This week Bleeding Edge released on Xbox One, Steam and Xbox Game Pass. It’s the end of the week, so let’s take a look at the reviews from other publications. Of course, you can read what we thought about the game in our very own review by Slicer.
Currently the game sits at a 69 MetaCritic rating and a 67 OpenCritic rating.
Destructoid – 6.5
If anything I’m describing sounds cool, it is – or it can be. Bleeding Edge isn’t some throwaway game.
I just wish it had way more depth. I have nitpicks here and there with balancing, good-but-not-great netcode, uneven matchmaking, a lack of matchmaking options, a poor sense of progression, and wishy-washy targeting, but the main criticism – the thing that kills it for me – is a lack of longevity. I genuinely think most players are going to have their fill of the arena brawls in five hours or less. I know I have.
There’s a decent multiplayer action game concept buried in here, absolutely. Some of these characters deserve to live on in future projects. At the same time, it feels like there are only so many team dynamics to experience. It’s all too fleeting. Once you’ve hit that point of no return, there’s no real motivation to continue. I’d like to pick this back up one day, but realistically, I don’t see that happening.
If you’re even remotely interested in Bleeding Edge, play it now while the matchmaking is still lively.
Read the full review from Destructoid here.
IGN – 7
While tinkering with character builds and clashing swords amidst exciting team fights is fun, Bleeding Edge left me wanting more as the hours piled up. Matches frequently devolve into unbalanced, frustrating messes thanks to no role queue, and ranged combat is devoid of all the bits that make team fights enjoyable. Every issue I had with the initial beta is here in the final release, only exacerbated further as my patience for its problems was whittled away to nothingness. At its best, Bleeding Edge is a glorious back-and-forth contest of fisticuffs, but these lingering faults keep me from wanting to stick with it.
Read the full review from IGN here.
Twinfinite – 6
The result is a game that is, at its core, a unique brawler game that is held back from reaching its full potential by repetitive gameplay and a lack of features that in 2020 should absolutely be standard, at launch, for any game trying to squeeze into the crowded multiplayer game market. Maybe you could get away with it earlier in the generation, but at this stage you just can’t anymore. There are too many well-developed competitors this late into the console generation to come in halfheartedly.
In this day and age, if all you have is a multiplayer mode you have to come heavy ready to compete with the most popular games, or not at all.
Read thef ull review from Twinfinite here.
Metro – 7
It often feels a little undercooked but the emphasis on teamplay and some very unusual characters offers an enjoyable alternative to other online multiplayer games.
Read the full review from Metro.co.uk here.
Eurogamer – no score
Bleeding Edge is about carefree scraps with a few pals you just met against some random chancers, not unlike a night out in Cheam, actually. Hit FIGHT and the game finds you a match with as little fuss as possible. Hopefully you’re playing with people who stick together, rather than waddle off like some maddening toddler speeding towards their inevitable doom. Rinse and repeat, the hidden rating system (hopefully) working behind the scenes to huddle players of similar skill level together. If you lose – oh well, you get a completion bonus, some experience points and a handful of credits. Win and you get a few more. Do I think Game Pass and the Lockdown (both of which sound like characters in the game) will carry Bleeding Edge till the summer? The combat is just about good enough to get away with it for now, but without some meaningful updates I’ll probably lose interest sooner rather than later.
Read the full review from Eurogamer here.
TrueAchievements – 7
Ninja Theory’s first multiplayer outing could be something special, but it’s a lack of game modes and a dedicated ranked mode stops Bleeding Edge from taking on the other big team-based multiplayer games. However, the game does feature some superb third-person combat and team play. Working together with a group of friends or dedicated players has never felt so satisfying. The varied cast of characters is exciting and fun to play with, while the Mods system adds a layer of customisation to the game. Bleeding Edge is worthy of your time – hopefully more so in the coming months when fresh content is added.
Read the full review from TrueAchievements here.
Most reviews score the game between 6 and 7.5. Want to read more Bleeding Edge reviews? ResetEra has a list of reviews in all kinds of languages.
