Developer: Angry Mob Games
Publisher: Angry Mob Games
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Tested on: PS4
Brawlout – Review
Nowadays we have clones of many popular games, all of them trying to steal a piece of the success of the original game. While many games have uninspired clones that feel like a cash grab, there are those that try to work with the source material and then give it their own unique spin, making it something different entirely while still respecting the basics of the original. Today we have Brawlout on the menu, which is pretty much a copy paste of Smash Bros, with a decent amount of characters, albeit fairly unknown ones, safe for the leading character of Guacamelee, Juan and the known duo from Yooka-Laylee, obviously being Yooka and Laylee. These two playable characters (Yooka-Laylee is a duo like in its original game) make an interesting concept, too bad the game itself left us wanting a bit more.
Story
The game comes without any story related content, making it somewhat hard to get in touch with the roster of characters. When playing the arcade mode you do get a small exchange of cheesy one-liners, but that’s pretty much all you will have to work with. Overall it’s not really a flaw that you don’t really have any plot in this game, but it would have been nice if the characters came with a proper background to get to know them in one way or another.
Graphics
Brawlout looks colorful, appealing and does have that Smash Brothers vibe because of how things look. The characters have a cartoony appearance, the arenas all look a bit on the simplistic side, but they look decent and likeable enough for you to get your brawl on. The special effects and skills also look a bit more on the basic side, as they lack the flair that the moves in the Smash Bros series have. Nonetheless, the game looks fairly good, and the characters all look diverse enough to make sure the game doesn’t become too bland.
Sound
Again things feel a bit underwhelming in this department as the soundtrack is looped constantly in the menus, which can become quite frustrating if you run the game in the background. Other than that, the soundtrack is ok, but never becomes really memorable. The sound effects do the trick, but also the characters lack a bit of a punch that would make them stand out from the bland background tracks, or simply make them more appealing and in many way ‘alive’.
Gameplay
Brawlout is a fighting game that copies the gameplay from Smash Bros. This means that the fighting system isn’t conventional, but you’ll actually have to inflict as much damage to your opponents, which will make them weaker, making it easier to knock them off the arena, rather than simply deplete your enemy’s HP bar. The game allows two to four players to take part in each battle, be it free for all, or team related battles. You can opt to play the arcade mode, play with friends locally or duke it out online. Things stay basic, but that’s probably one of the best aspects of this title, that everyone can easily pick up the game and play to their heart’s content.
The controls also feel the same as its source material. You’ll have a button for your basic attack, a button for skills, which alter when you press the button in combination with a different direction, and other than that you can jump or dodge and use a rage attack. The rage system can both serve as a combo breaker, or simply to dish out more damage, depending on how full your rage meter is when you decide to activate it. Overall the controls fit the bill.
While the gameplay doesn’t really differ that much from the Smash Bros series, you’ll start off with a tiny cast of characters. The game will somewhat force you to play with different characters, in order to level them, unlock new characters, unlock skins, etc, rewarding you for trying out all the game has to offer. While initially this may feel a bit annoying, it’s actually great to try out different characters, learn the basics, and simply play the game alone or with friends. Your friends can also level up the characters, so you can actually work together to unlock all the content the game has to offer. Overall it would have been nice to have a few more known characters thrown into the mix, like Juan and the Yooka-Laylee duo, but we reckon that’s not an easy task for an indie studio.
Conclusion
Even with its flaws and somewhat uninspired gameplay, Brawlout is a fun alternative for Smash Bros, for those gamers who don’t own any of Nintendo’s consoles. The gameplay remains simple, yet complicated enough for you to experience a proper learning curve. While the unknown cast of characters may not be that appealing, you’ll be able to unlock enough characters for you to find the one that suits your playstyle. While we still recommend playing the source material, we can easily say that this game will also be a fun way to spend your evening.
Brawlout - Review,
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