Beat ’em ups don’t come around too often anymore. The last big beat ’em up that was of note was the downloadable game Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game and before that there was Castle Crashers so there are obviously slim pickings. It’s understandable considering the genre doesn’t allow for big-budget triple-A games and a lot of its fundamental designs are outdated in this day and age. Along comes Le Cartels’ Mother Russia Bleeds which aims to fill the empty void and deliver an amazing experience on par with the likes of genre-defining big shots like Final Fight and Streets Of Rage. But does it deliver?
Winners don’t do drugs.
Unlike most games in the genre, Mother Russia Bleeds seems to want to tell the player a story. The game takes place in an alternate 1980’s Russia. You start the game as one of four Russian Gypsies who, after getting arrested in the camp, wakes up in an underground laboratory with their bodies filled with a drug called Nekro; which seems to have taken over a majority of the country. As the Gypsy(s) make it out of the lab they vow to find out what happened and get revenge on whoever put them through it. The narrative is nothing too special. At some times it seems like the developers try to make a statement about the character and a number of bodies they leave in their wake or about the usage of drugs but it’s never more than just a mention or a sidenote. Its writing is fairly well done and while the excessive amount of swearing seems appropriate, at the same time it comes over as trying a bit too hard. The story also breaks the fast pace of the game and brings it to a screeching halt. Every time the dialogue starts, players will want to skip so they can just continue playing the game. This is not so much the fault of the story but rather the gameplay which is so enjoyable that you will just want to continue playing.
The Plot is simple and serviceable but breaks the pacing severely.
Two’s a company, three’s a crowd.
The game is a beat ’em up “pur sang”. There are eight stages each with a boss at the end of the game. Players can choose to play one out of four characters, each with their flaws and strengths and then choose one of twelve drugs which have different perks from brainwashing an enemy to making them a walking bomb. The game has a robust system and some more unique mechanics. Players have a punch, kick and jump button like in any other beat ’em up but Mother Russia Bleeds adds some more interesting moves like a dodge button which in combination with any other button allows the player to do several different kinds of attacks. After beating some enemies they will start to convulse on the ground at which point the players can drain Nekro from them to refill their syringes when empty. When syringes are used on the player they can either heal themselves or activate berserk mode along with a specific perk some drugs have. The fighting feels great. Every hit feels right and every combo feels satisfying. The wide arrange of weapons to use is commendable and all of them are fun to use. Levels have a nice pace barring the cut-scenes and usually, don’t drag on too long. The one main gripe the game really has is the boss fights. Every level ends with a boss which usually requires the player to use a certain mechanic but these bosses are usually more frustrating and plainly not fun. Bosses are always accompanied with a few enemies just to make the fights more challenging than they need to be. When playing solo the player will certainly die more than they might be willing to put up with. You can go at it either alone or fight the horde of enemies with up to three friends, or bots can be activated if the player(s) wants to. The game is fun and seems most fitting with two people. Three players might still be manageable but as soon as the game is played with four people it get’s messy and players will find themselves lost in several locations. Speaking of horde, the game’s Arena mode is just that. Players will face off against an endless horde of enemies. The combat is just not varied enough to make a survival mode fun for long periods of time. The mode also doesn’t give players a break between waves, so there is no sense of satisfaction or completion. The biggest problem with it though is that you will need to survive until the tenth wave on a stage to unlock a new drug. Mother Russia Bleeds is at it’s best when you play it with a friend going through the story mode. At it’s worst it’s just you fighting a frustrating boss or trying to unlock a drug in the tedious arena mode.
Combat is brutal, visceral and fun.
Beats the presentation to a bloody pulp.
Mother Russia Bleed’s art direction is rock solid. It’s a pixel art game not unlike Hotline Miami where the sprites are between highly detailed with some lower detailed touches applied to it. It’s a great art style and the touches to the animations are commendable too. Things like a blur effect to the punches to make them seem faster and more powerful or unique animations to downed enemies depending on what weapon the player is holding show that Le Cartel went the extra mile. The music is great and fits the theme of the game perfectly with heavy psychedelic techno beats with some tracks really standing out. The nightclub section also gets a shout-out for its trippy and freakish visuals, which make the player genuinely uncomfortable and uneasy the deeper they go into the club. The game indulges in blood guts and obscenities which make the world of Mother Russia feel very hostile and visceral. As far as presentation goes the game nails it.
The game has a nice art style and some clever visual touches to make it look even better.
| The good: | The bad: |
| the presentation | unfun bosses |
| combat feels impactful and satisfying | story breaks the pacing |
| fun with a friend | finicky hitboxes |
Verdict:
There is a lot Mother Russia Bleeds does right to make it enjoyable. But at the same time, there are a lot of things that seriously hurt the game. The wonky hitboxes and bad bosses do the most damage to the game. But despite that, fans of the genre will enjoy their time in this alternate Russia and if they bring friends all the more fun will be had. Some people will probably quit after reaching an annoying boss and dying a few times if they don’t care enough for the genre. The presentation is stellar with great pixel-art and strong thematic music. The story seems like the developers wanted to say a thing or two before backing down and making a standard straightforward story which, while not bad, feels like it breaks the pace too much. Mother Russia Bleeds is a mixed bag and it depends on the player how much enjoyability they will get out of it.
3.5 out of 5:
