There are certain games that are ubiquitous for the Steam user. Pretty much everyone has Portal in their Steam library. Copies of Thomas Was Alone are more common than sand in the Mojave. Bleed 2 needs to be one of those. As a game, it is side scrolling action perfected. There are no truly cheap parts or dull moments; everything is designed to be learned and surmounted. This is something that just cannot be said about even some of the best games on the market. Considering that even its base price is under ten dollars, there is no reason to miss out. Skipping Bleed 2 is like shoving toothpicks under your fingernails. Sure it can be done, but it hurts and there is no point.

After playing Bleed, it would be very easy to be worried for the sequel not living up to expectations. While the sequel is very different from the original, it is not by any means a bad thing. At the core, Bleed 2 is still in the same spirit as the first entry, but just a bit more grown up and comfortable. Wryn is still the same cool chick she always was, ready to kick some you-know-what as before, except this time for less selfish reasons. The action anti-heroine has become a real heroine, and the bosses have got more creative and include more variety. However, this has comes at the expense of having less platforming segments, a worthwhile pay-off in the end as the most memorable parts of the first game weren't the platforming sections, but the radical boss fights, and Bleed 2 will not offer anything that disappoints on that front.

Bleed 2 is a great choice for anyone who loves extremely fast-paced action games that reward skill. Particularly if you've ever wanted to quadruple jump a path through a swarm of gunfire and flaming wreckage, riddle a bunch of enemies with bullets in slow motion, and finish off a hostile helicopter by deflecting one of the dozen missiles it's launched that you back in its freaking face with your sword before touching the ground. It's that kind of game.

Impressive effort with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth most people's time and cash.

Bleed 2 is a lovely little slice of modernized run and gun side-scrolling pandemonium that evokes the likes of Contra without paying needless lip service to its heritage. Good stuff.

Bleed 2 delivers a fun blast of rewarding 2D action to your screen. It will probably live up to the expectations of any shoot ‘em up fan out there, and it’s surely a welcoming environment to pick up a controller and join your friend’s session to maximize your scores. Its rather short campaign is well supported by a number of unlockables and incentives to keep you engaged for longer.

A knowing tribute to some of the greats of action gaming, and a highly competent 2D shooter in its own right.

Bleed 2 is an exhilarating, tight, and extremely fun game experience. The aesthetic may not be able to keep up with the game play, but Bleed 2 should be played by every fan of the run-n-gun platformer genre.

For new-comers and veterans of side-scrolling, bullet-hell, shoot ‘em ups, Bleed 2 brings forward a fluid and action-packed adventure. Its solid gameplay and stylized visuals improve upon the original title of 2012, but its $10 price tag, considering how quick a playthrough is, might only be worth it to those competitive players who regularly top leaderboards and are casually crowned, “Greatest Heroes of All Time.”