360 Reviews
01-02-2010

Many gamers live in awe of developer Tim Schafer, a man who has video game comedy down to a fine art. Titles like Psychonauts and Grim Fandango are mentioned always in reverent tones, such is their cult fan base among discerning gamers. He's a unique creative spirit and I hope that one day we send his DNA into space ala Stephen Colbert.

To learn that Tim Schafer was working on a game based around the mythos of metal, and that Jack Black was on board, many, including myself, were swooning at the thought. But now that Brütal Legend has come to make its mark, where do we stand on Mr Schafer's latest endeavour?

In terms of concept, Brütal Legend's universe and characters are superbly executed. You don't even have to be a big fan of the genre. As long as you're equipped with an awareness of metal's obsession with high fantasy, Norse mythology and all things vaguely medieval, you'll be able to enjoy Schafer's richly crafted universe in which sub-genres are reflected in factions and environments, and you can ride a panther with laser eyes. Laser eyes!

Yeeehaw!

The game's script and voice acting is pitch perfect, and the humour nearly always strikes the right note. Between Schafer's writing and Black's turn as roadie Eddie Riggs you're going to be giving many a hearty chortle in the game's frequent cutscenes. Especially outstanding are the facial expressions of the characters, which convey the humour and emotion as effectively as the dialogue itself. There's also the amusing live sequence that leads you to the excellent title screen depicting a picture of a Brütal Legend LP with Black's fingers tapping impatiently on either side. So we know that the game's concept and humour is right on the money. For Schafer fans that should be more than sufficient reason to at least give the game a try. But what of the gameplay?

Just as Brütal Legend is a melting pot of all things metal, it's also a melting point of gameplay types. It utilises the classic open-world structure we've become accustomed to in so many games since GTA 3. A large portion of the enjoyment I derived from the game came from simply driving around the quite superb metal world and picking up collectables (the shrines that give the backstory are especially cool) while mowing down innocent creatures in my 'druid plough' hot rod, listening to Mastodon, throwing up the devil horns whenever I could spare a hand.

There's also the third-person combat. On one hand it’s kind of slow and cumbersome, but on the other hand you are a bulked up roadie. Your mighty axe is your close-up melee weapon, while strumming the guitar functions as a ranged attack. There are a few combos to learn and a modicum of prioritising involved in which guitars and axes you use. The combat is satisfying in a plodding, deliberate way but you're really just going through the motions when dispatching the bad guys.

The Batmobile gets taken for a joyride

Once you reach a certain point in the game you'll switch from carrying out basic 'point A to point B, kill guys' type missions to epic 'stage battles'. These are interesting in that they mesh RTS elements with the game's regular combat. Your base is a giant stage, and your resources come in the form of fan geysers, upon which you can build merchandise stands. The headbangers and pig-gun-wielding girls become your melee and ranged units, the Lemmy-led bass bikies healing units, and so on.

Your role is really to just pick which units to generate and tell them where to stand and what to attack. Where Brütal Legend injects its own flavour is that Riggs grows a pair of wings that allow you to fly freely above the battlefield, but you can also drop to the ground at any time to assist in the fight and perform co-op moves with your units. It's also from here that you can execute Guitar Hero-esque attacks and unit buffs, which are handy in influencing the fight (just wait till you see the Zeppelin). If you get killed you'll respawn, paying for it in fans, but all is fair; your opposing general stalks the battlefield too, and can be temporarily taken out just like you.

The stage battles really drive the bulk of the latter half of the game (which seems to come to an end all too quickly). Are they fun? To a point. Those not familiar with RTS styled gameplay might struggle with the learning curve. There's satisfaction to be had in throwing the imaginatively designed units into combat, and even more from throwing yourself down into the fray to help out. But there's really not any strategy required beyond rushing your opponent's merch stands, and if strategy was required, the game's controls are too broad and blunt to carry out precise work with ease anyway.

Stage battles also form the game's online multiplayer, which allows you to choose from three sides; one being the side you take in the single-player game, using units you'll be familiar with. The other two are the sides you'll be fighting in the game, who for convenience we'll just call Team Emo and the S&M Guys.

Overall, Brütal Legend's gameplay is enjoyable, but never exceptional. The best parts of the game aren't what you're doing with the controller, but the story and the world you're thrust into. In a sense the strength of the concept carries the gameplay. The same mechanics in another game probably would have been dull, but in a world as straight out fun as Brütal Legend's it works. So while this means that Brütal Legend may not quite reach the classic status of Grim Fandango and Psychonauts, which compiled concept and gameplay with equal panache, it is still a title well worth playing thanks to Schafer's sizable creative talents.

Methane backfire = nasty

Interesting fact: There are more than a couple of notable metal musicians voicing the game's characters; you've got Ozzy Osbourne himself as the Guardian of Metal, Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister as the 'Killmaster', and Judas Priest's Rob Halford as glam villain General Lionwhyte. In a slightly confusing turn, The Runaways' Lita Ford voices Rima, but the name of character Lita Halford (voiced by Kath Soucie) was taken from her and Rob Halford's names. Kyle Gass shows up too… you'll know him when you see him.