Brawlout review

Reviewed on: PC

A fighting game full of fighters on the screen, mess and little guys flying around: what game does that remind you of??? That’s right, buddy!!! It’s the Smash Bros. franchise. And totally inspired by Nintendo’s hit, Angry Mob developed Brawlout, a platform fighting game that allows up to 4 players at once. Cool? Fun? Worth buying? Come with me and I’ll tell you, and I promise to try not to mention Smash Bros. all the time.

What does Brawlout offer?
Simple and to the point, we are thrown straight into the menu where we have the various game options:
Quick Play
Here you set up a quick little fight, either with friends who are at home with you or against the artificial intelligence. Right away you have 8 characters to choose from (two of them guest characters from other games: Drifter from Hyper Light and Juan from Guacamelee).

Single Player
Here you can enjoy Arcade mode (totally inspired by that classic Mortal Kombat tower). We also have the option of a quick match against the computer, Practice and Tutorial. Practice is essential for learning some combos and not embarrassing yourself during your matches, and the Tutorial is for learning the game’s mechanics (mainly how to save yourself when you are launched out of the arena).

Online
This is the game’s strong point. Online matches against assorted opponents, ranked matches and the option to create a private room. I confess this mode surprised me positively. The game ran well and had few delays during matches.

Tournaments, Store and Brawlout TV
In Tournaments you follow which events Angry Mob has been putting together around the world. In Store you basically buy skins, characters and stages (it’s worth noting that everything can be bought with coins and gems you collect while playing). And in Brawlout TV you follow replays, live streams (even though none ever showed up for me) and can watch your own replays.

Visuals, little tunes and sound effects
The game is pretty and the look, although not at the level of current games, is quite pleasing (everything is very colorful and full of life). The variation in stage design could have been better explored, because even with a different setting, it always ends up feeling like it’s all the same. The music is very cool and manages to follow the game’s pace. I just think the sound effects department left a bit to be desired: in a game of this style it is always good to hear the characters shouting and raging.

Gameplay
Basically all the characters have the same kind of commands. There isn’t a great variety of combos and the like, if only because the game system itself (chaos, brawling and jumping around) doesn’t allow it. There is no block button, the closest thing is the dodge, so with that in mind you are already aware that the game encourages you to charge in without delay (because staying in the corner defending won’t win you matches). And if you play more to win than to have fun, you will have to stay alert to everything: your rivals, who will be thirsty to see you fall, the stage, which can screw you over at some moments, and your health bar.

Speaking of the health bar: it’s the same thing as Smash Bros.!!! In Brawlout the percentage goes up as you take a few punches to the ear, and once it goes above 100% everyone will come at you. On the other hand, when you are red from taking so many hits, Rage mode can be activated and, with it, you can deliver stronger blows to your opponents, so that not everything is lost.

Worth buying?
Brawlout offers a quite fun multiplayer mode and will certainly give you good moments online. The matches last a good length of time and that helps keep it from becoming tiresome. The single player mode is not as interesting and ends up serving only for you to train and get fired up for when you leave the cage and invade online mode. A story mode was also missing, which would make you build more affinity with the available characters instead of just picking one at random because it has the coolest look. But, for an indie game that certainly didn’t have the same budget as any Smash Bros., Brawlout does well and delivers a great product for gamers.

FUN: 7.5
AUDIO AND VISUALS: 7.5
MECHANICS: 8

Review made on the Steam version kindly provided by Angry Mob Games