They Bleed Pixels is a game from back in 2012. The game gathered a “cult” following on PC which ironically fits the theme of the game perfectly. Why it took spooky squid games so long to port the game to a console is beyond me. Good things come to those who wait… well Nintendo Switch owners can finally try their “claws” on this great indie title.
Lafcadia Academy for Troubled Young Ladies
In They Bleed Pixels you play an unnamed girl who gets sent to Lafcadio Academy for Troubled Young Ladies. When arriving a strange figure performs a blood ritual on a book with the intention of unleashing something wicked on you. When you happen to stumble upon that book in the library you enter a nightmare. Your hands have transformed into claws as you find yourself trapped in a Lovecraftian inspired nightmare. You soon find out you’ve gained some excellent beat’em up powers with these claws. Soon after you wake up and try to bury the book as a means to lock the bad dreams away. Sadly the nightmares keep coming and battling your way through them is the only way.
Stylish
They Blood Pixels is presented in a very stylish combination of pixel art blended with small papercraft elements. While the in-game world is very rudimentary pixelated to let the player focus on the gameplay, the cutscenes are a real work of art. These highly detailed pixel art scenes burst from the screen as they radiate awesomesauce. It’s an extra motivation to complete another dream sequence just to see the story evolve through awesome art. The amount of fan art available online for this game shows how much the community was inspired by it.
Bloody mess
With a simple 2 button layout, They Bleed Pixels has a surprisingly rich move set available. They Bleed Pixels greatly advise to steer clear from button mashing. Instead, they advocate going for the stylish killing approach with a maximum bloody mess output. To further emphasize stylishly killing, Spooky Squid Games introduced a new “checkpoint” system. Checkpoints aren’t scattered around the nightmares but are instead earned by filling a checkpoint meter with blood. The more “They Bleed Pixels” the faster you’ll gain a checkpoint. Timely kicking or punching your enemies into spiked pits or towards sawblades will always earn you more points than just mindless button mashing.
Fast-paced platformer
The previously mentioned checkpoint will come in handy when trying to get through the levels. Each nightmare hosts an array of spiked pits, flying sawblades, icy floors, and many more. Double jumping and wall jumping through all these will have you on edge all the time. One small misstep and you’ll die returning to the previous checkpoint. They Bleed Pixels plays a lot like super meat boy but with more enemies thrown into the mix. The trial and error method will become your bread and butter in this game. Getting the timing right will take you more than a few tries for sure. Getting the sequence right to get through a certain part is what makes this game so much fun.
They Bleed Pixels is a hard game but it’s never unfair. Every death and I had many, was fully deserved. But with each death, I had the feeling I could’ve made it if I just timed a certain part a bit differently. The dangling carrot principle is very much present in They Bleed Pixels which ultimately results in a great albeit frustrating experience. The fast pace movements might look daunting but after a while, you’ll feel yourself getting in a certain rhythm. Sticking the moves after persistingly failing over and over again is oddly satisfying.
Conclusion
They Bleed Pixels is the perfect combination of a fast-paced (and daunting) platformer with stylish beat’em up elements added. The great art style adds another layer of awesome to the game. Anybody with a Nintendo Switch should own this game and thank me later.
