In the cold American countryside, the home you always knew has been torched to the ground. In the shock of this, the cold piercing of steel ruptures your abdomen. The whiteness of the snow is stained with the sight of your own blood, slowly seeping into the ground below. Death has arrived. It’s all over. One last stab of the knife secures victory for those that betrayed you. As the fires die and the cold envelopes the lonely wilderness, you awaken, thirsting for vengeance. There is only one objective and that is to deliver revenge to those that have wronged you. From Canadian developer Paper Cult Inc and publisher Popagenda comes a tale of vengeance and primal fury set against the North Ameican wilderness, where the tools to achieving revenge are all around you. Bloodroots is a remarkably fun and innovative take on action games, quickly becoming one of the best action games of 2020 so far.
Bloodroots can be described as Sonic The Hedgehog meets Hotline Miami with a touch of the lunacy of Looney Tunes serials. Bloodroots is an isometric action game, where players run from area to area to dispatch multiple foes. Bloodroots takes place in the untamed North American Wilderness, in a time before the American Civil War but after the country was founded. Clearly, Bloodroots was inspired by the drama epic film, The Revenant which also features a similar story of death and revenge. This is an age where nature forges a man and his wild instincts to fight and survive. This is an age with no automatic weapons or modern conventions to protect you. Every object on-screen is a weapon, from wooden ladders to mackerel to barrels, swords, and many more. The catch is while each enemy can be slain in one hit, you are just as vulnerable. To survive and achieve victory, players must fight hard, move fast, and use absolutely every object at their disposal.
Bloodroots achieves its great gameplay through a weaving of tight controls and appropriate physics. In regards to the aforementioned games, Bloodroots has the silky-smooth speed reminiscent fo blast-processing titles, like Sonic The Hedgehog, with a kinetic energy that is finely tuned to the action. The gruesome attacks and copious amounts of bloodstains are nods to the absurdity of violence featured in the Hotline Miami games. Bloodroots has a degree of energy and movement that keeps the game moving fluidly and smoothly, no matter how chaotic the screen becomes. Objects are easily discernible and with the push of the circle button, that weapon becomes yours. Each weapon is wildly exciting to use and immeasurably satisfying to witness.
The gameplay in Bloodroots can be described as a lightning-fast strategy as well. In the very moment, when players are surrounded by enemies, a lamp may be more useful than a hatchet, but may only strike one target, whereas a hatchet can slay three foes before being discarded. Using a cart can take out clusters of enemies, but grabbing a musket can take out a foe can afar. It’s a constant thinking game that flows with the action. Where most action games are straightforward, Bloodroots encourages and empowers players to think outside the convention. Going straight into the fray is resourceful, only if met with quick thinking and reflexes. This is further emphasized as each level challenges players to achieve the top score and top rank for the leaderboards. Bloodroots is a spectacularly unique game and there has never been a game like Bloodroots before. With these various moving parts, it is easy for something to falter with Bloodroots, but the game is astoundingly polished to a sheen, making its very few flaws not even a slight inconvenience. I smiled, I laughed, I cheered, and it felt great bashing an enemy with a carrot. The same applies to the wildly designed bosses and the boss fights that come with them.
Bloodroots feels as if it’s not just a nod to various actions games, but also various cartoons and shows. Bloodroots moves swiftly and gracefully, never skipping a beat in the heat of the combat. The kill and death animations are akin to Tom and Jerry, as well as various graphic anime shows. The world is colorful, filling, and impressionable. This is most especially seen during segments that appear completely out of place within the world of Bloodroots. In one instance, while pursuing a boss, a dance club erupts in an enclosed area, and while the world of Bloodroots takes place in a pre-modern day wilderness, outrageous moments like this lighten the mood and create a self-aware atmosphere. The story, while simple, also is filled with witty storytelling, putting a fun spin on the pursuit of revenge. Bloodroots knows its an action game but wants to emphasize the fun and insanity that is rarely seen. It’s tremendously rewarding and enjoyable, and while it is only February, I don’t believe any other action game will strike me with the same kind of fun and charm as Bloodroots.
Bloodroots is a tremendous frenetic title, dripping with violence, but there are a few blemishes. Early on in the game, there was a large gap to jump across. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make the jump. I eventually came to the realization that I needed to pick up a wooden oar to make the jump. For some reason, jumping with the oar allowed me to jump higher, reminiscent of a high martial-arts style jump kick. A message would have been beneficial in better understanding that the oar was needed. The gameplay of Bloodroots can also fall into the faults that come with many action games, especially of this nature, as players die repeatedly and must constantly re-run sections. It can be repetitive but once again, it is a small negative to an otherwise incredible game.
Bloodroots is one of the best action games of 2020. It’s comically designed from a visual standpoint and extremely well made from a gameplay perspective. Bloodroots is a simple, rewarding, fulfulling blast every step of the way and it is almost impossible to feel disappointed while playing. Bloodroots is a great game from the top, all the way to its dopamine soaked roots.
Find more information about Bloodroots on the official website. Bloodroots is available now on PS4, Switch, and PC. A digital PS4 copy was provided for the purpose of review.
