They Bleed Pixels (PC) (2012)

Overview: "They Bleed Pixels is a fiendishly difficult action platformer inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and classic horror." (Steam store description)

---

20121227:
I went through the basic tutorial and checked out a part of the Prologue.

Kicking monster butt... into spikes.

---

20121228:
Coming back, I played the (Dream 1.Prologue) and (Dream 2.Chapter 1). I went back to check out what's new in the tutorial. There are two new moves: The Air Juggle and The Dive Attack. Awesome.

I later tried to play (Dream 2.Chapter 2). The game is fun and hard. I find that players who are willing to invest their time to figure out how to master the moves and chain combos will get the most out of this game. More casual players might enjoy Super Meat Boy (2010) more.

---

20121229:
I should note, unlike Super Meat Boy, I only started playing this game with a gamepad, and I will definitely keep it that way. Also, the game recognizes my F510 gamepad when it is set to XInput, but not DirectInput.

Aside from the various ways to try and kill enemies, a novel gameplay mechanic involves creating checkpoints. In order to create checkpoints, the player needs to collect blood. In addition, checkpoints may only be created on a flat, non-icy surface and not overlapping with any barriers. There might be more restrictions, but that's what I've encountered so far.

Checkpoint ready. Now I just have to survive in order to place it somewhere.

Blood may be accumulated more quickly by creating combos. So far, I've found that one way to obtain combo multipliers is by using the environment to help deal damage. Also, the combo meter decreases after hitting an enemy, so having more than one enemy near you helps create combos. However, it'll also make it hard to dodge their attacks.

Completed (Dream 2.Chapter 2) and (Dream 2.Chapter 3).

Overall, if you like beat'em up's or platformers, then you should consider getting this game. If you have any hesitations, then I suggest you wait for the next time the game goes on sale. It might go on sale again during this year's Steam Winter Sale. Otherwise, it'll go on sale again or become part of a bundle soon. If you like Super Meat Boy, then you should definitely consider getting They Bleed Pixels. You should also highly consider getting They Bleed Pixels if you're a fan of H. P. Lovecraft.

An example of something blocking the checkpoint.

---

20220922 Snapshot:
I've been replaying games from my library and it's amazing how much time has passed since I've last played many of them. In the case of They Bleed Pixels, it's been over 8 years!

Last Played: 20140102 Steam Game Time: 3.4 hours (total game time)

---

20220922:
Loading up the game, I came to learn that the game's file save system changed and I didn't know how to convert my existing file save. However, I figured I hadn't made much progress and would have to relearn the game mechanics anyways, so I might as well start over (in part, that's just me trying to make myself feel better about the lost progress).

Steam Game Time: 3.6 hours (total game time)

---

20220928:
Completed (Dream 1.Prologue), (Dream 2.Chapter 1), and I'm in the middle of (Dream 2.Chapter 2).

Note that since I last played the game, the developer introduced a Novice Difficulty. Finishing a level on normal difficulty unlocks the achivement for completing the corresponding level on novice difficulty (but I already had the achievements for the normal difficulty up to (Dream 2.Chapter 3).

Steam Game Time: 4.5 hours (total game time)

---

20220930:
I finally surpassed my previous progress by completing (Dream 3.Chapter 1).

Steam Game Time: 5.9 hours (total game time)

---

They Bleed Pixels (PC) (2012)

Main menu screen.

Relevant Links:
They Bleed Pixels Website
They Bleed Pixels (Wikipedia.org)
They Bleed Pixels (Steam Store Page)