Competitive hero-based PvP games live and die by the characters available to players. Overwatch has been so successful, in part, because of the diverse cast of characters and the range of abilities and playstyles they support. Rainbow Six Siege is another recent success featuring characters with a range of skills and abilities. Now, Bleeding Edge from Ninja Theory, a 4v4 brawler, is looking for that same success.
Where Bleeding Edge differs is that it’s a brawler rather than a shooter, however, the quality of characters is still going to determine whether the game is a success.
The 11 characters available in Bleeding Edge at launch are quite different and varied and seem as though they might just do the job. Each character has a standard attack and can also Evade, Parry and Jump. However, they have a range of passive abilities and more that helps make them different from one another.
Bleeding Edge Characters
Daemon is one of five damage-dealing heroes in Bleeding Edge. He comes from the USA and grew up in New York City as a graffiti artist. His abilities are;
- Basic
- Graffiti Blade – Four Hit Combo
- Evade
- Parry
- Wall Jump
- Special
- RB – Shift – Surge Forward. Press X during Shift to perform a spin attack
- Y – Stealth/Sleep – Enter stealth. Press Y again to sleep an enemy.
- B – Shuriken – Slow enemies and drain their health over time.
- Supers
- Shadow Strike – Dash between nearby enemies
- Death Mark – Grants extra damage against your marked target. If you kill them, cast again within 5 seconds for free
Gizmo, another damage dealer, comes from Broken Hill in Australia. She’s a mechanical and robotics whiz and brings her knowledge to the arena. Her abilities are;
- Basic
- GG Gun – Bolt Gun that increases rate of fire over time
- Evade
- Parry
- Specials
- RB – Sucka – Throw a bomb that sucks enemies in
- Y – T-Rut – Deploy a turret that fires at nearby enemies
- B – Bouncer – Drop a jump pad. Lasts a few seconds and can be used by allied
- Supers
- Mini-Mech – Call in your mech suit with extra armour and a flamethrower
- Rock-It – Ride a giant missile
Nidhöggr comes from Norway where he was the front-man for a Black Metal band. His abilities are;
- Basic
- Axe – Hack and Slash Enemies
- Shredder (Hold X) Charge and release static energy
- Evade
- Parry
- Feedback (Passive) – Basic axe attacks against burning enemies grant lifestyle
- Specials
- RB – Powerslide – Leave a trail of fire that causes enemies to burn
- Y – Fire Breath – Breathe a cone of fire, dealing damage and burning enemies
- B – Boomitar – Throw your guitar to slow enemies. If it hits on the return, they are stunned instead
- Supers
- Ride the Lightning – Stun all nearby enemies
- Death Growl – Silence all nearby enemies
Maeve comes from Ireland and her entire bio is a poem about her life. Her abilities are;
- Basic
- Zap (Hold X)
- Evade
- Parry
- Schadenfreude – Passive – Landing a killing blow resets all special cooldowns
- Specials
- RB – Cage – Trap an enemy
- Y – Vanish – Disappear and become invulnerable for a time
- B – Siphon Life – Channel an Energy Beam that steals life
- Supers
- Toil and Trouble – Summon a ball of energy that explodes on contact
- Peek-a-Brew – Enter your cauldron and teleport to any enemy visible on the minimap, stunning them
Cass comes from Russia and was the world’s “premiere ballerina phenom.” Her father used bio-tech advancement and gave her enhanced reflexes and agility, however, she lost the use her of legs. Her abilities are;
- Basic
- Feathered Darts (Hold X)
- Evade
- Parry
- Charge Jump (Hold and Release A)
- Momentum (Passive) Cass gains speed while running
- Specials
- RB – Swoop – Dash through enemies in a line
- Y – Rake – A 5-hit melee combo
- B – Hightail – Leap backwards
- Supers
- Dive Bomb – Jump out of sight, then plummet, stunning enemies
- Blade Dance – Spin and throw daggers in all directions
Miko is one of three support heroes. She is from Eastern Cape, South Africa. She grew up in a loving family and mastered her clans “ruthless fighting techniques.” Suffering from a virus, she signed up for an experimental cure, that might have been worse than the diseased. Her abilities are;
- Basic
- Augmetic Staff
- Evade
- Parry
- Regenerator (Passive) – Staff impacts heals Miko or nearby allies with the lowest health
- Specials
- RB – Chain Heal – Heals an ally then bounces to a second target for half the amount. Double-tap to cast on self
- Y – Kinetic Shield – Deploy a dome shield that blocks projectiles
- B – Stasis – Freeze target in place
- Supers
- Life Force – Channel a powerful heal on an ally
- Stalker – Grant stealth to all allies and reveal enemies for 10s
Kulev, from Great Britain, is/was an eccentric genius. With a passion for Voodo, when he was Dr Wright, he travelled the world seeking eternal life. At the age of 126, he died but had his consciousness was digitised and placed in a robotic snake. The snake puppets the deceased Dr Wright’s corpse… His abilities are;
- Basic
- Acid Spit (Hold X)
- Evade
- Parry
- Lucky Charm (Passive) – Continuously heals Kulev and nearby allies
- Specials
- RB – Sacred Ground – Summon a ward that damages enemies and heals allies
- Y – Shield and ally. Double-tap to cast on self
- B – Curse – Target takes 25% increased damage from all sources
- Supers
- Bamboozle! – Mind control an enemy
- Boon – Empower an ally with +25% damage, +15% defence and +25% speed
Zero Cool is the final support hero. Born in Rio, Brazil, Zero Cool is a videogame addict, pro gamer and hacker.
His abilities are;
- Basic
- Arcade Gun (Hold X)
- Evade
- Parry
- Nitro (Press and Hold A in the air)
- Defrag (Passive) Life rapidly regenerates while not in combat
- Specials
- RB – Firewall – Drop an impassable wall
- Y – Recharge – A continuous healing beam
- B – Bot – Deploy a bot to follow an ally and fire at enemies
- Supers
- Upgrade Protection – Temporarily increase allies’ armour
- 1Up – For the next 8 seconds, a targeted ally will return to life if killed
One of three tanks, El Bastardo hails from Mexico. Born in Juarez, he is a mercenary with a shadowy past that’s told in half-truths and rumours. His abilities are;
- Basic
- Machetes
- Evade
- Parry
- Life Support (Passive) – Provides protective shields. Powered up by damage dealt
- Specials
- RB – Leap of Faith – Leap to a locked-on-enemy and stun them.
- Y – Death Spiral – Become a sword tornado
- B – Empower – Steal life from nearby enemies and grant energy to shields
- Supers
- Overload – Your Life Support overloads, dealing constant damage to nearby enemies
- Unbreakable – Cannot be killed for 5 seconds. Dealing damage extends the duration. Consumed life support shields when activated for bonus time and grants shield on completion
Buttercup comes from Louisiana and has a love for motorcycles. After a crash when she was 19 years old left her unable to ride, she turned to augmentation.
Her abilities are;
- Basic
- Saw Blades
- Launch (Hold X then release)
- Burl (Move faster and regenerate health)
- Parry
- Specials
- RB – Yank – Chain an enemy and yank them to you
- Y – Oil Slick – Drop a puddle of oil that slows enemies
- B – Whip Lash – Unleash a flurry of whipping blades
- Supers
- Turbo Charged – Temporarily gain 25% damage, 50% life steal and increase max health by 33%
- Burnout – An epic burnout that damages enemies
Makutu is the only child of his mum’s second marriage. As the youngest and smallest in his family, he always felt out of place. At 16 years old he underwent augmentation.
His abilities are;
- Basic
- Fast Fight
- Toggle Stance –
- Ora Stance – Regenerate Health
- Pepeke Stance – Increase Speed
- Parry
- Specials
- RB – Barge – Charge into enemies, dealing damage and carrying them away
- Y – Leg It/Healthy
- Pepeke Stance – Cleanse movement impairing effects and boost peed to self and nearby allies
- Ora Stance – Heal self and nearby allies
- B – Repellant – Create a burst of energy that pushes enemies away
- Supers
- Katamāori !!! – Roll into a ball and barrel through enemies
- Can’t Touch Us! – Make yourself and nearby allies invulnerable for a short time
Bleeding Edge is exclusive to PC and Xbox One.
