Bleeding Edge is 4v4 brawler from Ninja Theory, set in a cyberpunk dystopia where human cybernetic augments are controlled and regulated by an evil government. Or at least, until some hackers got their hands on the plans and spread them around on the black market.
Related: Five tips to get better at Bleeding Edge
Bleeding Edge is effectively an underground fight club of sorts, where extreme body modders have come together to pit their skills (and engineering prowess) to the test in bloody combat. The game has received some mixed reviews, sitting at around 70 on Metacritic, with many citing a general lack of content as a central issue. We have a full review coming early next week, for some of our thoughts.
For some Friday fun, I put together a string of clips that showcase Kulev's ultimate ability — Bamboozle — that lets you take over an enemy player's controls for a few seconds. And given the amount of environmental hazards in the game's levels, can lead to some pretty hilarious situations.
Kulev is a British scientist with a fascination in occultism. He uploaded his brain into a robotic snake, you know, as you do. And controls his corpse with an array of pins and electroshocks, like some kind of warped voodoo doll. His primary function is that of a healer, but when his ultimate is charged every few minutes, you can insta-kill any player who is hapless enough to come near you while you're standing next to a trap.
Bleeding Edge isn't setting the world on fire but I find myself compelled to keep coming back for a quick bash every now and then. As someone who has enjoyed World of Warcraft PvP in the past and games like Smite, Bleeding Edge bears a lot of similarities. With more content and future updates, if indeed Ninja Theory and Microsoft stick with it, I think it could evolve into something truly special down the line.
In any case, it's not too expensive to give it a try. It's on Xbox Game Pass for PC and console, or $30 to buy outright.
Some good potential.
Bleeding Edge's hero brawler could use a few content injections, but the game shows serious promise and is definitely worth a try on Xbox Game Pass.
