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Legendary game designer Tim Schafer is nothing if not an original thinker. The mastermind behind many of LucasArts' greatest point n' click adventure games, as well as the phenomenal mind-bending platformer Psychonauts, Schafer is easily one of the most ambitious developers in the industry, and Brütal Legend makes no secret of it.

Brütal Legend casts the player as Eddie Riggs, a roadie - voiced by Hollywood funnyman Jack Black in a well-cast lead role – who is transported to a fantastical land of 1980’s heavy metal album covers (think long-haired, stubbly barbarians playing guitars on windy cliff tops and you’ve got the picture). What follows is an open-world adventure to liberate the land which is suffering under the iron fist of a demonic emperor. The game’s excellent dialogue consists of heavy metal in-jokes with bursts of wry humour and manages to be entertaining enough that there’s still plenty to enjoy for people who don’t own at least one Mötörhead album.

Early missions follow a GTA-esque mixture of exploration and combat, either hacking up demons on-foot or racing around the world in ‘The Deuce’ a souped up car that makes for snappier transport and provides the opportunity for making demon roadkill. Combat takes the form of basic hack-and-slash, with attacks split between an axe for damage and an electric guitar used for spell-type effects. Both weapons and The Deuce can be upgraded by visiting the in-game shopkeeper, voiced by Ozzy Osbourne in a less well-cast role.

Later in the game, a radically different style of play is introduced, effectively turning Brütal Legend into a real-time strategy game. The ‘stage battles’ pit armies of fans against each other for control of resource points with the aim of destroying their opponent’s base. During these sections, Eddie grows a set of wings and can fly above the battlefield for reconnaissance before joining the fray and fighting alongside the troops. As a system it’s unique but well-balanced and engaging, although it takes a while to get used to, and with relatively few instances during the single-player game, you’ll only feel as though you’ve scratched the surface by the time the credits roll.

The multiplayer mode on offer is an extension of the stage battle concept, with a total of three controllable factions; however in contrast with most other RTS games, the single player campaign never provides the opportunity to experiment with any army other than the default. This has the effect of making online competition somewhat intimidating as most players will want to learn the ropes before heading onto the web.

While Brütal Legend oozes with the charm you’d expect from Tim Schafer, the overwhelming feeling here is of an enormously ambitious project that has been significantly cut down from its original scope. The open world is varied and engaging, but the side missions on offer consist of only a few identikit challenges which are easily beaten once the player works out the tricks. What’s more, the fact that there are relatively few stage battles in the game’s story mode conflicts with the obvious time and effort that’s gone into balancing the gameplay of these sections.

In closing, Brütal Legend is a slightly disparate but ultimately entertaining adventure that isn’t afraid to experiment and gets a lot right. However, its combination of styles and gameplay devices makes it the kind of game that will leave some gamers cold while others will swear it’s the best thing ever. On that basis, it’s difficult to recommend to everyone, but for those who value diverse gameplay and engaging characters, Brütal Legend is essential.

 

 

05 October 2009