Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days

Although it has some interesting ideas, but the execution isn't that good. It's may feature, the rewinding mechanic, doesn't really work as it should, and it lacks other accomplishments to make up for it.

As a fan of twinstick-action as well as Tarantino movies I was looking forward to Bloody Days. But while the dualstick heists are mediocre at best, as an enhancement, addition or homage to the modern cult classic this doesn’t work at all.

Even though Bloody Days tries to walk the walk and talk the talk, ultimately it feels less like a creative homage to a cult film classic and more like a shallow imitation with a hint of Tarantino flair.

Somewhere, buried deep in the design document for Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days was the idea for a decent game. The time rewinding mechanic, to its credit, does not feel gimmicky, as if it were tacked on to give the game a defining feature. Unfortunately, it isn't worth nearly the amount of frustration that it brings. Between its misuse of a license and its joyless, repetitive gameplay, there is little in this game that provides any entertainment value. Like most failed movie games, if you want the genuine experience, you are better off simply watching the movie.

Aside from the Reservoir Dogs name in the title and the colorfully named characters, Bloody Days shares almost nothing in common with its namesake. With its rewind mechanic, you can see the potential for an exhilarating top-down, twin-stick shooter, but this never comes to pass. The game is easily exploitable and produces frustration far too often to become even the slightest bit interesting. Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days devolves to a banal experience that's all bark and no bite.

The only reason I don’t regret spending a couple of hours with Bloody Days is that it gave me an excuse to watch Tarantino’s movie again. [09/2017, p.52]

While it may superficially retread a similarly desensitised violence found in the original film, little else could be compared from one to the other. In fact, Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days is better an example of Lionsgate’s misuse of the original property, shelling it out every so often for some quick cash here-and-there.

Reservoir Dogs is a classic movie that deserves a better homage than Bloody Days for its 25th anniversary. The only equivalent would be if your dog died and it got replaced with a turtle. This was not an enjoyable experience and feels like an even sloppier cash-in on a movie franchise than the latest Ghostbusters game did. At least that had some depth. On paper, the idea of a Reservoir Dogs game coupled with what Big Star Games is pitching would warrant a purchase, but the annoying Time Rewind feature and complete lack of connectivity to the actual movie makes this feel like a trip to the dentist. Although at least with that you’d come out with clean teeth.

All of it is just awful, and if it wasn’t for the name the game would’ve passed by completely without notice. So in that sense the use of the license served its purpose, because if this hadn’t been called Reservoir Dogs we wouldn’t have known to warn you about it. Although it has inspired us to go and watch the film again, so there is that in its favour…