Brutality and gore are abundant in Le Cartel Studio’s first title Mother Russia Bleeds. Playing as a drug-addled gypsy street fighter trying to kick an addiction as well as take down the evil corporation that helps peddle the very drug you are addicted to. Your fighter will punch, kick, stab and blast your way through countless enemies in this ultra-violent romp through the dark corners of Russia.

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You play as a gypsy family that wants to rise up against the big corporations that have let a devastating drug called Nekro destroy the Russia that they once loved. You and up to three friends or bots take control of one of 4 street fighters throughout Mother Russia Bleeds. Sergei the all-rounder type, Ivan the hulking brute, Natasha the speedy warrior and Boris the crazy shirtless brawler. Each character has their own unique stats across the 4 different traits, force, jump speed and range, each excelling in one or the other.

Waking up in a prison cell after being caught brawling in the streets, under influence of the Russian mafia’s new destructive drug Nekro, your gang realizes that some things need to change. Trying to get to the very core of the corrupt hierarchy who hawks your damaging vice. Not only having to fight off wave after wave of low-down criminals your gang’s sanity will also be tested as your character is barraged with horrible Nerko-fuelled hallucinations that make you question what is real and what is really going on.

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Clearly drawing inspiration from other side-scrolling beat ‘em up style games such as Streets of Rage and Double Dragon, the combat found throughout Mother Russia Bleeds is tight, responsive and feels really good, albeit a lot more brutal than those other titles. Beating fallen enemies to a bloody pulp, blowing off their heads with sharp headshots or stabbing them with a knife is part and parcel with the combat, think Hotline Miami’s violence with Double Dragon’s gameplay. Throughout each of the 8 different stages, players will come across a whole bevy of unique enemies and a number of weapons to help dispatch them with. Despite in the late stages of the game, the difficulty ramping way up, the introduction of firearms allows you to dispatch of your enemies quickly, however, a couple of quick shots from them and you will be seeing the game over screen over and over again.

There a number of different syringes that your character is able to take into battle, all giving the player different benefits throughout the fight. The main purpose of the syringe is to either heal your character when their health is low or do a small amount of damage to yourself to go into berserk mode, increasing your strength and your speed. Adding to the traditional campaign story mode there is a survival mode that will unlock after a player completes another stage of the campaign. Survival mode will pit you and your friends up against wave after wave of enemy, challenging you to post a high score.

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Beautiful pixel art graphics pair excellently with the great level and boss design throughout Mother Russia Bleeds. A unique boss is found at the end of each stage and despite a couple of them being the classic, punch it enough times and it will die, each boss was unique enough and usually required a certain tactic in order to take it down. Whether it be lobbing flashbangs at a night vision using military man or constantly dodge a chain-axe swinging maniac.

Mother Russia Bleeds may be the first outing for French indie developers at Le Cartel Studio, although it oozes a ton of style, albeit an ultra-violent and crude style. Bringing their own spice to the side-scrolling beat ‘em up that we know and love, the great combat pairs well with an engaging and brutal story. Difficulty spikes aside there is plenty of fun to be had.

This review is based on a review code of the PC version of Mother Russia Bleeds developed by Le Cartel Studio and distributed by Devolver Digital.  

Ultra-Violent Double Dragon | Mother Russia Bleeds Review
Overall Score7.5
Positives
  • Great Combat & Boss Battles
  • Engaging Story
  • Excellent Pixel Art
Negatives
  • Crazy Difficulty Spikes
7.5Overall Score
Reader Rating: (0 Votes)
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About The Author

I have been playing games for as long as I can remember, my favourite games include Final Fantasy VII, Shadow of the Colossus and The Last of Us.

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