Bloodroots Review (PS4)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Bloodroots
  • Platform: Playstation 4
  • Show system requirements
  • Reviewed on:
Bloodroots artwork

Have you ever wondered what would it be like to play a game not just based, but also true in scope and spirit to the movies produced by the mad genius of Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino? We have had some games in the past, like Reservoir Dogs - which we would rather forget - but Bloodroots comes bloody close to that bloody answer by being a bloody production which bloody reminds us about the bloody Hateful Eight or Kill Bill. Did we mention it is bloody? Read on to find out if there is more to this game than gore and violence.

Like any good spaghetti western it all starts with betrayal: Mr. Wolf’s animal posy turns on him and paints red the snowy landscape using the blood of our hero. Leaving his corpse as a feast to the beasts of the woods, the former accomplices of Mr. Wolf leave the scene and build their empires of crime. After several seasons go by and everybody seems to be forgotten about him, our hero returns from roaming the hunting plains of the Great Manitou and starts his vendetta. Your objective is to answer in kind the actions of those who led him to an early demise.

The story frames perfectly the relatively short, but surely intense game in which you hunt down your former brothers in crime. The quest for vengeance means you have to kill everyone that stands in the way, the gameplay being so well implemented that it compensates for the flimsy backstory. Even the producers realized that, offering the possibility to skip the story told through cut scenes and focus solely on the gore. The way you exterminate the countless henchmen you will come across can be described as a very violent, but also artistic, almost ballet-like performance.

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Mr. Wolf is not picky when it comes to weapons, having a knack for transforming any object lying around into a lethal instrument of death and destruction. It can be an ax, a gun, a ladder or even just a carrot or cabbage – our hero will masterfully use it to rain down death, gracefully jumping, gliding or sprinting from one enemy to another. If you can’t find anything else he can use his own fists or the bodies of his enemies torn in half. The level of gore makes the game highly unrecommended for younger audiences, but it certainly satisfies even the urges for visual violence of the famous Hollywood director, so well represented in his latest movies.

All these objects have a certain utility and require a different approach, but they also have a limited number of uses. So after just a few kills, they will break forcing you to search around for a new tool to cut down your opponents. The development team, although small, demonstrated real skill in level design, challenging players to push their own limits until they can finish a level in one continuous movement. These killing sprees executed with deadly grace and utmost efficiency are equally artistic and satisfying. It is tremendous fun to get to know a level, plan your pirouettes around the enemy troops, taking into account the weapons scattered in the environment, and then executing your plan in one almost completely continuous movement.

Before you can experience the fulfillment of a masterfully executed run, you will have to go through frustration and death. A lot of frustration and death. Because your hero is something of a glass cannon: he can rain down tremendous destruction, but just one hit and he will have to start over. There is no health bar and no hearts that symbolize the ability to take on several levels of punishment. The playing field is equalized by the same rules that apply for our hero and his foes as well: one hit is all it takes to go down. If Mr. Wolf is grazed by a bullet, pierced by a sword or slapped across the chin he will respawn at the latest checkpoint and will have to start over his quest, with all his enemies back in their position. And this will happen quite often until you manage to learn the layout, the position of the enemies and the weapons.

A good performance is not important just to stay alive, but also to achieve a high score at the end of the levels. The score you will amass based on the number of deaths, of kills, of mobility and several other factors, will determine your position on the leader boards but is also the only condition for obtaining bonus items. These items are actually different hats associated with different animals, personified by the villains you seek. These are not just fashion statements but also grant bonus effects on the already finished levels. This is the way of the developers trying to increase the number of hours you will spend in this relatively short game. The three acts which tell the entire story can be finished in six to eight hours. But those with a competitive spirit can revisit each level, with a different hat equipped, trying to improve their score and their standing on the leader boards.

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Bloodroots has a very specific visual style that works perfectly with the theme of the game. The cartoon-like graphics do not tone down the violence but make it grotesque and humorous. Just like with the over the top B category movies, you can’t take seriously a video game which is as bloody as this one. The almost minimalistic artistic style also ensures that there are no framerate issues and the loading times are fairly decent.

From the presentation point of view, Bloodroots looks like a very polished indie game, where visuals and sounds did not suffer because of the small size of the development team. Where the game suffers and would have needed more attention, are the platforming sections, which feel quite imprecise and often haphazard, mainly because of the wrong camera angles. This can be frustrating, especially that many of the sequences take place in advanced stages of the level, and the smallest mistake can you send back to the beginning.


The Good

  • Brilliant combat system
  • Gorgeous visuals
  • Inspired level design

The Bad

  • Poor camera angles during platforming sections
  • Lack of game modes
  • A bit too short

Conclusion

You can expect Bloodroots to be frustrating, but also very satisfying. It may remind you of the movies made by Tarantino or of Hotline Miami, but it stands on its own, being an immersive experience. Although the story is short, you will feel pleasantly compelled to revisit the levels and try to improve your scores. Bloodroots is very stylish, very fast, very fun and extremely bloody mayhem.

story 7
gameplay 9
concept 8
graphics 9
audio 8
multiplayer 0
final rating 8
Editor's review
very good
 

Bloodroots screenshots (28 Images)

Bloodroots artwork
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