Review :: Matt Hazard: Blood Bath & Beyond

It was way back at the beginning of 2009 Matt Hazard burst onto our screens. You wouldn’t have guessed that though, the guy had a list of videogame appearances that could rival Nolan North. He’s a stereotypical Duke Nukem type meathead. Shoots first, asks questions later. The thing was, they were all fake. Eat Lead was Hazard’s first real outing and it was less than brilliant. Now D3 have released a second Hazard adventure. This time it’s 2D, downloadable and, most importantly, it’s pretty good.

One of the main reasons I really enjoyed this game (and somewhat enjoyed Eat Lead) is because of the humor. It’s hard to get comedy in videogames right and while I’m not saying the Matt Hazard series does it brilliantly, I couldn’t help but chuckle at some of the jokes in here. I really liked the fact Viscous Cycle weren’t taking themselves too seriously either. Right at the beginning of the game, there’s more than one shot taken at the last Hazard adventure. “In bargain bins everywhere”, as the game says itself.

I wasn’t expecting much in terms of story and I’m glad they didn’t try and shoehorn something ridiculous in here. There is story here, but it’s not in your face and really isn’t all that important to the experience. All you really need to know is that someone has taken Matt’s 8-Bit incarnation and is aiming to destroy him. Thus meaning he’ll have never existed. As Matt, you have to shoot your way through a variety of levels based off of games such as BioShock and Mirrors Edge to get your 8-Bit self back. See, I told you there was nothing to it.

The game is 2D and it really plays up on the whole retro aesthetic, even going as far as telling the story through text in boxes at the bottom of the screen. In contrast, the levels are pretty well designed and vibrant and the videogame references aren’t all that obvious. I was surprised how un-ham handed it was compared to the references in Eat Lead.

The game is pretty much everything Eat Lead wasn’t actually. The fact the gameplay is fun is the first difference you’ll notice. Blood Bath & Beyond plays a lot like Contra and could be compared to more modern day side scrolling shooters like Shadow Complex. The key to how good it is, is it’s simplicity. You run, you shoot things, you jump. Of course there are a few cool additions that make it feel more modern, but anyone looking for a good side scrolling shooter would be foolish to overlook this because it’s a Matt Hazard game. The only problem I have is that it’s a little short, but the online co-op makes up for that. You’ll want to play through twice, at least. I think the pricing’s a little off too. It might be a little too expensive for some tastes, but I urge you all to play the demo. I guarantee you’ll enjoy it.

Eat Lead might not have been so hot, but Vicious Cycle have really made a mends with this one. The gameplay is fun, the constant videogame references all work reasonably well and Hazard seems at home in the downloadable space. I fully expect and welcome more from Mr. Hazard and his cohorts in the future.

8/10

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