Bloodroots PAX West 2018 Preview
If you have ever watched the action sequences of a Jackie Chan movie, you would know that they generally involve high speeds and Jackie Chan utilizing his environment to its fullest extent. Bloodroots, though different in many aspects, takes this inspiration and runs with it. In a highly stylized, fast, brutal combat system, Bloodroots places players in the middle of the action at all times.
Specifically, Bloodroots places players in the role of Mr. Wolf, who has been betrayed by his partners and left for dead. In seeking the answer as to why he was betrayed, Mr. Wolf also looks to enact his revenge in an ultra-violent fashion. While he is vastly outnumbered by his enemies, Mr. Wolf has everything at his disposal, from axes to 2x4s, to swords, to carrots.
The game is as violent as it is fast, as players fight through enemies quickly and traverse the levels equally so. As satisfying as it is to cleave through multiple enemies like a hot knife through butter, players have to be careful to a certain extent as it only takes one hit from enemies to land to end Mr. Wolf’s quest for vengeance. While speediness can result in some epic combinations of kills, doing so may leave you open to being swiftly killed as well.
In addition to having ultra-violent cinematic sequences when having perfect timing in attacks, Bloodroots has a unique aesthetic to the game that is amplified even further by the interesting cast of characters. Overall, Bloodroots is easy on the eyes and at times, not so easy on the player. In my short time with the game, I was able to easily pick up and play the game with success, though I did trip up a couple times.
Short But Sweet
While the demo at PAX West 2018 was relatively short, the brief taste of Bloodroots had me clamoring for more. Between the epic action sequences, endless amount of weapons, and racking up the combos, Bloodroots felt more fluid than other titles I can recall that are similar in nature. Everything about the title also checked the boxes for a potentially successful game: visually pleasing, fast-paced, and fun.
As I said before, my playthrough of the demo was quite short, taking just a few minutes to complete. However, in those few minutes, I became absolutely engrossed in trying to chain together combinations, try as many weapons as I can, and surviving. Releasing on PC and consoles in 2019, Bloodroots is sure to satisfy players’ hunger for a fast-paced, ultra-violent, action game.
