Game Pass First Impressions: Bloodroots

By Sean Carey,

If Bloodroots wasn't on Xbox Game Pass, I probably would have simply skipped over and ignored the die-retry action game. And that would have been a damn shame, because Bloodroots, based on my initial impressions of the game, is bloody fantastic.

Bloodroots is an isometric fast-paced action game with simple controls that allow you to zip around levels leaving nothing but blood, destruction, and death in your wake. You play as a lone hero who, after being left for dead, sets out on a revenge mission, hunting down a man named Mr Black Wolf, killing everyone that stands in your way. How you accomplish your murderous rampage and with what weapons is entirely up to you. You start each level with nothing at all and have to use whatever weapons you can scrounge up from off the floor... so it's pretty handy that everything in Bloodroots is a weapon! Sure, there are some more conventional implements such as swords and axes, but you can also use exciting everyday objects to bludgeon or stab your enemies to death, including carrots, beach balls, and cooked turkeys.

Each weapon can only be used a few times —some only once — and usually, you'll have a few enemies bearing down on you at any one time. Weapon choice becomes soon becomes key, especially considering it only takes one hit to kill you, and you're pushed back to a checkpoint. After a while, you realise that certain weapons, with their various abilities, can be chained together, making for large combos. Some swords allow you to dash a certain distance, while barrels can be ridden at fast speeds, squashing enemies in the process. It's when you start combining these conveniently-placed weapons and their abilities together, Bloodroots becomes a carefully choreographed, fast-paced ballet of blood and death. And boy, does the game look fantastic while performing that dance. The animations are slick, and the visuals are impressive.

The secondary goal of Bloodroots is to get through a level as quickly as possible, and while there isn't a reward for doing so, other than getting your name on the leaderboard, each level soon becomes a challenge of: how quickly can I kill everyone and get from A to B? I haven't had the chance to go back over some of the stages I've played yet, but I'm looking forward to replaying some to see if I can beat my original times (which were pretty woeful, to be honest).

Every few stages, new enemies are introduced to stop you from zipping through a level at blistering speeds, which stops things from getting stale. While I have only completed Act 1, I'm hoping the game has enough varied enemies to keep things interesting up until the final act; otherwise, Bloodroots could get a bit repetitive.

Bloodroots has a pretty interesting achievement list. I unlocked nine of Bloodroots' 33 achievements in not much time at all, and the rest don't look too difficult to pop. Some may have trouble with The Spice of Life, which asks you to kill every enemy in a level with a different weapon, and finding all the hidden wolves might be a bit of a pain, too. However (and some of you will absolutely hate this), Bloodroots has an accessibility option where you can make yourself invincible! I have tested it and can confirm that achievements still unlock when using this option.

Summary

Overall, Bloodroots is a superb addition to the Xbox Game Pass library. Its slick and fast-paced gameplay, mixed with an intriguing story and wonderful visuals, makes Bloodroots a must-play for anyone with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. After a couple of hours with the game, it's hard to give Bloodroots anything other than a FREE PASS.

Sean played around two hours of Bloodroots on Xbox Series X, unlocking nine achievements in the process and is planning to play a lot more when he clocks off work tonight.

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Written by Sean Carey

With a deep love for Xbox and achievements, Sean has committed to playing the best RPGs, racing games, and first-person shooters Xbox Game Pass and his precious free time will allow. Prior to joining TrueAchievements, Sean gained a degree in journalism from Solent University.