The Pew Pew Bundle Vol. 1

Genre: Compilation / 2-Stick Shooter / Platformer / Shmup / Roguelike

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local, Local Split-Screen)

.

Review:

The Pew Pew Bundle Vol. 1, released on the Nintendo Switch in 2020, is a Compilation of Black Paradox (first released on the Nintendo Switch in 2019), Bleed 2 (first released on the Nintendo Switch in 2018) and XenoRaptor (first released on the Nintendo Switch in 2019). Each of these games brings with it a different kind of 2D shooty action.

Before proceeding, I should mention that Bleed 2 also appears in multiple other bundles on the Nintendo Switch, including the Bleed Complete Bundle (with the original Bleed), as well as the Indie Darling Bundle Vol. 2 (with Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut and The Aquatic Adventures of the Last Human). In addition, Black Paradox also appears in another bundle on the Nintendo Switch, the Couch Co-Op Bundle Vol. 2 along with Bleed, Shikhondo – Soul Eater, and Vertical Drop Heroes HD. In other words, before getting this bundle, you may want to look at these other bundles first to decide which of them appeals to you most.

Here is what I thought of each game in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Grade
Black Paradox	Bullet Hell Shmup / Roguelike	1-2 Co-Op (Local)	C+
tl;dr Black Paradox is a Bullet Hell Shmup that has you flying a ship designed to look like a Delorean. The game has good gameplay, but the high difficulty and slow upgrade progression makes this a game only fans of the genre are likely to thoroughly enjoy.
Bleed 2	Action-Platformer / Two-Stick Shooter	1-2 Co-Op (Local)	B+
tl;dr Bleed 2 is an Action-Platformer and 2-Stick Shooter with a simple, cartoony presentation and a silly story about a girl fending off an invasion. This game improves on the first one in almost every way, with even better action, better visuals, a great soundtrack, and the same wonderful variety, great level design, and excellent co-op. However, where it doesn’t improve on the first game is value – the main campaign can still be finished in an hour or so, and the extra game modes don’t stretch things out much more than that. For $20, I simply cannot recommend this game, but definitely get it if you see it on sale.
XenoRaptor	2-Stick Shooter	1-2 Co-Op (Local Split-Screen)	C
tl;dr XenoRaptor is a 2-Stick Shooter that has you fighting buzzsaw flying saucers in space as an alien dragon. It’s a cool concept, and it even has some fun physics that have the potential to make for a unique spin on the genre. Unfortunately, this game is absolutely loaded with problems that make it hard to appreciate what it does right, such as bad framerates, terrible AI, and a visual presentation that’s not very conducive to the gameplay.

In short, each of the games in this bundle comes with its own issues. Black Paradox has its high difficulty and slow progression, Bleed 2 has its short length, and XenoRaptor has a multitude of smaller issues. Of the three, I would say that Bleed 2 is the clear star here, though it’s also the game that appears most frequently in other bundles on the Nintendo Switch.

As for the price, at $45, this bundle saves you absolutely nothing off of the price of buying these games separately, as each of these games normally sells for $15. There’s an argument to be made that this bundle may be more worthwhile when it goes on sale… but all of the games within the bundle also go on sale, and frequently too. As a result, there’s really no reason I can think of for anyone to buy this bundle – you’re better off buying the games individually or in other bundles even if you want all three, and that’s a big “if”.

In short, don’t buy The Pew Pew Bundle Vol. 1. While the games within it vary in quality and Bleed 2 at least is quite good, the asking price for this bundle simply makes zero sense, and as a result this is a bundle that’s worth less than the sum of its parts.

tl;dr – The Pew Pew Bundle Vol. 1 is a compilation of Black Paradox, Bleed 2, and XenoRaptor, three 2D shooty games of various quality. Unfortunately, the price of this bundle offers no benefit over buying the games separately or in other better bundles. Don’t buy this bundle.

Grade: C-

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}