We tested the latest Bleeding Edge build during the X019 festival in the city of London.
Bleeding Edge became one of the main attractions of X019. Ninja Theory experiments with new horizons in a multiplayer title with proven potential throughout its alpha test phase. What began as a “small” development has become a fundamental pillar of the Xbox Game Pass online offer during the first half of 2020.
In FreeGameTips we have been able to access part of its multiplayer offer from its developers.
Choose your hero
Much of the playable appeal of Bleeding Edge goes through its characters. The disparate cast chosen to represent the team's first step within Xbox Game Studios reminds of other titles under the same profile. We obviously refer to the hero shooter side with names such as Overwatch or Rainbow Six: Siege.
Both games shine behind the screen for the strong representation of their characters. It is not just the way they work, but how they break into the community. Although from the barrier it may seem otherwise, the team has placed special emphasis on its iconography, on how to operate at the controls. A hero is everything, and more in a game where we play a specific role. Once you see it on the move, you know exactly what it is.
Nor does he go with half measures: the eleven characters chosen to date are divided according to their role on the battlefield. It is not possible to duplicate them in the same game, which forces the players to coordinate from the first image of the game. We are surprised by the great presence of offensive heroes, who double their number with respect to healers and tanks.
During the game we had the opportunity to rotate between the two extremes, both the support of the healers and the damage and mobility of the murderers. The achievement of Bleeding Edge in this regard is to convey the feeling that whoever you are you have the power to change the tables with your friends. Playing the first role, we didn't feel we were falling behind; quite the opposite. We had enough tools to be able to shine in a creative and colorful way in the visual.
While we spit venom with the snake that surrounds Kulev, we had the opportunity to influence the minds of the rivals in two creative ways: copying their choice to add an exact copy between our ranks (driven by the CPU), or the ability to control to an opponent for a few seconds through his ultimate ability.
On the other side of the scale is Daemon, a kind of samurai mixed with urban themes that offers one of the largest ranges of movement seen in the test. The effect hit of this character lies in the way in which he can enhance his ability with each other. For example, if we press And we can become invisible for a few moments; if during that period we press the same button again, we will sleep the rival. The combinations are multiple, since depending on the action it will mutate towards other alternatives.
Direct fun
When cakes fly on the battlefield, there is no going back. We only need five minutes in the Dojo, rectangle where we learn the movements as a tutorial, to understand how to take advantage of the basic potential that our character offers. The high barriers that dilute the experience between the neophytes and those who have spent many hours are broken.
The way we could access consisted of capturing three control points around a small but complex map. The classicism of his proposal clashes with the interpretation it takes from its roots. Depending on the time of the game, it will vary between them, which will test the ability of the players to coordinate.
It may sound topical. Bleeding Edge suffers from the influence of moba over any other genus or subgenus. If we delve into the map we see that taking a corridor without the company of the rest of your team can be a deadly trap. Lost teamfights are punished, not knowing exactly what your team needs at the right time.
All this with a softness that makes it far from having a lower bill. Above all we refer to the transitions of the blows, their movements and the entrance of the skateboard, the object that serves as a mount. Small ingredients that make it an experience that shuns lonely wolves. Special mention to work in balance. Despite being still more than four months after its launch, it seems that having given access to the community has served to establish a fair and vitaminized experience.
Xbox Game Pass star
Those responsible comment on the positive response of the community among the official information channels. That discord referred to during the last Xbox Inside is a meeting point between users who have access to technical tests, where feelings are shared and developers are helped with first-hand impressions.
Bleeding Edge loved it. As simple as that. The mix of components of various genres makes a great third-party action that works like a clock. Your launch arrival to Xbox Game Pass will give you the opportunity, like Sea of Thieves, to form a community in the short and medium term.
All users of the service and those who reserve the game may participate in the two private betas, scheduled for February 14 and March 13. The sensations seeing it on a screen have nothing to do with what it feels like to be at the controls. Bleeding Edge wins over short distances when it demonstrates what it is capable of.
Its launch is scheduled for March 24 on Xbox One and Windows 10.
