They Bleed Pixels

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 90 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 90
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 90
  3. Negative: 13 out of 90

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  1. Chnmmr
    Nov 8, 2013
    5
    A game that could have been great but suffers from 'Indie game with little content so made incredibly frustratingly hard to make the game longer.'

    The environment is great and the pixel graphics set the tone very well. The combat system is entertaining and makes making combos a lot of fun. Unfortunately the game is severely let down by its controls. They are abysmal and the hero    A game that could have been great but suffers from 'Indie game with little content so made incredibly frustratingly hard to make the game longer.'

    The environment is great and the pixel graphics set the tone very well. The combat system is entertaining and makes making combos a lot of fun. Unfortunately the game is severely let down by its controls. They are abysmal and the hero feels like they are perpetually walking on ice. And THEN you reach the compulsory 'slippy ice type' level and the game becomes and very very frustrating experience. Been stuck on this level for far too long and I'm not getting anywhere.

    Simply put, I can not recommend this game as long as its difficulty/controls stay as they are. They Bleed Pixels is not fun, it is frustrating.    … Expand
  2. LordZed
    Oct 31, 2013
    5
    Only play this game if you absolutely hate yourself. The controls are solid and really fun with responsive fighting and platforming combos between the double jumps and wall climbing. That is the only good things I have to say about it though. The solid base controls are ruined by absolutely horrid level mechanics.

    The second half of level 2 is covered almost entirely with ice. What's    Only play this game if you absolutely hate yourself. The controls are solid and really fun with responsive fighting and platforming combos between the double jumps and wall climbing. That is the only good things I have to say about it though. The solid base controls are ruined by absolutely horrid level mechanics.

    The second half of level 2 is covered almost entirely with ice. What's wrong with that you say? Well this is not your normal ice. This ice is some kind of super material developed by NASA, like windshields that water just slides off of and can't stick to; except you're the water. You slide around like a speed boat the second you hit the stuff shooting off at the speed of light even if you have no momentum either way when you land. And then when you jump off of the ice your character INSTANTLY loses all momentum and goes straight up. Whoever programmed the ice physics for this game should be shot. Then whoever decided it would be a good idea to have an entire level of the dreadful stuff should be shot twice.

    The level design does not get better from there sadly. Stay away unless you hate yourself and you love horrid controls.    … Expand
  3. ComradePB
    Oct 13, 2013
    6
    It's hard for me to give my opinion of this game, even after I've beaten it. I didn't know what to think at first, They Bleed Pixels seemed like another retro styled indie platformer not unlike Super Meat Boy. I asked my friend who already owned the game for his opinion and he claimed that it was a good game but difficult. I bought They Bleed Pixels the same day and started to play throughIt's hard for me to give my opinion of this game, even after I've beaten it. I didn't know what to think at first, They Bleed Pixels seemed like another retro styled indie platformer not unlike Super Meat Boy. I asked my friend who already owned the game for his opinion and he claimed that it was a good game but difficult. I bought They Bleed Pixels the same day and started to play through it. It seemed pretty fun, the combat was a little awkward and unresponsive but other than that I liked it. The pixel art was nice, the music was great, and the levels did test you without seeming to difficult.......but then I got to level 2 and had come to realize what I had just gotten myself into. With every passing level the obstacles that I had to overcome became more and more unforgiving and I suffered many more deaths. The very last level took me almost an hour and half and 223 deaths to complete, no joke. This game will challenge you and if you are not prepared to buckle down and see it through all the way to the end, then you become another one of its victims. It's a darn shame because I feel like this could have been a fun game, it's so satisfying to rack up combos, beat the crap out of enemies, kicking them in to saws, spikes, and crushers and watching as their pixelated blood is thrown in all directions. But that wasn't enough to get me to look past the unmerciful difficulty. If you're the type of person who doesn't mind dying a lot then by all means, play this game. If not, stay away whatever you do. I'm not saying They Bleed Pixels is a bad game, but if you're not careful, it will rip you to shreds.… Expand
  4. kaizer0002
    Feb 26, 2013
    6
    This game was advertised to me as Super Meat Boy with combat. While the platforming controls are well tuned, the combat controls and waypoint system betray a divided design philosophy. While it is advertised that you can place your waypoint anywhere, I assume somewhere along the line players were accidentally placing their's in bad locations. Instead of revising the system, increasinglyThis game was advertised to me as Super Meat Boy with combat. While the platforming controls are well tuned, the combat controls and waypoint system betray a divided design philosophy. While it is advertised that you can place your waypoint anywhere, I assume somewhere along the line players were accidentally placing their's in bad locations. Instead of revising the system, increasingly larger areas do not permit the user to place waypoints, devolving into there being no vast difference in where you place your waypoint in these safe zones. On top of that, as I progressed the game had more sections where it seemed impossible to progress without taking damage and you have to instead mitigate the damage you have control over.

    As for the combat, maneuvers assume you are on stable ground, of which the game is generally lacking and being a platformer, you will spend a lot of time in the air. Frequently I encounter an enemy and have to backtrack to a location where it is suitable to fight them, the aforementioned safe zones. With a few more attack options (up attack in air, side attack when on a wall, etc.) the player could feel more in charge of their actions.

    If the combat controls had meshed better with the area design, this could have been a much more desirable title. Separately, the enemy design, platforming controls, combat maneuvers and waypoint system are all intriguing. They just don't fit well together.    … Expand
  5. rhomnousia
    Dec 26, 2012
    7
    Nice art style, nice combat concept, and great music.

    I docked it a few points due to the game attempting to be a "hardcore" platformer, but with lousy controls, and an awful attempt at physics. Jumping feels too lofty, and the character feels a bit too large for the level. The one attack button was a terrible idea, as you'll stumble over the attack controls for a long time, and when    Nice art style, nice combat concept, and great music.

    I docked it a few points due to the game attempting to be a "hardcore" platformer, but with lousy controls, and an awful attempt at physics. Jumping feels too lofty, and the character feels a bit too large for the level. The one attack button was a terrible idea, as you'll stumble over the attack controls for a long time, and when you start to get used to it, the game will be over.

    This is definitely worth picking up for    … Expand
  6. UjuidarEhcram
    Jun 24, 2013
    7
    They Bleed Pixels is a platforming/brawling game with beautiful pixel art set in a Lovecraft-esque nightmare realm. The game's platforming is brutal, and is generally much harder than the fighting. This game is also very deep, and it has many rewards for taking extra risks.

    The control in this game is pretty tight, and that's a good thing, because the platforming is completely nuts.    They Bleed Pixels is a platforming/brawling game with beautiful pixel art set in a Lovecraft-esque nightmare realm. The game's platforming is brutal, and is generally much harder than the fighting. This game is also very deep, and it has many rewards for taking extra risks.

    The control in this game is pretty tight, and that's a good thing, because the platforming is completely nuts. (Note: I played with arrow keys, and I had no problem controlling the character at all.) Even the game's first level is brutal. This is not a game to play to calm down, since it will frustrate you very quickly. Not even Super Meat Boy ramped the difficulty up this quickly. That said, the game does give you the opportunity to save at many points during the levels, and you will need all the help you can get. The fighting system is very fun and rewards style. It's a nice break from the platforming.

    The graphics are beautiful. I never really noticed the sound because I was so focused on the game.

    This game is not for kids, and it's not for the inexperienced player. If you're looking for the satisfaction for beating a tough level, this might be your game. I'd recommend Super Meat Boy over They Bleed Pixels, though. I think SMB was better designed overall. Either way, if this sounds like fun to you (you masochist), it will definitely be worth the $10.    … Expand
  7. AWG
    Jul 21, 2013
    5
    They Bleed Pixels is nothing but just another average indie platformer with "retro" graphics and short memory: in fact it can't remember it's a PC game and it keeps recommending to use an Xbox controller. Meh.
  8. Doglady77
    Oct 31, 2013
    5
    Overall appealing visual style and soundtrack, but the gimmicks employed in the levels get repetitive and frustrating quickly. It controls very much like Super Meat Boy, but adding enemies slows down the gameplay a bit. If they refined the controls and improved the level design, it would have been perfect.
  9. ThePCGamer101
    Jun 24, 2015
    6
    A game that will surely make you rage! The game is not a bad game and its worth every penny. But be warned! This game is really frustrating and it made me brake my stuff, and unfortunately it seems like the game wants to punish you every single time! And it made me remove it from my PC and never play it again

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. GameOver.gr
    Feb 12, 2013
    80
    They Bleed Pixels arms the player with tight controls and a wonderful checkpoint system in a frustrating yet high challenging, dark-themed platformer that will put your skills to test.
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  2. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 6, 2013
    72
    Super Meat Boy fans will relish the insane challenge, while the rest will have their temper and keyboards destroyed. [December 2012]
  3. Edge Magazine
    Nov 6, 2012
    70
    Control can be an issue at times – the one button combat system relying on the distinction between taps and holds makes it easy to muddle attacks – but challenge seekers will find plenty to get stuck into, impaled on and cut to shreds in this macabre, frenetic onslaught.
    Read full review
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