Title: They Bleed PixelsFormat: PC
Release Date: August 29, 2012
Publisher: Spooky Squid Games Inc
Developer: Spooky Squid Games Inc
Price: $9.99
ESRB Rating: M
I'm a pretty big fan of indie games, because it seems like every one that i play, they all have something special that's unique to that game. They Bleed Pixels is perfect proof of just that.
Presentation and Story:This happens to be one the darker indie games, in terms of storytelling alone. You have a girl arriving on a dark and dank manor, when its only resident slits their wrists on a demonic book. As the story begins to unfold, the mysterious girl is continuously haunted by the book and her Lovecraftian nightmares, I know its a bit of a mouth full. It's weirdly styled story is told through cool dialogue-less cutscenes. The game could've greatly benefited from some voice work, but since this is an indie title, you learn to take the good with the bad. The narrative is complimented beautifully with the wonderful pixelated art the game sports. The game makes use of its over-stylized use of violence, the gratuitous amounts of blood resembles a similar game, Super Meat boy. Its safe to say that SMB had a little inspiration go into the development of this game, and it shows. This is one of the most aesthetically pleasing games around, and the fact that the game is only $10 bucks, makes it all the sweeter. Shaun Hatton composed the electronic style music, and it only makes the game better.
Core Gameplay:Hardcore platformers have come a long way, brutal gameplay and precise movements are what makes these games so good. The challenging gameplay is always engaging, but never cheap, thanks to the game's extremely tight controls. Double jumps, wall sliding, and rolling has never felt better. Lots of different obstacles will cause a lot of problems, death pits, spinning saw blades, and other hazardous objects will cause problems if you want to rush through a level. Checkpoints are brilliantly utilized in a different way than other 2D platformers. When you get kills and collect blood, you increase your power meter which lets you place strategic checkpoints where you feel necessary. This one feature alone will keep your frustration levels down and in a safe state. Gameplay is really fun, once you get the hang of the game's odd controls. You'll be impaling foes and kicking enemies into a ceiling filled with spikes, treating you with a Breaking Bad style death. Pools of blood coming down from the ceiling. 
Final Thoughts:They Bleed Pixels is a quirky indie game, with tons of dark themes and solid gameplay, I loved my time with the game. Any fan of SMB and any other brutal platforming games should definitely give this one a try.
S&S Rating: 8/10 @whatsPlay
