Bedlam: The Game by Christopher Brookmyre

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 18
  3. Negative: 5 out of 18
  1. The Escapist
    Oct 27, 2015
    70
    Bedlam serves as an homage to the first-person shooter genre. It's not quite as polished as the games it emulates, and its nature as an imperfect replica should be quite apparent to any FPS veteran. In spite of its shortcomings, Bedlam is highly entertaining and well worth your time.
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  2. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Oct 13, 2015
    70
    Bedlam is undeniably an enjoyable kick for those who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, surely drawing from personal experiences with the games it’s emulating. The eccentricities found in Brookmyre’s writing may work to alienate those merely passing through, but for those drawn in by the familiarity of its charming block graphics it’ll simply be an added bonus.
  3. Brash Games
    Nov 10, 2015
    60
    Bedlam is a simplistic game with average shooting, varied levels but bland character and textures. The game needlessly becomes frustratingly difficult at times towards the end and the bosses are uninspired.
  5. GamesRadar+
    Oct 12, 2015
    60
    An ambitious and fascinating wander through gaming’s history, but one that can’t replicate the addictive gameplay of the forefathers it documents.
  6. DarkStation
    Jan 27, 2016
    50
    All things considered, an interesting premise and good storytelling can’t make up for bad game design.
  7. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Dec 16, 2015
    50
    The problem is it's not fun. [Christmas 2015, p.83]
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  8. USgamer
    Oct 28, 2015
    50
    Bedlam's concept is absolutely brilliant, and it's voiced very well too. Unfortunately, its stiff, unforgiving gameplay just isn't much fun, and what you're left with is a great idea whose potential just hasn't been fully realized.
  9. ZTGD
    Oct 27, 2015
    50
    If the idea behind the game interests you enough, read the book it’s based off of instead.
  10. God is a Geek
    Oct 12, 2015
    50
    A faux-retro shooter with an irreverent sense of humour, Bedlam is hard to recommend as anything other than a curio, despite its popular source material.
  11. VideoGamer
    Oct 12, 2015
    50
    Bedlam: The Game isn't particularly well made, nor much fun to play, but it is interesting. I've played far better games that I'll remember less.
  12. TheSixthAxis
    Oct 12, 2015
    50
    In the end Bedlam has an interesting premise at its core and dialogue that will amuse for a while, but it gets same-y very quickly in each environment. Perhaps if the game started more quickly and had you hopping genres a little earlier in the game, it wouldn’t outstay its welcome quite so quickly. As it is, it can only really be recommended if the genre-hopping idea has you weak at the knees.
  13. PlayStation Universe
    Oct 12, 2015
    50
    Bedlam tells a really interesting and genuinely funny tale. So it’s a shame then that few will stick round to hear all of it because the game itself is so lacking in joy.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
4.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 12
  3. Negative: 6 out of 12
  1. kessler817
    Oct 27, 2020
    2
    Chapter 4 is where frame rates drop and the GPS aspect becomes a joke even on "Easy". If you're getting paid to play this game, give it a go.Chapter 4 is where frame rates drop and the GPS aspect becomes a joke even on "Easy". If you're getting paid to play this game, give it a go. Otherwise, save your money.… Full Review »
  2. LightNova
    Oct 21, 2019
    1
    This game had potential but it's ideas were so poorly executed that it became painful to play through.

    For a start, it poses as an FPS but    This game had potential but it's ideas were so poorly executed that it became painful to play through.

    For a start, it poses as an FPS but hides a ridiculous amount of platforming. You'll spend ages wandering around near-empty spaces thanks to poor signposting and making needlessly difficult jumps. Fall and you'll usually be forced to restart the level.

    Enemies are generic and usually snipe at you with ridiculous accuracy. Given there's no regenerating health/shield, sparse open areas and no cover system, you'll spend a lot of the game either trying to counter-snipe with inaccurate weapons or having your limited health chipped away as you try to outrun auto-aiming bots. It feels horrible to play, even before factoring the terrible gunplay. The 'retro' excuse doesn't hold water here as it continues to feel clunky even when you get to the more modern weapons later in the game.

    The guns handle like a 'my first FPS' Unity project, with weak feedback, finicky aiming and all the power of a flaccid noodle. If you're going to focus on being a shooter you *need* to get this right.

    While it's refreshing to hear a genuine Scottish accent playing a big part of the voice-over work, a lot of the voice acting was really poor (admittedly most notably from the supporting cast). The sound effects weren't much better when they weren't missing entirely.

    Without spoiling any plot points, the final boss tasks you with bouncing on a jump pad over and over while firing at an inanimate object. Not exactly the climax players would expect but is just uninspired as every other boss this game throws at you.

    The game is low budget and it shows; it's buggy and crashed to dashboard multiple times. One comically ironic level tasks the player with "finding the glitch" when the entire level is covered in disappearing tanks, NPCs glitching through buildings and walls hovering in the air.

    Steadfast Interactive may be a small studio but there's no excuse for the rookie mistakes on display here (e.g. defaulting to restarting the level on death instead of loading a more recent save and forcing the same long unskippable cutscenes on the player when they die). And with games like Undertale and Dust: an Elysian Tail being made by a single person, being a small team isn't much of a defence.

    I can't quite explain how much this felt like a test of endurance - the promise of progressing away from the clunky shooting never being met. You run around repetitive environments in the hope that it will all be worth it. Jump through bland platforming sections that over-stay their welcome just to see what it's all building to. Only to find it's all smoke and mirrors; it ends unceremoniously with a non-boss and cuts to credits without even closing the contrived story.    … Full Review »
  3. axehero
    Mar 14, 2016
    8
    I really loved this game. A nod to nostalgia and witty voice over got me giggling. The game play is meant to be a bit clunky to reflect someI really loved this game. A nod to nostalgia and witty voice over got me giggling. The game play is meant to be a bit clunky to reflect some of those games experiences we all played from the past.… Full Review »
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