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. askewreviews
    Jul 2, 2013
    8
    I didn't have very high expectations for They Bleed Pixels, but I was pleasantly surprised. The game features a gorgeous art style with a lot of beautiful backdrops. The combat system takes a little getting used to but is really satisfying once you learn how to implement all the different moves properly. There aren't a huge amount of enemy types but each require very different strategiesI didn't have very high expectations for They Bleed Pixels, but I was pleasantly surprised. The game features a gorgeous art style with a lot of beautiful backdrops. The combat system takes a little getting used to but is really satisfying once you learn how to implement all the different moves properly. There aren't a huge amount of enemy types but each require very different strategies to defeat. The platforming controls are slightly clunky I definitely recommend playing with a controller. All in all a short but sweet little action platformer that is worth picking up.… Expand
  2. Soaliar
    Jun 24, 2014
    10
    I can't find a single reason why this game has 7.4 of average score and Super Meat Boy has more than 9.

    The game is simply awesome, frustrating, but the experience of completing a level to a 100% is so satisfying that makes you wanna play it over and over again.

    10/10
  3. SoulSilver
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    This game is absolutely incredible. The story is short but very interesting, while the game play is fun and smooth. The levels of the game after you pass the first 2 becomes extremely difficult and can take pretty long to finish. The thing i love the most is the checkpoint system ( even if most times I want to rage quit because i put it in bad places ) and the unlock-ables. One of the bestThis game is absolutely incredible. The story is short but very interesting, while the game play is fun and smooth. The levels of the game after you pass the first 2 becomes extremely difficult and can take pretty long to finish. The thing i love the most is the checkpoint system ( even if most times I want to rage quit because i put it in bad places ) and the unlock-ables. One of the best games I played this year.… Expand
  4. EpicIpecac
    Sep 3, 2012
    9
    They Bleed Pixels is a awesome game, driving you to madness, but satisfying as hell. The controls are pretty much one of the most slick and very easy-to-learn-difficult-to-master, because the game with it's amazing in depth combat avoids by anyways button mashing. The story is pretty much cool, i liked the H.P Lovecraft look that it has of it, the pixel art in here is great, theThey Bleed Pixels is a awesome game, driving you to madness, but satisfying as hell. The controls are pretty much one of the most slick and very easy-to-learn-difficult-to-master, because the game with it's amazing in depth combat avoids by anyways button mashing. The story is pretty much cool, i liked the H.P Lovecraft look that it has of it, the pixel art in here is great, the animations are top notch and cut-scenes are atmospheric and the use of backgrounds are beautiful and points out the theme that the level is supposed to have highlighted
    To players, this might be one of the most difficult platformers of the 2012, that everyone relates to Super Meat Boy as an example of it. Sometimes it can be unfair but avoids it with Save Sigils, that is a system of checkpoints for you to place anywhere you want by killing enemies with fancy, beautiful, bloody combos. Or by picking up Blood Drops that recharge your Sigil Meter.
    This is one of the examples of how indie developers can make great, polished games. A must buy!    … Expand
  5. HANZO1980
    Sep 25, 2012
    10
    yup a great game , it looks nice and plays well , maybe a bit difficult but that is the point , i really urge anyone with interest in 2d platforms and a taste in the occult to try it , and also the game is cheap and i love supporting these kind of developers , love the game , love the art and the execution , a spot on game that i am so happy to have in my collection , i only wish to seeyup a great game , it looks nice and plays well , maybe a bit difficult but that is the point , i really urge anyone with interest in 2d platforms and a taste in the occult to try it , and also the game is cheap and i love supporting these kind of developers , love the game , love the art and the execution , a spot on game that i am so happy to have in my collection , i only wish to see more and even a PSN version , great job guys , hope many people appreciate this game so i will do my best to tell all my friends about it!… Expand
  6. powermelom
    Dec 5, 2012
    10
    well, i do have to admit the fact that only can be played with the 360 controller sucks, but, what the hek, i mean, its a super game, and since i started i loved it, the story(currently in chapter or lvl 2 xd) the effects, all

    and since im not a control fan, i would totally recommend it
  7. Khitchary
    Dec 24, 2012
    9
    I am using a newish logitech controller which has *x-input* which is apparently for newer games and am having no troubles with compatibility. Older controllers with only *direct input* need to go through some rigmarole to make their controllers work. Awesome game.
  8. hshroom
    Sep 6, 2012
    9
    Amazingly well done game, together with great controls, music, and art. I love the inclusion of the guest art in the Steam release and guest levels to keep things good. The fluid animations and fast paced gameplay keep it a very exciting experience as well as the quick ramping up of difficulty after the prologue. I find that no matter how frustrated I get at dying I keep at it knowing thatAmazingly well done game, together with great controls, music, and art. I love the inclusion of the guest art in the Steam release and guest levels to keep things good. The fluid animations and fast paced gameplay keep it a very exciting experience as well as the quick ramping up of difficulty after the prologue. I find that no matter how frustrated I get at dying I keep at it knowing that if I do it properly I can beat it. With many collectables and points to gain, along with the time record it's easy to keep going back to old levels and try to get better giving this an easy re-playability recommendation to it. With the ability to create checkpoints ANYWHERE you need them so long as your sigil meter is full, it really eliminates going back to annoying parts when you die most times like we had to in games like Castlevania or the beginning of the level like Meat Boy. It's the best $10 you'll spend on steam, in my opinion. I have a few cons about the game, however. The basic enemies of the game, those weird hunched over guys, seem a little overdone. The addition of a few different enemies could have been done as well as a change to the platforms rather than leaving them just black. It seems like it could be changed.

    Gameplay shown on my channel; http://www.youtube.com/hshroom    … Expand
  9. TheBadGamer
    Sep 25, 2012
    8
    They Bleed Pixels is a 2D puzzle/platform game on Steam. It was released on the 29th of August. Why did it take me so long to post a review, you ask? Lets just say I like to finish games before I write about them. I pushed and pushed my way through this game and still haven't finished it. It is insanely hard and insanely frustrating and insanely fun.

    The premise is simple enough. You    They Bleed Pixels is a 2D puzzle/platform game on Steam. It was released on the 29th of August. Why did it take me so long to post a review, you ask? Lets just say I like to finish games before I write about them. I pushed and pushed my way through this game and still haven't finished it. It is insanely hard and insanely frustrating and insanely fun.

    The premise is simple enough. You play as a young girl who has gotten a hold of a book that turns her dreams into Eldritch horrors. Her hands turn into Wolverine-like claws that allow her to slice and dice her way through enemies as she jumps, slides and climbs her way through puzzles and platforms.

    Neither the premise or gameplay are unique. However, it all comes together for a rather engaging experience. The two button control scheme is simple enough to allow anyone to pick it up, but still allows for some complex abilities and moves. The combos are visceral and satisfying. The only knock is that sometimes the controls are slightly unresponsive, especially when doing timing based jumping sequences. I would repeatedly die while jumping over spike-filled chasms because the analog stick wasn't as precise as I needed it to be. The game recommends an X-Box controller and I couldn't agree more. Playing this without some sort of analog stick would be a total nightmare.

    By the way, this game is hard. Be prepared to get extremely angry at your computer. The good news is that besides the occasional hiccup in the controls, the majority of deaths are the players fault. Many times I would die because I couldn't make a jump and then proceed to try to make that jump 20 more times, spraying my pixeled blood everywhere.

    The graphics are in a classic pixel style that a lot of indie games have been employing lately. The short cutscenes between levels add some nice plot elements to the game and are really well done. The copious amounts of pixelated blood adds a lot of color to the sometimes dreary backgrounds.The main character is adorable in a kind of horrifying way.

    The music is adequate, even though it can get repetitive at times. I did like how it would fade out as I lost more life, as this adds even more tension to the already frenetic pace of the game.

    The length of game makes it a very nice value at 10 bucks. It uses a ranking system with achievements to add some re-playability to the levels. Each level also contains difficult to reach collectibles. My only complaint on this front is that sometimes the levels feel a little longer than they should be. Granted, you can start the game at your last checkpoint, but finishing up a level before quitting a playthrough feels much more natural.

    If you are looking for a challenging platform experience at a bargain price, this is the game for you. It has enough variety to keep it interesting. It is also an excellent game to play on your TV if you have an HDMI setup and Steam's "Big Picture" service.    … Expand
  10. Radiant999
    Sep 11, 2013
    9
    TPB is not revolutionary, it looks a lot like Super Meat Boy, but it adds enemies and small puzzles, whereas SMB is all about jumping and reflexes.
    It's not as difficult as it appears, but you will need to spend a few hours practicing double jumps, balancing on icy platforms, dodging attacks and maybe restart a few levels, because your checkpoints ended up in the wrong place.
    The    TPB is not revolutionary, it looks a lot like Super Meat Boy, but it adds enemies and small puzzles, whereas SMB is all about jumping and reflexes.
    It's not as difficult as it appears, but you will need to spend a few hours practicing double jumps, balancing on icy platforms, dodging attacks and maybe restart a few levels, because your checkpoints ended up in the wrong place.
    The learning curve is very steep, but if you persevere and become better, you will finally start enjoying the game.
    The music is brilliant, bleak and moody, and fits the game atmosphere very well.    … Expand
  11. DME
    Jul 23, 2016
    8
    A well put-together platform game with some intricate mechanics and a high skill ceiling. Levels that initially seem very long and difficult will seem shorter and easier with each re-run. An excellent choice for speedrunners.
  12. dolphan
    Jun 21, 2014
    10
    It's difficult but interesting as well. Challenging because of the low health you receive and hard-to-unlock achievements. No glitches or issues. Definitely worth buying though if you like 8-bit games.
  13. Sandweech
    Mar 9, 2015
    9
    This wonderful platformer reminds me of two of the greatest video games of all time; 'Super Smash Bros' and 'Super Meat Boy'. Now, that's a lot of 'super' for one game, I know. And you may be asking yourself how one game can have so much super in it. Well, the single button combat system is very reminiscent of 'Super Smash Bros' even though it's nowhere near as complex, while the levelThis wonderful platformer reminds me of two of the greatest video games of all time; 'Super Smash Bros' and 'Super Meat Boy'. Now, that's a lot of 'super' for one game, I know. And you may be asking yourself how one game can have so much super in it. Well, the single button combat system is very reminiscent of 'Super Smash Bros' even though it's nowhere near as complex, while the level design and character controls seem to have been taken directly from 'Super Meat Boy'. And while we're talking about it, if you thought that 'Super Meat Boy' was a difficult game, then look out for this one because it's much, much, much harder. Now if that isn't the recipe for a fantastic game then I have no idea what is and quite frankly, I don't want to know.… Expand

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.
    Read full review
  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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