is divided into two phases: one of collection and the other of capture.
It is not always satisfactory, especially when you enter matchmaking without having assembled a full squad. Most users do not know (or do not want to follow) the rules of the game. It is common to find entire groups of DPS, or healers who switch roles in the middle of the game and leave us improvised of healing … there is no set goal (in fact, it is something they want to run away from), and having only one queue Search makes solo play an almost impossible task. As a team it is another world.
11 heroes to master …
Bleeding Edge puts us on a selection of 11 available heroes: 5 DPS, 3 supports and 3 tanks. The tendency of offensive characters, as is usually the case on this side, is present. This division on paper differs completely from what we find in his performance on the battlefield.
In practice, the roles are usually moldable. A team with 2 tanks can survive on its own by stealing life from its abilities, even characters like The Bastard can play the role of DPS perfectly. Other healers can do the same as tanks. Your tag is simply a guide to your main skill. We wish there was more balance between characters, as in the one mentioned above. It is too powerful on its own.
The tour during the games will bring us two coins. Orange gears will allow us to acquire cosmetic elements such as gestures, skins and stickers for the board. On the other hand, blue coins can be exchanged for modifications for heroes. Each of the characters has up to three equipped modifications, small advantages that improve their abilities.
In practice they do not have much use. That is, the default mods have enough capacity to not feel burdened, and at no time have we needed to change. Collecting these coins is slow, quite a lot, in addition to being the only way to progress.
The big problem with Bleeding Edge is the lack of playable depth. The learning curve is scarce, in a couple of games we feel that we have mastered the abilities of the hero we handle. Locking the target makes it too easy for certain active abilities, such as Buttercap's hook or Daemon's shurikens. With aiming, it is difficult to fail; It makes things too easy. Of course, we must be fair. The control and fluidity of the movements is almost perfect. You notice that it has been debugged to the maximum to have total control of what we do.
For a title that lives on competitive it is essential to put skill before any help. We saw it for example with Halo 5: Guardians. Visual aids were multiplied with respect to the classical aspect, while in terms of gunplay the aids to magnetism of projectiles and self-targeting were reduced, especially with an iron sight. There are concessions, yes, but in the balance you win what you know how to do with the command.
Here is just the opposite. The sensations are that we have already reached a ceiling in the entire campus available in just one week of play. It also leaves us no reason to continue playing due to the absence of qualifying games. Everything is subject to a social queue in which to win and … nothing more. Its long-term journey leaves us with many doubts.
Stability issues
During beta periods it used to be frequent to find connectivity problems. The famous lag that is alluded to when multiplayer is not working as it should. The final version, unfortunately, follows the same path. Most of the games have severe problems in the online environment that have a direct impact on the experience.
A game that needs to be precise in actions cannot have a bad online code. Playing with melee characters in a fairly poorly performing game is a true odyssey that undermines all playable efforts. Each of these days during his first week of play has been filled with trouble, teleports, and lag in movement.
It collides in front of the technical part. On Xbox One X, 60fps is usually the keynote of its target framerate, except when there is stress on the screen in the middle of combat between the two teams. Regular drops and some stuttering at times. Fortunately, they have no impact on the way we operate.
CONCLUSION
Bleeding Edge is what it is: an experiment between two worlds that sometimes shows the potential of your proposal. However, there are critical issues that can hardly be amended, such as poor playable depth. In a couple of games we feel like we've mastered the character we control. The learning curve is too slight, it does not hook to continue improving in a title that does not even have a qualifying mode, at least launch. The lack of content, especially in maps and game modes, is the least of its weaknesses. The online code is harmful, the usual trend is to find games with serious connection problems. It gives the feeling that we are still in beta.
THE BEST
- Extremely refined control.
- The energy harvesting mode.
- Playing in coordinated teams is another world.
WORST
- Nefarious online code. Most of the games have connectivity problems.
- Low playable depth.
- Almost non-existent learning curve.
- Content is missing everywhere.
- As there are no qualifiers, there is no reason to continue playing.
Right
It is not the latest or most original, nor does it have the best execution, but it can be fun if you like the genre. Good, but upgradeable.
