Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds

"Only fans of the series need apply"

If you are a fan of the series, own the DVD boxed sets, have Buffy tattoos, etc. skip the rest of this review and just go buy the game. You'll love it.

If you're like me and never really had an interest in the show, this is what you'll be getting:

Story: 5/10

It's okay, some things were a bit confusing as they didn't explain much of who the characters are. The cut scenes are more for the characters to spit out cute one-liners than to really let the uninformed Buffy player know what's going on. I've seen worse.

Graphics: 7/10

Sub-par, but graphics usually don't make or break a game. The characters look a bit odd, but you can tell who is who. The backgrounds, however, are very well done and much attention was paid to detail. Even the computer monitors you'll run across have a Windows-like desktop on them.

Gameplay: 6/10

The controls are somewhat solid, except for jumping, where your character will start running again before their feet hit the ground. The sloppiness of the coding shines through here; I've glitched the game twice so far, causing the screen to go black as Buffy falls forever. Combat is fun, as you'll learn how to damage and stake a vampire all in the same combo.

Challenge: 6/10

The game is frustratingly difficult at times, there are a lot of puzzles with not enough information to them, causing you to run around the level for an hour trying to figure out what you don't have. Combat is another story, the medkits are spaced out just right. If you die, it's because you didn't fight well enough.

Multiplayer: ?/10

Don't have anyone to play this with, but a multiplayer mode is included so you can smack your friends around.

Replay Value: ?/10

The game is set up to be like a lost episode from the TV series, so if you can handle watching the same show repeatedly you shouldn't have a problem here. There are unlockables, mostly interviews with cast members, but you get those from replaying levels to find all the secrets. I don't see a lot of replay value after everything is unlocked, however.

Summary/Overall: 6/10

I think Chaos Bleeds should have spent another month in play-testing to get the last bit of quirks out of the code. It will appease Buffy fans just fine, but for avid gamers who depend on gameplay more than familiar characters, it's sloppy. The one liners are cute, until you've heard them 40 times in the same level. Again, if you love the TV show, you'll love the game. If not, you won't be forgiving enough of its flaws.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/27/03