Necroking
Necroking
Game
Game2012
They Bleed Pixels
Developer Spooky Squid Games Inc.
They Bleed Pixels is a beat'em up platform game developed and released by Canadian indie studio Spooky Squid Games in August 2012 for Microsoft Windows via Steam. The art style is dark with gothic Lovecraftian themes. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
235 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
67
Fresh
124 positive · 61 negative
95% range 60–73%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 124 | 61 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 10 | 0 | 30 |
| Lemmy * | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
1,416 of 1,734 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
68% recommend · 128 yes, 60 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 188 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (2,122 of 2,555 positive).
Players praise the game's challenging action-platforming and responsive controls. [1][2][3] Some reviewers find the controls frustrating and the difficulty tedious. [4][5][6] The art style and music are widely appreciated. [7][8][6]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
I finished this game on standard, and I can say - this is the perfect masterclass in how not to make a platformer! The controls were horrendous and CONSTANTLY getting in my way, I hope you too can also enjoy trying to wall grab double jump and accidentally falling off the wall!! Hated all the enemy types and the combat - honestly the game would probably have been a lot better with the combat removed. Was definitely …
- [6]
They Bleed Pixels — A Frustrating Waste of Potential I really wanted to like They Bleed Pixels. I pushed through to the final level, hoping it would redeem itself, but it never did. I’ve played plenty of tough platformers like Celeste and Super Meat Boy, and I enjoy a fair challenge — but this game makes difficulty feel tedious and clumsy rather than rewarding. It had so much potential: the pixel art is gorgeous, …
- [3]
One of my favourite platformers, being completely honest. The controls feel great. They're sharp as hell. This gets used a lot when talking about games like this, but, every mistake you make feels like, well - your fault. Which then further pushes you to improve. The game gradually introduces you to new things, such as enemies, new moves and new terrain gradually, never feeling like 1000 things suddenly got added at …
- [13]
This game strips away your very sanity. The controls do what they are supposed to do reliably and there is only two buttons. This is no comfort however, because every death (and there will be many), rests entirely on your shoulders. There is zero forgiveness in the platforming and the very first enemy you encounter seems like a dark souls boss fight. Every single jump needs to be perfectly timed. Every. Single. One. …
- [1]
Another sweet action platformer with a neat look. Has a fairly long campaign mode and some fun extra content. Some stages are pretty challenging and the variety of movement options are put to use nicely. The mechanics mostly feel solid with a bit of jank here and there. Over all a fun but short experience for the price, I had a good time with it!
Summarised from 34 of the 237 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 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
68% of the 188 Steam reviewers we collected recommend They Bleed Pixels. The complaint that keeps coming up: frustrating controls and mechanics. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
They Bleed Pixels has been generally well-received; it has been given an averaged review score of 74/100 from Metacritic. Tony Ponce of Destructoid concluded that it was "a solid game that definitely has an audience." The game has been criticized for its difficulty and awkward controls.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 235 · most liked firstAnother from the archives, The Clawed Girl from They Bleed Pixels by @spookysquid.bsky.social! A little rough in spots but still very happy with how she came out! Go check the game out if you haven't before! 🎨 #art #blender #theybleedpixels #fanart #b3d
neutral · AI labelView post →150 games for $10 for an excellent cause, and honestly worth it for They Bleed Pixels alone, one of my favorite combat platformers
positive · AI labelView post →Another sweet action platformer with a neat look. Has a fairly long campaign mode and some fun extra content. Some stages are pretty challenging and the variety of movement options are put to use nicely. The mechanics mostly feel solid with a bit of jank here and there. Over all a fun but short experience for the price, I had a good time with it!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey artists! 🎮Quote your video game fanart! 🔁 I really should do more fanart Catherine: Full Body MotorSlice Danganronpa They Bleed Pixels
neutral · AI labelView post →Shamelessly copying my comment: In order, [Chorus](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1153640/Chorus/) - AA paranormal 3d spaceship combat game [Cyber Hook](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1130410/Cyber_Hook/) - First person grapple hook platform racer [Tangle Tower](https://store.steampowered.com/app/359510/Tangle_Tower/) - Charming point and click detective game [Patch Quest](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1347970/Patch_Quest/) - Bullet hell roguelike [Subsurface…
neutral · AI labelView post →I finished this game on standard, and I can say - this is the perfect masterclass in how not to make a platformer! The controls were horrendous and CONSTANTLY getting in my way, I hope you too can also enjoy trying to wall grab double jump and accidentally falling off the wall!! Hated all the enemy types and the combat - honestly the game would probably have been a lot better with the combat removed. Was definitely fooled by the art style and cutscenes into thinking I would like this…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really honestly tried to enjoy this game. The art style is nice, the music is good and there are some fun moments of platforming and simple combat. But ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, this may have some of the worst feeling controls of any game I've played, let alone the worst controls of any platformer I've played. I gave it a chance thinking it was a 'skill issue' at first, but over time I only found my initial impressions confirmed. To give some specific examples of the kind of awful stuff I mean: -You have…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Engage MTL This Friday in Montreal! I'll be there with arcade cabinets and merch for Russian Subway Dogs (new coin-op version!) and They Bleed Pixels, plus a playable (very early) demo of Goblin Girl Game. Tickets and more info: local-streams.bloomtickets.ca/event/2302?E...
neutral · AI labelView post →If you're looking for something horror themed to play today, our game They Bleed Pixels is 75% off on a bunch of stores! 👻🎃 Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/211260/ Humble: www.humblebundle.com/store/they-b... Itch: spookysquid.itch.io/they-bleed-p... Humble and Itch are DRM free + Steam key!
neutral · AI labelView post →They Bleed Pixels — A Frustrating Waste of Potential I really wanted to like They Bleed Pixels. I pushed through to the final level, hoping it would redeem itself, but it never did. I’ve played plenty of tough platformers like Celeste and Super Meat Boy, and I enjoy a fair challenge — but this game makes difficulty feel tedious and clumsy rather than rewarding. It had so much potential: the pixel art is gorgeous, and the music and background design are beautifully atmospheric. But compared to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its more annoying then it is fun.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Also our back catalogue is currently on sale on Steam if you want to play some fun indie games and help fund more Goblin Girl Game development! RUSSIAN SUBWAY DOGS 🚇🐶 store.steampowered.com/app/762610/ THEY BLEED PIXELS 👧🦀🩸 store.steampowered.com/app/211260/
neutral · AI labelView post →Thanks everyone who attended Engage MTL to play the Russian Subway Dogs & They Bleed Pixels arcade cabinets, and the Goblin Girl Game early demo! Always great seeing folks enjoying the games we created! Also shoutout to Local Streams for a fantastic event and creating the cabinets!
neutral · AI labelView post →Here are the few I'm familiar with: - Anodyne - tried it few years ago and it seemed pretty decent, need to go back to it eventually. - Coffee Talk - still in my backlog but looks like a coffee version of VA-11 Hall-A. Nice art style, saw positive opinions about it. - They Bleed Pixels - fun but challenging platformer with lots of bloody combat. - Wandersong - got pretty famous for a while. Haven't played it myself but what I saw seemed like a great little title.
neutral · AI labelView post →I can't recommend this game to people, at least not if you want to play on the standard difficulty. It's fun, but it's also one of the most aggravating games I've ever played. The main contributions to that are the controls not matching the level of precision required and the way the checkpoint system works. On the controls: Your base movement is fairly slippery, not a huge issue on its own, but coupled with the constant hazards everywhere it becomes an exercise in frustration sometimes just…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Got a box of these vicious little cuties in the mail! #TheyBleedPixels #MonsterGirl #ClawedGirl #indiegames #plush #plushies
neutral · AI labelView post → If you've unlocked the "rare achievements showcase" on your profile, presumably using the desktop app, then it appears on your profile on the mobile app, too. Behold! Not even getting all that far in [They Bleed Pixels](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/TheyBleedPixels) is my finest achievement, with only 1.1% of other players managing the same. What you need to do is focus on games that are old and…
neutral · AI labelView post →Well, right off the bat as soon as you start it the game gives you two choices: "novice mode" or "normal mode". Novice mode offers shorter levels, and prevents you from completing the game, like literally the game tells you this serves as a mode for training, rather than an actual option to play the game. I guess the developers thought of it more in terms of difficulty settings serving as jumpstarters for the actual game, rather than actual ways of going through the experience. This already…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So, if you're wondering, like I was in the first few levels of the game "just how this game is so obscure or "underrated?"" Well, I figured it out: it is badly designed. There are some brilliant ideas on display in this game, yes, but it doesn't handle them well enough. Killing enemies and picking up blood thingies fills up a bar that allows you to plop a checkpoint down in any safe place of your choosing. Nice idea. Healing when you plop down the checkpoint is nice too. Going back to a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really want to give this a positive review. The concept is good, the art and sound design is great, and the mechanics as a whole are good. Your attacks are cool, the combo system is pretty unique, it's fun to test what method of killing something will give you the most points, and the checkpoint system is unique, flavourful and well thought out. But I have to give this a negative review. I think I've had this game nearly ten years now and every time I come back to it I'm reminded of why I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →They Bleed Pixels is a bad twitch-action platformer. You play as a nameless girl, who upon joining a reformatory comes across a sanguine cursed book which transports her in her dreams to a world filled with monsters and traps. Armed with only her claws, she must escape to the ends of almost a dozen levels filled with collectibles to obtain and enemies to obliterate. Aim for stylish combo kills to maximize your gore and your score. No beating around the bush with this one: They Bleed Pixels…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This sucks. Fast approaching the point where every major outlet that covered our first game They Bleed Pixels back in the day, will have either gone under, stopped covering games or become a shell of its former self with a skeleton crew writing guides.
neutral · AI labelView post →just not my thing. i love these style of side-scrolling games, but with this i played for 20mins and already drives me insane. i prefer a game hard from levels, but this is hard from the controls and game mechanics which frustrated me so fast that i couldn't keep playing. i'll farm cards and move on.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Montreal folks, Local Streams are bringing their Spooky Squid arcade cabinets to the CEEN 2026 Conference tomorrow! Play Russian Subway Dogs and They Bleed Pixels on these custom cabinets. ceen-rcee.ca/conference/2...
neutral · AI labelView post →They Bleed Pixels іs a game that can be described in one phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover". One day when I was looking for something to buy on sale, this game caught my eye, I was very interested in the cover, and after I saw the trailer and the platformer tag, I immediately added it to my cart, i put it off for quite a long time, but now that I have a desire to play it, I regret it, because I probably won't even be able to get my money back. The art here is really great, I won't take my…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bought my 12 year old some awesome one-of-a-kind merch at the Indie Game Emporium during Toronto Games Week (all the booths were all works of art). Resulted in her playing "They Bleed Pixels" on the Switch (she's now got skillz). Forgot how beautiful TBP is. @spookysquid.bsky.social
positive · AI labelView post →There's a kagillion indie platformers out there. This is one of the good ones; if you're looking for a challenging experience. The music is solid, the controls feel responsive and I liked the heavy pixalated art when I played it but looking back it is pretty simple compared to how far pixel art has come more than a decade later. Definitely pick this up if you're in the mood for a challenging action platformer.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In order, [Chorus](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1153640/Chorus/) - AA paranormal 3d spaceship combat game [Cyber Hook](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1130410/Cyber_Hook/) - First person grapple hook platform racer [Tangle Tower](https://store.steampowered.com/app/359510/Tangle_Tower/) - Charming point and click detective game [Patch Quest](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1347970/Patch_Quest/) - Bullet hell roguelike [Subsurface…
neutral · AI labelView post →So many years ago when I bought this game, it was really fun, fast, and exciting! I remember the difficulty spiked like crazy and I didn't beat it then. Then in 2023 I tried to give it another go. Booting up the game gives me a black screen, but I hear sounds. Looking in the forums other people have this same problem with no fix. Also many people who play this game apparently have some sort of bug where the character is 10x too fast or something. Long story short, this game no longer has…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a trap, a trap to cause life-long withdrawal symptom for having finished it. My gameplay hours is not reminisce of how lengthy , such an indie game could be, but progressing a bit and entering further into the dreams of this girl, a pandemonium broke out within me. My soul turned berserk as if I was in dire need of exorcist. Each level will grip you tightly into not giving up on your slash and whip skills, and mashing the buttons like an out-of-control voodoo doll. My fingers…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been trying to start this game up and enjoy it like three times in the last couple years and every time I just come to the conclusion that I just can't. It's got a really cute artstyle, but in my opinion, that's kinda it. The controls here just feel.. floaty? I don't know. I just started up Super Meat Boy again to compare it to this, and yeah, the controls of that game still hold up really well and are really fun. With They Bleed Pixels, I just can't get there. I've played a lot of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I beat the boss of They Bleed Pixels. If you have not experienced it, all I can say is that the fight is perfect for that gruelingly difficult skill-based game.
positive · AI labelView post →Oh gods, They Bleed Pixels is even more evil than I remember. This game rules.
positive · AI labelView post →This game seems like it could be really fun, but it overall lacks focus. It tries to be a 2D platformer and a hack 'n' slash at the same time, but neither are fully realized, so both just feel mediocre. The controls are loose, which is great for a hack 'n' slash, but sucks for a platformer. Some enemies die in one or two hits, which is great for a platformer, but sucks for a hack 'n' slash. Other enemies take a while to kill, which is good for a hack 'n' slack, but sucks for a platformer.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is way too twitchy for me and the controls make no sense. Even on Novice I did not have fun.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Due to the seemingly forced postponement of SMB: Forever, my excitement was crushed, and I felt the urge to play a good 'tough-as-nails' alternative. It took me quite some time to get used to the unique one-button attack/movement system, but once there: ♫ ... dopa-dopamine In my bloodstream ♫, and barely anything to complain about! The only nasty surprises during my 1st playthrough were related to the checkpoint system; you basically place a checkpoint yourself, but it's not possible when…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of my favourite platformers, being completely honest. The controls feel great. They're sharp as hell. This gets used a lot when talking about games like this, but, every mistake you make feels like, well - your fault. Which then further pushes you to improve. The game gradually introduces you to new things, such as enemies, new moves and new terrain gradually, never feeling like 1000 things suddenly got added at once. It gives you time to learn how to deal with them before using them…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'll be at Engage MTL with merch from They Bleed Pixels and Russian Subway Dogs (physical editions, prints whatever else I can stuff in a suitcase), and the current alpha demo for Goblin Girl Game for folks to play! First time doing an event in Montreal, should be a great time!
neutral · AI labelView post →We're in the final stretch! Just 13 hours left! For just $10 you'll get our game Primrows, you'll get hits like A Short Hike, classics like They Bleed Pixels and Cook, Serve, Delicious!, new releases like Arranger and Dirtbag Mahjong and still over 100 more titles to discover!
neutral · AI labelView post →Really feeling that sleepy goblin energy but I'll be at the Indie Game Emporium today for #TorontoGamesWeek2026 selling merch from our previous games Russian Subway Dogs and They Bleed Pixels today! Allen Gardens 4pm - 9pm (Goblin Girl Game demo secretly playable if you ask!)
neutral · AI labelView post →This is tomorrow! I'll have lots of merch from both Russian Subway Dogs and They Bleed Pixels at the show! *Reminder, please bring cash!* Indie game folks don't do a lot of shows so many of us won't be able to take cards.
neutral · AI labelView post →He's also the namesake for the school that appeared in our game They Bleed Pixels: "Lafcadio Academy for Troubled Young Ladies"
neutral · AI labelView post →Quite fun, and super snappy controls, but game speed is linked to framerate so make sure to set your refresh rate to 60Hz before playing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game doesn't deserve for me to spend the energy to do a full write up on everything that is absolutely atrocious about it so i will just say of the hundreds of games i've cleared on steam so far this was the least enjoyable one.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Premium Edition challenge patch for They Bleed Pixels arrived in the mail! Great to see my pixel art in patch form! Get one of these by completing the mission on the challenge card included with the physical edition of the game for Nintendo Switch. premiumeditiongames.com/products/the...
neutral · AI labelView post →If your monitor runs faster than 60 fps, turn v-sync off and use launch command DXVK_FRAME_RATE=60 %command% otherwise the game will run impossibly fast
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →They Bleed Pixels is intentionally bad Do not buy this game, do not reward the developer for their laziness. By the end of Chapter 1 the game has set out some clear rules of how the game is played, then with Chapter 2, all of those rules are thrown out the window with slippery surface physics. Bumping into anything sends you rocketing in the opposite direction like a pinball You can't attack on the ground because of the above Landing with zero momentum sends you rocketing in a random direction…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can't imagine recommending They Bleed Pixels to anyone who isn't a glutton for punishment. This game is known for being a challenging platformer, but I think "frustrating" might be a more appropriate word here, since a lot of its difficulty comes from bugged mechanics, cumbersome gameplay, and unusual design choices. In many ways, I consider this game broken - but strangely enough, I enjoyed the journey anyway. It took me 100+ hours to get all the achievements, and I think I dropped more…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →On my third attemt to beat it I give up. It has nice artstyle and sPoOkY lovecraftian atmosphere. That's pretty much all. Chiptune soundtrack is kinda repetetive. Tracks are okay, but when you're stuck on a level for 20 minutes, you just getting sick of this endless 2-3 minutes long loop. Levels are simplistic boring and very similar. I've finished 5 and the main difference between them is background and music. The game isn't difficult, it's frustrating. Don't get me wrong, I love tough…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ice worlds are bad. World 2 features several platforms which cause the player and the enemies to slide uncontrollably. In addition, punching is a direction plus the attack button, so if the enemy dies or moves, you might end up dashing into a spike. Also, punch and kick are one button, either with or without a direction. This all combines to take what could be a precision platformer and turn it into a frustrating mess of uncontrollable mistakes. You might intend to punch but actually kick. You…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bat to the Heavens: what if a 2D puzzle-exploration game denied you the basic ability to jump They Bleed Pixels: hacky-slashy-combo fun with score-challenges and lots of blood Lunacid: exploration RPG that slightly mimics King's Field then slowly lets you move as fast as the Quake guy
neutral · AI labelView post →Super underrated game. Extremely fun and satisfying action platforming gameplay and even more fun to 100%. Wall jumping might feel a bit weird at first but you will get used to it. The soundtrack is also really really good. 10/10 game. Also it goes on sale cheap.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱ Good Summary I wanna come back and play this game, as I got it ages ago. But there's something that's always stuck with me: the art style, the vibe and the general feeling of the game. Despite being barely able to actually progress in the game, I loved this game as a kid and would play it a ton. The vibes are all there. The experience is great and the gameplay is really neat even for someone who was awful at it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great platformer, I beat it once and refuse to touch it again in depth because I love myself and don't want to put a hole through my monitor or steam deck. Crashed on my steam deck for no reason, wouldn't consider it verified.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →On my 3rd level on Standard Difficulty, I figured this game was too hard for my old bones. But once I switched to Novice, I actually started to have fun; the game still requires some hard moves, but now there are so many checkpoints, you feel you are facing only one challenge at a time. I was still missing too many tricky double jumps, but a little persistence got me to "The End?". Thing is, the game has directional controls, a "jump" button and an "action" button -- that's it. The action…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's been a while since I played it, but I think They Bleed Pixels might fit the bill on both counts. Also I recently started The End is Nigh which is another Edmund McMillen game very similar to Super Meatboy. Seems good so far.
positive · AI labelView post →This game strips away your very sanity. The controls do what they are supposed to do reliably and there is only two buttons. This is no comfort however, because every death (and there will be many), rests entirely on your shoulders. There is zero forgiveness in the platforming and the very first enemy you encounter seems like a dark souls boss fight. Every single jump needs to be perfectly timed. Every. Single. One. After playing around 45 minutes, I came out a dry husk of my former self.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I liked the game. it was fun. until i got to the later levels, and realized how frustratingly difficult the game mechanics really are. It's a good looking game. But i just can't recommend it after going through those last levels.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →More soulless than my ex wife's lawyer. More saws than a home depot. More knife-wielding inbred monsters than central Florida. 9/10, would not abuse myself again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Replaying this 8 years after release is a wild experience. I remember being good at this game, but holy crap it's tough. There's a pile of mechanics thrown at the player, right out of the gate. Learning, mastering, and utilizing them all is what makes it such good fun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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