Robert Murray reviews:

Mother Russia Bleeds

---Spoilerless Review---


Myself being an avid player of beat'em ups throughout the years, i was all too happy to see a new one released recently, seeing that the genre as been very much dead in recent memory. Prior to buying the game i didn't expect much, after all coming from the excellent streets of rage remake, the bar was set very high so i proceeded cautiously when buying it.

Firstly i noticed when looking at the video options i noticed a CRT filter which is a nice touch, it's obviously a nod to the 90's kids when the beat'em up genre was at it's zenith. Their is options for resolutions and gamma control, other than that their isn't anything much else with the graphics options which isn't a problem, especially for a sprite based game.

-Control-

The control system is horribly bad let me explain, on the steam page it says 'full controller support' which inevitably means 'Xbox360 controller only' for most new games, and this game is no exception. You can only use the Xbox360 controllers effectively with this game so forget about using 3rd party or old controllers, i have SNES and Megadrive style controllers but i can't use them for that simple reason which is ridiculous.

The good news is that you can use the keyboard and remap the keys to whatever configuration you want. A good way around this is to get software like 'joytokey' that allows you to use your controllers as a keyboard, so at least you have that if you're desperate to use your old controllers. Why can't modern games have a menu and remap system for whatever device you have connected, so that way you can use practically any controller, most emulators have this feature, beat's me (no pun intended)

-Gameplay-

When you start the game you have an option to play through the story or play in a arena survival mode. When you pick either one you are greeted with the character select screen and you have a choice of four characters. Like most if not all beat'em ups each character has their own strengths and weaknesses, in comparison it's very much like streets of rage, with Sergei being a well-rounded fighter like Axel and Ivan being very strong like max.

The game is surprisingly story heavy for a beat'em up and the visuals are quite excellent, it reminds me of Hotline Miami, Nuclear Throne or Not A Hero, although the game could used an upscale filter like 2XSAL to make it a bit more smoother in my opinion. The tone and atmosphere is very mature and is defiantly NOT suited for children, mainly because it features strong language, blood and gore, male/female nudity, sex and other mature themes.

The combat is solid for the most part, you have punch, kick and grab buttons for your main attacks and also a jump button for an aerial strike or grab. These attacks can be used separately or in quick succession which racks up more points if you successfully do an intricate combination. Their is also a directional element to the grabbing and striking that allows you to pull off specific moves either from pressing up, down or left/right on the directional pad.

Ground attacks are also an option that allow you to commit light and strong strikes to your opponent. Health comes in the form of an injection that you manually use when your health is low though more can be obtained by leeching life essence from convulsing enemies lying on the ground, your injection meter can also used to fuel your berserk mode, this feature allows you to go into a frenzy and pull off fatality's or just enhanced strikes that sends your opponents flying.

The enemy's usually come in their usual variety like sliders, aerial attackers, grabbers and anti-air specialists, these keep you on your heels for every fight and it can be very difficult when you fight many different types at once. The best strategy is not to get swarmed and keep your distance from the crowd of enemies so you can attack from the outside.

If their is anything i don't like about the combat system it's the manual grabbing and a lack of a back-attack or a block button, these features were quite common in the old beat'em ups so i hope they add them in the future.


-Overall-

Overall it's an excellent beat'em up which is high praise believe me, especially coming from the excellent streets of rage remake and final fight gold games. I was quite impressed with this game but i cannot ignore the flaws, nonetheless a very enjoyable beat'em up even if it is very difficult at times.


8/10 Punches

Robert Murray reviews: Mother Russia Bleeds ---Spoilerless Review--- Myself being an avid player of beat'em ups throughout the years, i was all too happy to see a new one released recently, seeing that the genre as been very much dead in recent memory. Prior to buying the game i didn't expect much, after all coming from the excellent streets of rage remake, the bar was set very high so i proceeded cautiously when buying it. Firstly i noticed when looking at the video options i noticed a CRT filter which is a nice touch, it's obviously a nod to the 90's kids when the beat'em up genre was at it's zenith. Their is options for resolutions and gamma control, other than that their isn't anything much else with the graphics options which isn't a problem, especially for a sprite based game. -Control- The control system is horribly bad let me explain, on the steam page it says 'full controller support' which inevitably means 'Xbox360 controller only' for most new games, and this game is no exception. You can only use the Xbox360 controllers effectively with this game so forget about using 3rd party or old controllers, i have SNES and Megadrive style controllers but i can't use them for that simple reason which is ridiculous. The good news is that you can use the keyboard and remap the keys to whatever configuration you want. A good way around this is to get software like 'joytokey' that allows you to use your controllers as a keyboard, so at least you have that if you're desperate to use your old controllers. Why can't modern games have a menu and remap system for whatever device you have connected, so that way you can use practically any controller, most emulators have this feature, beat's me (no pun intended) -Gameplay- When you start the game you have an option to play through the story or play in a arena survival mode. When you pick either one you are greeted with the character select screen and you have a choice of four characters. Like most if not all beat'em ups each character has their own strengths and weaknesses, in comparison it's very much like streets of rage, with Sergei being a well-rounded fighter like Axel and Ivan being very strong like max. The game is surprisingly story heavy for a beat'em up and the visuals are quite excellent, it reminds me of Hotline Miami, Nuclear Throne or Not A Hero, although the game could used an upscale filter like 2XSAL to make it a bit more smoother in my opinion. The tone and atmosphere is very mature and is defiantly NOT suited for children, mainly because it features strong language, blood and gore, male/female nudity, sex and other mature themes. The combat is solid for the most part, you have punch, kick and grab buttons for your main attacks and also a jump button for an aerial strike or grab. These attacks can be used separately or in quick succession which racks up more points if you successfully do an intricate combination. Their is also a directional element to the grabbing and striking that allows you to pull off specific moves either from pressing up, down or left/right on the directional pad. Ground attacks are also an option that allow you to commit light and strong strikes to your opponent. Health comes in the form of an injection that you manually use when your health is low though more can be obtained by leeching life essence from convulsing enemies lying on the ground, your injection meter can also used to fuel your berserk mode, this feature allows you to go into a frenzy and pull off fatality's or just enhanced strikes that sends your opponents flying. The enemy's usually come in their usual variety like sliders, aerial attackers, grabbers and anti-air specialists, these keep you on your heels for every fight and it can be very difficult when you fight many different types at once. The best strategy is not to get swarmed and keep your distance from the crowd of enemies so you can attack from the outside. If their is anything i don't like about the combat system it's the manual grabbing and a lack of a back-attack or a block button, these features were quite common in the old beat'em ups so i hope they add them in the future. -Overall- Overall it's an excellent beat'em up which is high praise believe me, especially coming from the excellent streets of rage remake and final fight gold games. I was quite impressed with this game but i cannot ignore the flaws, nonetheless a very enjoyable beat'em up even if it is very difficult at times. 8/10 Punches