Brutal Legend Review Page 2

19 Oct 2009 at 15:59:35 by Tim McDonald
Systems used to review this title: (360)

It all functions, certainly, but it also gets a hell of a lot more confusing when you get into the RTS segments. While the earlier ones are easy enough, the difficulty ramps up quickly, and when you start taking on the goth-inspired Drowning Doom faction an almost insane amount of micromanagement is required to counter certain units, like the bloody Reapers, who will cut your entire army to shreds if you aren't both quick and careful. In cases like this, you again realise that RTS games on console just don't work quite as they should – micromanagement isn't the major focus of the game, with huge, sweeping army movements more the centrepiece, and it's on the occasions where you're forced to micromanage that the game falls apart a bit.

There's also a general lack of feedback in these sections. When you're losing hordes of units, it's occasionally hard to figure out why you've lost them. You've got an icon pointing out that your Razor Girls are under attack, or that one of your precious Merch Towers (the buildings you construct to obtain fans) has been destroyed, but the fact that the game requires you to drop down to Double Team with units or fend off foes manually means that you miss out on a lot of the big picture. There are only two or three missions where it's a huge problem, but it's a constant annoyance.

For that matter, there are a few incredibly scrappy levels. I loathe levels that require you to play through, get to a certain point, and then get utterly demolished when the conditions change because you needed to have planned for them, and there are a few in here. When you get them right, or realise what you're meant to be doing, they feel more like epic races against time. When you first encounter them, they're confusing and irritating.

The rest of the game isn't flawless, either. On its own the melee combat feels a little underdeveloped, although as it's clearly intended both as an aside and a complement to the RTS sections, that's both understandable and forgiveable. The bigger pitfall is that the open world, lovely as it is, feels a bit empty when you're wandering aimlessly. There are plenty of side missions and secrets to find that net you Fire Tributes (the currency used to purchase upgrades for your weapons and vehicle) and you'll see the odd battle going on as you roam around, but despite the character of the world itself, you sometimes feel very much alone. There's a general lack of dialogue when you're exploring. While you can admire the fantastic stylistic touches, it's much more interesting to rocket through them on your way from A to B with the game's metal soundtrack blaring in your ears.

In the end, though, the charm brings it back around. I cannot overstate how brilliant the voice acting and the script are, and it speaks to Tim Schafer's skill as a writer and designer that the game is as touching as it is funny, with characters you will adore – not least down to the exaggerated facial animation with little quirks that made me laugh as often as the dialogue did - and a story that spans trust, betrayal, revenge, love, hate, and oh so much more. It's amazing that all of this sticks to the metal soundtrack, too; the scene that plays out to Mr. Crowley is one of the most cinematic I've seen in awhile, and Her Ghost In The Fog fits perfectly as the music for the following battle. This is speaking as someone who hates that song.

And you know what? Objectively, the game has problems. Subjectively, it's hard to think of something that I've recently enjoyed more. The open-world emptiness strikes mostly after you finish the game, and the frustrations of certain RTS battles can be removed by exploring and getting upgrades as the game goes on, so my advice is this: savour the game. Don't rush through, good as the story is, and much as you might want to see what happens next. Take your time, explore, find the solos, do the side missions, and love every last minute of it.

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