Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond Review

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond is an over the top and outrageously violent side scrolling shooter. Developed by Vicious Cycle Software, Inc. and available from both the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, Matt Hazard keeps players laughing throughout its entire ridiculous story.

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond is a parody that takes aim at video games in general, and even mocks itself. The back story to this title is that Matt Hazard (the main character) must travel back in time to revisit his previous (fictional) games and stop Marathon Mega Corporation from killing himself in the past. The previous game in this series, Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard, was in 3D, debuted at full retail price, and was considered a flop by most of the critics that fired this game up. Matt Hazard jokes in the opening of the game that Eat Lead can be found "in bargain bins everywhere." Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond features superior gameplay and a far cheaper price than Eat Lead - at a mere 1200 Microsoft Points.

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond plays like Contra, as one is constantly shooting and evading enemies while collecting powerups. Unlike Bill and Lance from Contra, Matt can fire into the background - where enemies often come from. Each level in Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond features a distinct theme. One example is the level "Booty Call" that has players killing pirates, buccaneers, and other sailors. There are also many references to video games from the past and present. In one level the scenery is taken straight from Mirror's Edge, while in the next there are distinct Super Mario Brothers references. The last level also features a "lunar lander" mini game that unlocks to be played at any time from the menu screen, after beating the complete game.

One of the great things about Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond is the sheer amount of comedic violence. While shooting enemies, the screen will often be splashed with blood, or bodies will fly out at the player similar to what you'd see in the classic Turtles game in arcades. There are also many funny ways to die as Vicious tries to make even the most over-the-top violence light-hearted. From being eaten by giant piranhas to being puked upon, Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond has an incredible list of enemies for you to get your hands wet with including ninjas and even Pokémon (Yes, I did just say Pokémon.)

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond also features local co-op. The inability to connect and play with other gamers on Xbox Live to play co-op with friends is a big letdown that kept me from enjoying this part of the experience, though. Another disappointment was how short the game was. While each level initially took twenty to thirty minutes to beat due to the many surprising ways to die, the second time around each level was finished within fifteen minutes. This is particularly due to the game's pre-scripted enemy spawn and boss actions. A glance at the leaderboards shows record times of less than nine minutes on each level - meaning that the game can be finished in just over an hour. Despite its short length, there are several reasons to keep playing Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond after the first sitting; notably obtaining the achievements, and ranking high on the leader boards.

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond is a side scrolling masterpiece in comparison to its predecessor Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard. With great graphics, fun gameplay, and quirky character dialogue, Matt Hazard Blood Bath and Beyond is a memorable, bite-sized game worth playing.

This article was originally published on Analog Hype

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