Over-the-top doesn’t really begin to describe what Broforce has to offer. In fact, I think it would do it a disservice. Because more than anything, Broforce is a parody – one which makes up the game’s narrative, gameplay and very concept. And it’s a damn good one at that.
A 2D pixel action shooter, best compared perhaps to the likes of Metal Slug and Worms, Broforce sees you shooting, exploding, stabbing and flexing your way across various destructible levels (spread over the globe – there’s a simple ‘hub’ of sorts where you pick your levels) as parodies of classic action heroes, before killing the devil and swooping off in a helicopter at the end. You can play as everyone’s favourite Brobocop, Rambro or Brommando (I think I remember those films…), among other dotty incarnations of actual action characters – all with delicious bro-puns for their names (Double Bro Seven has to be my favourite).
Each of the characters comes with a selection of abilities: a main mode of fire, a secondary and a melee attack. Rambro has an assault rifle for his main, grenades for his secondary, and a knife slash for his melee; whereas Brobocop has an automatic/machine pistol for his main, his secondary enables a targeting system – homing in his bullets on anyone you select – and another kind of knife attack for melee. Each character has a unique set-up based on their action hero inspiration.
You may find you prefer certain characters over others, but you don’t get to select your character – which sounds annoying, although that’s really what gives the game its edge. You see, the main objective of the game (or at least the mandatory stated one – you don’t need to do this to progress, though your time will be made harder if you don’t) is to rescue hostages in hostile warzones. Each hostage just so happens to be one of the Broforce, and you will assume their form upon rescue (as well as adding an extra life/respawn). So you could start out as Rambro, and then only 20 seconds into the level rescue a hostage and assume the role of Brominator – having to adapt to his set of abilities. When you rescue a certain number of hostages, you will unlock new Bros and so it goes on – each rescue giving you a random character to play.
On occasions, it can be a tad annoying. Character traits don’t just extend to weapons, but also to speed, jump height and power. The character Cherry Broling, for example, I simply couldn’t get to grips with – her abilities are so wildly different from any of the other characters in that she fires her weapon downwards (from her feet), so you need to be in the air in order to hit anything. So every time my character switched to her, I became slightly worried. On the other hand, it does keep the game fresh and challenging. There are so many amusing and enjoyable characters that it would be a shame if we didn’t get to switch so frequently.
The levels themselves are fairly short, generally speaking (if you’re competent) about five minutes to begin with, then increasing in size and complexity. As already mentioned, the game is set as a 2D side-scroller, but there are plenty of obstacles in the way as well as multiple levels (so a ground level, structures that have ladders going up and down, etc.). Perhaps most importantly, near enough ALL of it is destructible. Think how Worms destruction plays out, then imagine having free reign over the level and being able to fire rockets for ages. Of course, spread out across the level are a variety of enemies – increasing in variety and number as the levels get more difficult.
There are ordinary soldiers that fire assault rifles, bigger goons that fire chain guns, suicide bombers, aliens, zombies…enough to keep things interesting. And there are also boss encounters at the end of each group of levels. These range from battles with a helicopter to giant alien creatures, but all of them are tremendous fun as well as posing stiff challenges. I’ve failed to mention this crucial point so far, but you are insta-killed when you get shot, meaning encounters become quite hectic. With exploding barrels scattered around the levels, objects that can fall when disturbed, spikes, mines, etc., the chances of you being killed are pretty high. But the delight with Broforce is coming out the other end of a huge explosion unscathed.
And that’s not to say there are no tactics involved. You may be inclined to detonate a conveniently placed set of explosive barrels, or a gas tank that shoots up into the air (taking out anyone nearby). You will use each character in different ways, with some getting up close and personal, and with others perhaps keeping your distance for fear of feeling the backlash of your own attacks (as cool as it is to fire a string of missiles into the middle of a group of enemies, if one of them happens to be a suicide bomber and gets thrust in your general direction, you could be in trouble). It’s a subtle kind of strategy, because the game doesn’t particularly look like its complicated or thoughtful, but it does require a deal of skill and planning to win some of the levels.
In terms of gameplay, there’s virtually nothing wrong with Broforce. Sure, it’s a 2D side-scrolling pixel game, so don’t expect anything too intricate; but its gunplay and action are chaotic yet precise. It’s an over-the-top game and delights in that, which in turn delights the player. If I had to pick out a few flaws however, some of the encounters towards the end of the game can be frustrating for all the wrong reasons – running sections for example, where you are being chased by something that kills you if it catches you.
The game doesn’t have the precision or flow of a tense platformer like Super Meatboy, so it was always going to feel a bit odd during gameplay such as this – the random character selection doesn’t help in these sections either, as some of the Bros are better adapted to running and jumping. Range is also a bit of a weird point for Broforce. Each character has a different range with their weapons, but almost all of them are lacking in comparison to the enemies. This doesn’t have a particularly negative impact on the game – if anything, it encourages you to press on and creates hectic encounters – but it can be annoying when you pop your head up seemingly out of range of your foes and one of them takes a pot-shot and starts your run all over again.
Otherwise the game does pretty much everything it should. It’s quite literally a blast to play. It has the humour down, the exhilarating precise combat and level design, the enemy variation, and not to mention a plethora of content to get stuck into. It may have only taken about four hours for me to complete the main story, but then there is a level editor, player created content, and harder difficulty modes (including Iron Bro mode – an Iron Man mode, if that needed spelling out). This is definitely a recommendation, even if the 2D aspect might usually put you off – if an over the top Metal Slug/Worms hybrid sounds like your cup of tea, then go for it, I don’t think you’ll regret it.