So here goes our first in-depth review, and the game we’ve chosen as our guinea pig? Tim Schafer’s Brütal Legend. This is the game every “metalhead” has dreamt of playing. It is an action-adventure open world game with hints of real-time strategy (RTS).
The game, rated M for “mature,” starts off with the introduction of the main character, Eddie Riggs. Unfortunately, he dies right at the start… But that’s not the end of course, as awesome as that would have been. Then, a little drop of his blood just happens to fall on his belt, in turn transporting him into a unique heavy metal themed land. From there he teams up with a new partner with whom he has a romantic interest in, –and no, it’s not a man– along with Lars and his sister, Rita. Together, they plan to save the remaining humans from Lord Doviculus.
The gameplay goes along smoothly until you reach the RTS elements of the game. This is one of the few complaints we have with this game. It’s something that needs to be left for the PCs. It’s very hard to integrate RTS essentials into a game that uses a controller; a full keyboard and a mouse would make it much easier. Aside from that, the game is great, sometimes you just need to chop something up with a giant axe until it explodes, and that’s a great way to relieve stress
The soundtrack of Brütal Legend is phenomenal; it contains a range of music between classic metal, and more “under-the-radar” metal, while including everything in between. While it seems like it might have been a bad choice to do so, they were able to intertwine each song into what seemed fit. Some of the most famous artists include: Ozzy Osbourne, Motörhead, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Kiss, Mötley Crüe, Slayer, and Megadeth. While the not so famous contain: Racer X, Slough Feg (What?), Mastodon, Anthrax, Metal Church, and many… many more.
Overall, Brütal Legend is a totally swank game… Although the story of the game ends up being incredibly short, and the side missions repetitive, the humor found in there is beyond any other. Although the game might not be worth the $60 it’s sold for, I would definitely borrow it from a friend or rent it if you must. Make sure you have a bizarre sense of humor if you want to play this, but I’m sure you already do…
Photo courtesy of Double Fine Productions and Electronic Arts.
