Bloodroots is the second game from Montreal based indie studio Paper Cult and takes inspiration from Dennation Games 2012 mega hit, Hotline Miami. While the gameplay is similar though, the aesthetic, story and tone of the game is very different. You’re still basically murdering everyone is sight, but there is a much more jovial atmosphere in the game when doing so.
We start the game with our protagonist Mr. Wolf being left for dead by his old gang. This leads to him going on a killing spree the likes of which Denzel Washington would be proud of. As you tear through levels eradicating anything with a pulse you will receive letters from these old running buddies which fill in the shallow, albeit fun story.
Bloodroots knows what it is. A fast paced action game where it’s strengths are in the gameplay, so while these story beats are a welcome break in the chaos, they never outstay their welcome before letting you get back to the action. You might be thinking to yourself that Bloodroots sounds every bit as violent as Hotline Miami, but you may change your mind when I tell you the last enemy I killed in game was with a carrot.
You see almost everything can be used as a weapon in the game and some of the most fun I had was experimenting with some of the different weapons and trying to chain kills together to keep my combo meter going. Knifes, vegetables, fish, skewers, barrels, buckets, hammers and axes are just some of the cool stuff lying around just waiting to be introduced. It certainly lightens the tone given the somewhat grim subject matter.
Weapons don’t last forever either. A carrot can only be used once where as a blade can be used two or three times depending on the type. Some weapons can even be used to help navigate the surroundings, for example if you jump while holding an oar you will pole vault a larger distance. Barrels are a great weapon as you ride on them, running enemies over in the process.
This may all sound you can get by with button mashing but that absolutely isn’t the case. Like the enemies you face, Mr. Wolf himself dies with one hit. Furthermore, each swing of a weapon takes time. During that animation another enemy may hit you from behind taking you back to the last checkpoint. Accuracy is also at the core of the gameplay, if you swing an axe and miss your target, chances are they will get you before you have time to recover.
All of this variation allows for plenty of replayability. The hook is there to go back and try to complete a previous stage more efficiently and with a higher score. Leaderboards will also give players a competitive reason to try and out-do their previous efforts. A total of nine hats can be unlocked throughout the game which offer a different perk if worn. The first for example being a bear, which allows you to “Punch an enemy to bits” – translation: they splat all over the floor. It’s another cool reason to go back and re-play.
The trophy list again reminds me of games like Hotline Miami and Hong Kong Massacre. If you want this platinum trophy you are going to need to put some serious work in. It’s a mix of story progression, beating levels in under a certain time, X amount of kills with Y weapon and high scores. This is one to display proudly if you manage to pull it off.
Flaws in Bloodroots are few and far between. When I first started playing around a week before launch I did run into the occasional bit of frame rate drop, which given how buttery smooth the game usually runs stood out like a sore thumb, but with two patches live since then it is certainly more stable. The game is hard though, so if you are a player that gets frustrated easily this may lead to some hand waving and outbursts of tourette’s.
Overall Bloodroots is an excellent game and one of the first true gems of 2020. It takes all that was great in previous games of a similar ilk and builds on them with a beautiful art style, slick combat and great level design. If what you have read in this review intrigues you I suggest watching a bit of the let’s play I embedded at the top of the article. Seeing the game in action to me is the best entry point.
-Craig
A review code for this product was kindly provided by the publisher. Reviewed on PS4 Pro. Also available on Nintendo Switch and Steam.