Matt Hazard Blood Bath and Beyond Review
By - Craig H.
After a lackluster first outing many have written off Matt Hazard: Blood Bath & Beyond (which I will refer to as BBB from now on) without giving it a fair chance. Luckily the franchise has received a fresh reboot and has done away with the full 3D gameplay instead opting for a 2.5D side-scrolling shooter. After finishing BBB I am pleased to say that I am looking forward to the next installment.
Matt Hazard find himself in another predicament where an old nemesis is planning to go back in time and kill the 8-bit version of Matt Hazard, thus, making the present Matt Hazard non-existent. The humor that made the original game tolerable is back and even makes fun of its predecessor. In the very beginning of the game they make reference to having budget cuts and that’s why the famous voice actors are gone, as well as the ability to pick up Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard in the bargain bin. It is refreshing for publishers to admit that they did not make a great game and that they are trying to make it better, in this case, they succeeded.
BBB plays much like the classic Contra but has the ability to also shoot into the background. This is very much a run and gun shooter that is very fast paced and requires good hand eye coordination to dodge enemy projectiles. Considering it only takes a few hits to die (though you do have a fair amount of lives and continues) you will have to be aware of your surroundings. BBB has several different environments with unique enemies in each. All these environments are rendered well and are visually appealing to look at. These ever changing environments and enemy types keep the gameplay feeling fresh and you never get bored during the 3-5 hour campaign (depending on difficulty). Each level is capped off with the classic boss battle. The game is told through a series of texts between the characters with only some voice work during the gameplay. During these text sections the game is strangely silent with a black screen while you read. With that issue aside the game does not take itself seriously and neither should you. Just enjoy the quips and jabs at other games (and its own). After the campaign is finished you have the ability to replay levels and find any missed collectibles.
One feature of the game in which it falters, is the very difficult and frustrating difficulty settings. The easy (Wussy) difficulty is rather easy and can be completed in roughly 3 hours at a moderate speed. The jump to the medium (Damn this is hard) and hard (F**k this sh*t!) difficulty will make you want to throw your controller during the boss battles. Unlike the easy difficulty the latter have a limited amount of continues so if you use all them getting to the boss or during the boss you will have to repeat the entire level. If you are one of those who are a glutton for punishment then the hardest difficulty is your cup of tea, otherwise, stick with the easy or normal difficulty for the most enjoyment (you will still use a large amount of lives and continues).
BBB does have the ability to play through the entire campaign co-operatively. This is a great feature and really has the feeling of nostalgia when thinking back to the old Contra days. The co-op play is however, only available locally and cannot be played over either XBL or PSN. This was a huge miss on the developers’ part considering that co-op online play is the big thing currently.
Overall, BBB was a great sophomore outing and provides a much needed reboot to the series. Converting the adventure to a 2.5D side-scrolling is a great fit for the franchise and I look forward to seeing what Matt Hazard has in store next.
Quick Synopsis
Pros: Decent length campaign for a downloadable game (roughly 3-5 hours depending on difficulty). Collectibles provide incentive to replay. Co-op is a blast to play through with a friend. Online Leaderboards. Classic Contra gameplay is still enjoyable after all these years.
Cons: Inexplicably hard boss battles that will become more frustrating than fun on the harder difficulties. Co-op is local only. $15 price tag is a bit steep.
RATING: 8/10
Matt Hazard: Blood Bath & Beyond was provided for review by D3 Publishers. The campaign was played through to completion on both the normal and easy difficulty settings.
