Unless you’re familiar with the kind of violence Devolver is known for, it may all be too much, but if you’re like me, Mother Russia Bleeds is pure gold.
There’re tons of items to soothe your appetite for destruction, including grenades, baseball bats, beer bottles, bar stools, chainsaws and 9mm pistols there is so much variety in how you dish out punishment, and the results can be incredibly brutal. I used a chainsaw to savage a bounty of Soviet officers one after the other, and I beat to death a sexual deviant wearing a pig mask with a condom machine. I smacked a junkie with a baseball bat, knocking him into the path of a combine harvester and watched as he got sliced to pieces. I’ve done some really violent things while playing Mother Russia Bleeds – some horrendous, messed up, uber-violent shit. Sergei is a balanced fighter, Ivan is a muscular beast, Boris is a loose cannon with feral tendencies and Natasha (my personal favourite) is one fast, athletic lady with a spunky attitude. The four playable fighters have different attributes and, dependant on your play style, each one has unique benefits. You’re out for revenge and you’ll do anything to get it as you uncover corruption and debauchery at the highest levels. Set in a bleak and savage Soviet Union, you play as part of a group of four street fighters who’ve been wronged by a criminal organisation known as the Bratva. The main story campaign is a hyper ferocious joyride that feels like an 80s action movie, only with plenty more blood and broken skulls. Mother Russia Bleeds brings back many of the same ideas Streets of Rage had, except the violence and intensity has been ramped up by an insane amount. Picking up glass bottles and baseball bats, calling in the police for those special moves and facing tough boss battles at the end of each stage, all while creating a story in my head – it was brilliant and I’ve missed that kind of old school beat ‘em up since. I used to do voices for the main characters (especially Adam – he was so cool). When I was younger and heavily involved in a relationship with my Mega Drive, Streets of Rage was my absolute favourite.