Graphic Nature – Brütal Legend Review

So what do you get when you mix the mind of Tim Schafer and the talent of Jack Black? How about a world filled with Metal (the music not the stuff made from ore), some pretty funny dialog, and one pretty awesome video game.

Brütal Legend
Playstation 3 and Xbox 360
1 Player/ Online Play
Developer: Double Fine Productions
Publisher: Electronic Arts
ESRB Rating: M For Mature
Price: $59.99

Brütal Legend tells the story of roadie  Edward Riggs who is transported to a world instilled with everything Heavy Metal via his fathers magical belt buckle. The people of this world see Eddie as “The Chosen One” and enlist him to help rid them of  Lord Doviculus who has taken over their world. Through out your journey you will learn what happen to this world and even some things about Eddies lineage that make you question if he was sent here to help or destroy this world.

Pros

The Story – Come on this is a story by Tim Schafer we are talking about here. The man knows how to keep you entertained and laughing. Let alone the fact that it is a world based around Heavy Metal is pretty funny/awesome in itself. Mr. Schafer does an amazing job at working in as many heavy metal references one can think of.

The Cameos & Guest Appearances – Brütal Legend is filled with them and they honestly help make the game enjoyable. Most of them have been knows like Lemmy Kilmister, Rob Halford, Lita Ford, Tim Curry and Ozzy Osbourne. However, there are quite a few cameos through out the game involving some minor characters.

Character Designs – Aside from the guest appearances all the other character designs are interesting. Some of them make you feel like Tim Burton got metal drunk and they had a kid. The designs cover all types of metal giving you a little history ranging from hair metal, goth metal, and nü-metal. Even the non-human creatures have a Tim Burton feel to them.

Graphics – The world of Brütal Legend is absolutely stunning. The terrain all around you has some great detail in it and you can tell a lot of work into it. This is especially when driving around looking for side missions or even during your main missions.

Cons

Switching from Slasher to RTS – Every time this happened I was annoyed. You are running around slashing guys with your axe and calling lighting down from the sky with your sweet flying-V guitar and then next thing you know you are directing an army where to attack. Yes, you can still slash your way through enemies, but you still have to go back into RTS mode and call in reinforcements.

The RTS Multiplayer – When I heard that Brütal Legend was going to feature multiplayer I was excited. Then I went to actually go play it and became very disappointed. To my surprise the multiplayer is based around the RTS part of the game, which in itself is extremely frustrating. I mean honestly that is the best you can do? Brütal Legend has enough characters in it that they can feature a one-on-one fighting game, racing game, or even a straight rock off. Sorry, but dealing with the RTS part was enough for me in the game that I don’t feel like playing it over and over.

Story Length – The main story to Brütal Legend is pretty short and can be finished in day. That is if you don’t get caught up trying to get through the RTS missions (as you can tell I hate them). Once you finish the game you can free roam the world and finish any secondary missions you have left. However, they are nothing but little task that play no part into the main story. The only reason I can see going back and finishing them is if you are after achievements or trophies.

Overall, Brütal Legend is a pretty fun game while it last. The story, voice work, and design are the real foundation for this game. However, they aren’t enough to make you want to revisit this game once you finish it. It honestly seems like a game you rent or borrow from a friend and then never look back.

Tim Schafer created something amazing here, but it just comes off as a novelty.

3 out of 5 stars