Gamers don't have much longer to wait until the release of Bleeding Edge, the latest game from Ninja Theory of Microsoft. After a weekend of closed beta in February, the game is receiving another weekend of closed beta from March 13-15 before its launch on March 24.
Whether you're a fan of team brawlers or Ninja Theory's previous work, it's worth taking a look at the game some are calling the next Overwatch.
What is Bleeding Edge?
Bleeding Edge is a third-person action brawler. There's 4-versus-4 multiplayer team combat to ensure maximum bloodshed and insanity among all players. It contains a roster of 12 characters that each offer up unique abilities, attacks, backstories and personalities. These characteristics have led to many comparisons between Bleeding Edge and Activision Blizzard's popular 2015 game, Overwatch, and those who've played that game will be somewhat comfortable playing this upcoming title.
The story of Bleeding Edge isn't anything too convoluted or hard to follow. It takes place in the year 2057, where human beings are modifying their bodies with cybernetic parts to replace their human limbs with biological or mechanical snap-on augmentations. Why would anyone do this to themselves? Simple: to give them an advantage when combat calls. As simple as this story may be, it certainly lays the foundation for what players can expect when they begin to play Bleeding Edge for the first time.
There are two game modes: Objective Control and Power Collection. In Objective Control, teams fight to control three points on one of five maps. Whichever team can dominate two checkpoints wins. Meanwhile, in Power Collection, players race to collect Power items while vulnerable to attack. After collecting these, players then have to race to deposit Power Cells. Regardless of which game mode you pick, the fighting will require you to get up close and personal with your opponents in order to survive.
Why You Need to Play Bleeding Edge
Bleeding Edge has garnered a ton of attention thanks to its beta. Those who have played it so far have praised it for being well-balanced and packed with lots of fast-action gameplay. No matter how many players there are in a single match, things can get real crazy real fast. Two players can easily gang up on one player to make the latter's chances of winning slimmer. Alternatively, three players can gang up on two, or four players can gang up on three.
This kind of teamwork allows players to work with others (be it friends or people they've just met online) to take down the enemy in a swift manner. Working together is such an important component of Bleeding Edge that voice communication has been implemented within the game. It has proven to work well if all players are on the same network, allowing teams to move and complete objectives with ease while also not feeling isolated by the opposing team. While the jury's still out as to whether or not it'll work when used in team combat over the internet, Bleeding Edge is a great game that makes fighting with others that much more fun.
If you enjoy having to master a new combat style, you'll enjoy getting used to this game. It may take some time, but those with the patience to learn will be rewarded with their fair share of kills. But players won't just have fun mastering the combat style. They'll also enjoy figuring out which character to play as. Since they're each so different both in looks and abilities, everyone is certain to find a character that to stick with for the long haul. Plus, because matches are so short, players can get through plenty in a short about of time, making it easier to experiment with different characters early on.
Finally, there's one more cool thing: the hoverboard. If running doesn't cut it, players can use a hoverboard to get into the fray pretty quickly.
Does Bleeding Edge Have Microtransactions?
As of March 2020, Bleeding Edge has absolutely no microtransactions to speak of. This means no cosmetic stores, no confusing in-game economy of different currencies and no loot boxes to buy in the hopes of scoring new skins and whatnot. This news will be a welcome surprise and relief for most gamers, especially fans of Overwatch, since that game was one that caused loot boxes to skyrocket in popularity.
Some are still concerned that Ninja Theory will change their mind and implement some sort of microtransactions in Bleeding Edge, but developers have assured fans that everything can be earned, and (should they ever add in-game purchases) they would never sell something that impacts gameplay.
Published by Xbox Game Studios and developed by Ninja Theory, Bleeding Edge will release for Xbox and PC on March 24.
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