Vertigo Void
Vertigo Void
Game
Game2016
Mother Russia Bleeds
Developer Le Cartel Studio
Mother Russia Bleeds is a beat 'em up video game developed by France-based indie development studio Le Cartel Studio and published by Devolver Digital. The game was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on 5 September 2016, PlayStation 4 on 3 December 2016 and for Nintendo Switch on 15 November 2018. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
191 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Oct 31, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
76
LovedLoved
133 positive · 41 negative
95% range 70–82%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 133 | 41 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
1,671 of 2,017 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
76% recommend · 137 yes, 43 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 180 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (4,701 of 5,427 positive).
Players praise the game's brutal combat and satisfying action, but note it has a steep difficulty curve. [1][2][3] Some reviewers find the hit detection and enemy AI frustrating, especially in later stages. [4][5][6] The game's edgy, violent aesthetic and setting are divisive, with some calling it disgusting and others finding it unique. [7][3][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [8]
It looks like a 90's emo kid's idea of "edgy" and the combat is fairly lack luster. It gets old fast and by the end boss I just didn't care enough to finish it. There are much better beat 'em ups out there.
- [4]
You know that ugly girlfriend you like because of her personality? Yeah, that's exactly what this game is. The gameplay has some flaws. Sometimes the hitbox feels kinda crazy — you miss an enemy by just a couple of pixels, and other times you somehow hit enemies that are clearly out of range. There are enemies that damage you before their attack animation even starts (the train guards). Then there are these giant …
- [1]
Awesome oldschool beat 'em up with brutal and satisfying action and cool pixel art. Just how I like it :) Definitely recommend!
- [2]
One of the best beat em' ups i've ever played. Really good game, every aspect of it is impeccable - music, art, bosses, mechanics, gameplay. Every punch and effect is perceptible and feels just right. Great enemy variety and challenging situations keep you on edge. Hardcore mode is a mess on it's own. Setting is also very unique, it's unbelievably great game. Highly recommended and a must play if you love beat em' …
- [3]
Mother Russia Bleeds is a raw, violent and relentlessly aggressive beat ’em up that doesn’t try to charm you for even a second. From the opening scene to the final chapter, the game hits you with a mix of disgusting brutality, sick atmosphere and constant tension that feels more like a nightmare than a classic brawler. Its aesthetic is dirty, harsh and intentionally unpleasant, but that’s exactly what makes it stand …
Summarised from 34 of the 197 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Mother Russia Bleeds sits at 76% positive across 174 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Mother Russia Bleeds received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 191 · most liked firstYou know that ugly girlfriend you like because of her personality? Yeah, that's exactly what this game is. The gameplay has some flaws. Sometimes the hitbox feels kinda crazy — you miss an enemy by just a couple of pixels, and other times you somehow hit enemies that are clearly out of range. There are enemies that damage you before their attack animation even starts (the train guards). Then there are these giant fat enemies that seem impossible to hit with aerial attacks. And I still haven't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Alive, yeah... not sure about the well part I first heard of Mother Russia Bleeds by watching this video on disturbing games and the game interested me quite a bit in its gameplay. Sure enough, it was on Steam and thanks to a friend of mine who gifted it to me, I was able to try the game out. The game reminded me of Hotline Mami a little bit with its themes. Pros and Cons Pros Intriguing narrative that can become incredibly intense Beat-em-up mechanics provide a lot of fun and excitement A…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great art, horrific game design
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game about Russia. I'm probably can stop on it, but.... i'm live here. And situation emotional in Russia feel like this game. And one more philosophy: Yea, u can't solve any problem with a punch, but punch can be a karma!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An average beat'em up game. If Streets of Rage 4 is a 10, this is a 6.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Silent Hill f has been refused classification from the Australian Classification Board, meaning the game cannot be advertised or legally sold in the country. Silent Hill f joins a host of other banned games including Hotline Miami 2, Mother Russia Bleeds, and HUNTER×HUNTER NEN×IMPACT to name a few.
neutral · AI labelView post →Mother Russia Bleeds is a game that greets you by kicking down your door and then complains you made a mess. enemies pile on like they’re being paid per concussion,, the combat hits with all the elegance of a brick in a washing machine, and every level looks like it was decorated by a nihilist with a crowbar and five minutes to live, enemies look like rejected mascots for a discount energy drink, half of them look like they’re melting, the other half look like they should be. its like a chaotic…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Chrono Trigger. Hands down my favorite. I get a warm fuzzy feeling whenever I play that game. It's so so good. Followed by TMNT IV turtles in time. I just love it so much. The soundtrack is rad AF. Edit: I totally forgot about Star Fox! This one's definitely 3rd. I love that game. And the different soundtrack pulls everything together. Then Zelda a Link to the past or Super Metroid. Both incredible classics. Then it's a toss up between a whole bunch of games, old and new. Flashback,…
neutral · AI labelView post →Some Mother Russia Bleeds fanart because that game was cool 👀 And skeletons are fun 💀 #devolverdigital #motherussiableeds #indiegames #artistsonnewgrounds
positive · AI labelView post →Anti-communist and anti-Russian propaganda funded by the USA. The strike zone is too narrow, it's hard to hit the enemies, the story is boring, I didn't have the patience to finish it, even in co-op.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i hope the person who made the last boss gets shoved in a meatgrinder and has every part of their body made into a red mist, i am not overreacting.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've had Mother Russia Bleeds in my Steam library for years... maybe it's time? It just always looked more like a meme factory than a game but I'm willing to admit I'm being disingenuous. I just want to punch pixelated guys.
neutral · AI labelView post →Like a pretty girl It looks amazing, but plays badly. You would be lucky to call this game 'average', because gameplay is really underwhelming. Premise and presentation looks awesome. It's one of those cases of pretty shell and deeply disappointing interior where the best gameplay experience is by watching game trailer or other influencers hyping it up. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3428027807 🔥The Empty Shell🔥 While game looks attractive and has great setting, it…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome oldschool beat 'em up with brutal and satisfying action and cool pixel art. Just how I like it :) Definitely recommend!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay, kids. The fact the enemies in this game are smart enough (even on easy difficulty) to get out the way of your attacks doesn't mean there's something wrong with hit detection. This game plays like Double Dragon II or TMNT II on the NES, and those games are still a lot of fun. There's plenty of combat options to try and bosses are imaginative. It brought me back to the times when I used to play Vendetta on the arcades with my grade school friends. Mother Russia Bleeds is a good beat'em up.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Steam] Mother Russia Bleeds ($1.49 / 90% off).
neutral · AI labelView post →It's really hard to say I can't recommend this game. I really wanted to like it but this game is just way to frustrating to enjoy. On one hand, like this game. This game is awesome to look at. The pixel graphics gives it a really great look. I love pixel art because it makes the aesthetic timeless. Also the music is really awesome to listen to. I would put this OST in a compilation with other great soundtracks, On top of this there is some depth to the combat system that makes it really…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The hit box is absolute garbage
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It looks like a 90's emo kid's idea of "edgy" and the combat is fairly lack luster. It gets old fast and by the end boss I just didn't care enough to finish it. There are much better beat 'em ups out there.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →like double dragon but theres 4 of you and its hotlinemiamipilled yes
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like the Streets of Rage series and also enjoy shooting up heroin then this game is definitely for you!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →not fair towards the end. frustrating at times.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[GOG/Fanatical] Mother Russia Bleeds ($2.99 / 80% off). Steam Key available at Fanatical
neutral · AI labelView post →🗑️ It's hard to call this game bad, it does what it's supposed to. The hitboxes may be imperfect, the mechanics may seem a bit unusual for the genre, but the arcade difficulty and attempt to diversify the bosses fit well with the gameplay. Everything is drawn quite good, especially the environments. However, the setting, theme and dialogues, from a more adult perspective, are completely disgusting, vile, or just plain gross. This is an absolute "trash" (as a genre), assembled from the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is really cool but you really gotta line yourself up to land hits on enemies and it's super annoying if your like one pixel too high or too low you just swing at air
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game needs a block button. I'd give this a 5/10, but the game kind of annoyed me so a negative vote it is. I really liked the graphics, the music and the ultraviolence, but that's all, this is not a good game. It doesn't feel good to play it, it's repetitive, kind of unfair at (several) times, I just set the difficulty on easy to finish it faster. The story? It's irrelevant, who cares... Why do developers still think that you want to see a cutscene again and again and again after you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5) Mother Russia skips. The gameplay feels repetitive, and the difficulty is more unfair than it is challenging, with a ridiculous number of on screen enemies in the later stages. The game was probably balanced around playing in coop rather than solo, like I did. Guns feel all the same and are totally broken. Graphics are okay, but they can't carry the shallow combat.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Happy Friday, comrades! Tonight we're celebrating four years of streaming by looking back on some of the good times here, and playing the game that got me Affiliate: Mother Russia Bleeds. See you at 7:30pm Central! #Vtubers #AffiliateAnniversary
neutral · AI labelView post →One of the best beat em' ups i've ever played. Really good game, every aspect of it is impeccable - music, art, bosses, mechanics, gameplay. Every punch and effect is perceptible and feels just right. Great enemy variety and challenging situations keep you on edge. Hardcore mode is a mess on it's own. Setting is also very unique, it's unbelievably great game. Highly recommended and a must play if you love beat em' ups.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well the last video game I played was Mother Russia Bleeds, so, umm...everything. Or, alternatively, I'm not getting arrested at all because the game ends with toppling the state and the people who would punish me for my actions are all dead.
positive · AI labelView post →Great high energy soundtrack, which is the reason I wound up on this page ~ I wanted the sound track but it looks like I needed to have bought the dealers edition for that. :steamsad:/ As far as the story, its out there and still both entertaining and interesting. Definitely with adult themes, not a tactical beat em up for babies :lernie: As far as the gameplay, the controls are pretty tight: demonstrated best in sequences when you are actually able catch a throw weapon. The line up of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a very poorly designed game. It has ideas and gimmicks, but the design is just bad—no getting around it. The basic stuff isn't well executed.Floaty movement where you cannot line up properly half the time with enemies. A lot of the enemy difficulty is just them sliding up behind you (they seem programmed to do this) and hitting you with no "get off me" defense. It puts you in an endless loop. Many attacks can come from off-screen with no warning, including one-shot shotgun kills. The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was designed by imbeciles
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →why the ♥♥♥♥ i overhyped this ♥♥♥♥ good aesthetic, ugliness and ost, jank ass gameplay even if it's a french game lmao
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game needs a sequel.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game isn't balanced for single player at all as other reviewers have said. The end boss is stupid, bad and difficult in an unfair and not fun way, not difficult, fair and fun, like Souls games are. I gave up after a few attempts (proud of myself for not spending hours trying), then uninstalled and immediately gave the game a bad review out of spite :)
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not a bad game, not a great game.. All the expected fighting mechanics plus little more.. There are drugs to be taken with different powers, the way to get them is by playing different modes, but couldn't care less about collecting them or playing more than the story mode.. The graphics are a mixed bag, I appreciate pixel graphics and retro vibes, but this one isn't the best I've seen.. too dirty, poor colour palette, mediocre designs, repetitive enemies.. The difficulty is EXTREME at some…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Kids, don't do drugs. Uncle Ivan told me that before ripping 2 guys apart with his bare hands
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i love slamming crack and beating homeless people to a pulp
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →All things considered, this game is well put-together. The music and graphics are cohesive, and the plot was enough to keep me interested for the first playthrough. It is satisfyingly brutal, almost as if Hotline Miami was turned into a beat 'em up, which is something that very few other BEUs have even come close to. And now there's the problems, or rather the big persistent problem: the gameplay and gamefeel is quite bland and repetitive. No matter how much blood there is on screen, attacks…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's good but it's frustrating. Very frustrating and for the wrong reasons. You get things wrong, you get punished. Get them right, get punished too. Streets of rage only had 3 action buttons and it felt quite playable and complete, TMNT4, same thing. Littlke Fighters only had 2. I didn't like the overly complicated approach. it's a Beat 'em up, don't need to be complicated, it needs to be challenging and satisfying. 6/10
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the worst games I have ever played
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mother Russia Bleeds is a raw, violent and relentlessly aggressive beat ’em up that doesn’t try to charm you for even a second. From the opening scene to the final chapter, the game hits you with a mix of disgusting brutality, sick atmosphere and constant tension that feels more like a nightmare than a classic brawler. Its aesthetic is dirty, harsh and intentionally unpleasant, but that’s exactly what makes it stand out: there’s nothing “clean” or “heroic” here — only survival in a world that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I liked the old school beat em up genre and the variety of stages.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Brilliant silly old school video game fun. Great soundtrack.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☐ Beautiful ☑ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ PC Requirements }--- ☐ Check if you can run paint ☐ Potato ☑ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{ Game Size }--- ☐ Floppy Disk ☑ Old Fashioned ☐…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yea... this is exactly how I remember my childhood. 👍
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My video game hyperfixation for 2025 has been Beat ‘Em Ups. Here’s my Top 10 I played: 10. Mother Russia Bleeds 9. Streets of Rage 2 8. Double Dragon Gaiden 7. River City Girls 6. Marvel Cosmic Invasion 5. Sifu 4. The Ninja Saviors RotW 3. TMNT Shredder’s Revenge 2. Absolum 1. Streets of Rage 4 🔥👊
neutral · AI labelView post →Stupidly difficult last boss that requires you to play with no checkpoints and no heals and no powerup, terrible hit registration (classic genre issue, you stand in a place where your attacks dont hit the enemy, but enemies' attacks do hit you and vice versa). Frankly, I'm pissed by now. Add to that lack of actual saves that would let you close this pile of sadism (i.e. before the boss!), and I had to drop a game in hope that years down the line I might pick it back up and finally finish it.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I liked the start of the game but it gets really repetitive as the "story" progresses. It also feels unbalanced when playing solo. Don't even get me started on the final boss. It is completely annoying. The music can be hit or miss on some levels too. Not even the music can carry this game :/ For a 2D beat-em-up its really not anything special. You're better off skipping this one.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the OST in this game is amazing and getting achievments in this game was also fun. thanks to my friend who gifted me this masterpiece!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mother Russia Bleeds, developed by Le Cartel Studio and published by Devolver Digital, is a side-scrolling beat ’em up that embraces the raw, bloody chaos of its genre while layering it with a dark and unsettling setting. Taking place in an alternate version of Soviet Russia, the game follows a group of imprisoned street fighters—Sergei, Ivan, Natasha, and Boris—who become unwilling test subjects for a brutal government-backed experiment. They escape their captors and begin a violent rampage…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Streets of Rage on steroids
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It was a good game but it was pretty hard for me! I really liked the story, although it was minimal. Originally I only played it because I wanted something akin to Hotline Miami when it came to narrative as well as action in a sense, but this certainly was far removed from that, even if there was a pretty cool reference to the other game. I would say that is is unique, and there is lots of effort put into it based on the art in the backgrounds, the many different combos, and the way in which…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Simply one of the best beat-em-up games. This is where Streets of Rage 4 copied that epic prison level with a three-way fight between you, prisoners and guards.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty solid and fun beat 'em up. It brought me back to the feeling of playing Hotline Miami for the first time. Soundtrack was great, art style was cool. I do wish the dialog was a but more diverse depending on your character but that clearly was not the main focus of the game. Very fun, definitely a game ill be playing if i'm bored. 8/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As of April 11th 2025, Plays perfectly on steam deck. Great beat’em all. There are some spikes in difficulty from time to time and sometimes extremely easy but otherwise fine.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →historically real and true
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game 51: Mother Russia Bleeds. A solid entry in the modern beat 'em Renaissance we continue to live in that we don't talk about. Probably because we can't let the children play it. I wouldn't let the children play it anyway. *hooboy* (Switch Version. Rating: B+)
positive · AI labelView post →I get to ♥♥♥♥ in my hand and throw it at people as a taunt 11/10 game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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