those who assemble squads, practice regularly, and always use voice chat) from more casual players just hopping online for a good time. One way to solve this is by dividing the more serious players (i.e. The best of the bunch walk the paper-thin line of strongly encouraging teamwork without penalizing teams too heavily for struggling with it.
Wrinkles like these ensure that maps never feel too samey, but since objective points remain the same regardless of mode, the lack of variety gradually begins to wear.Ĭreating a competitive online game–especially a team-based one–is no easy feat. To their credit, each has its own unique gimmick that impacts how matches unfold for instance, Aqueducts has mobile objectives that constantly rotate on a conveyor belt, whereas Sky Gardens boasts gongs that players can hit to set objective points ablaze and disrupt enemy defenses. Aside from the slim mode selection and lack of casual/ranked matches, there are only five maps at launch–and not all of them are winners. In terms of actual content, Bleeding Edge is a little lackluster. Outside of the main game, there’s a smart tutorial that runs through the basics of gameplay, a robust training area called the Dojo where combat and matchups can be perfected, a workshop where various upgrades and cosmetics can be purchased and applied, and a “Watch Zone” where live matches and fighter guides can be viewed.
The latter is broken into two parts: a collection phase where players rush to collect power cells scattered around the map, and a drop-off phase where players deposit their spoils and try to stop the other team from doing the same.
The former is a traditional king of the hill-style mode where players fight to occupy and defend up to three points on the map until one reaches the 600-point goal. Bleeding Edge is a hero brawler where players form teams of four and battle it out in one of two modes: Objective Control and Power Collection.