Can this side-scrolling shooter become the next big thing?

Apr 11, 2014 09:40 GMT  ·  By

Side-scrolling shooters with pixelated visual styles have grown in number in recent years, but few have gone to such a tongue-in-cheek extreme as Broforce, the new title from Free Lives and Devolver Digital, which is currently available as an Early Access game on Steam.

The title promises to deliver short, pixelated adventures in which players control some of the most famous "bros" in pop culture, from Rambo to Chuck Norris, John McLane from Die Hard, B.A. Baracus from The A-Team, and many others.

While the premise is certainly over the top, can the title deliver some worthwhile gameplay or should Broforce stand down? Let's have a quick look.

Broforce is a simple game. You shoot people and they die. You shoot the environment and most of it explodes and dies as well. You shoot to free prisoners and they add to your life counter, each proving different weapons, abilities, and talents.

But what makes the game shine is its presentation. The pixelated style allows for great recreations of action heroes across movies, TV shows, and pop culture with just enough likeness so that you can figure out who they are but enough left to the imagination so that they don't infringe on any copyright. Their names have also been turned into bro-inspired titles, so expect to control Brobocop, Brommando, and many others.

Each has its trademark weapons, from the rocket launcher of the Commando, to the dynamite packs of MacGuyver, or the katana of Blade, so there's a big amount of variety when it comes to eliminating foes in all sorts of explosive ways.

The game is split between different modes, starting with the somewhat traditional campaign, which sees you drop into different levels and bring democracy by killing enemies and raising the American flag whenever possible. There are boss fights sprinkled throughout it and, while some situations may seem a bit hectic or tough, the game is quite fair and balanced on Normal difficulty.

The levels are greatly designed and, thanks to the fact that you can easily climb vertical walls using your knife, you don't have to worry about navigating the complex platforms. Also, seeing as how you can destroy almost all of the environment, you can craft your own paths through it.

There are also a few other modes, including an online co-op one where you can bro it up with others from around the world. A Race experience sees you try to reach the end ahead of your friends, while a deathmatch experience lets you kill one another. Last but not least, an Explosive Run just lets you destroy anything in your wake.

All these modes can also be played locally using up to four controllers or three gamepads and a keyboard. The controls feel good and the only downside is that the character might sometimes fire in the opposite direction despite him not pointing towards that.

Overall, Broforce is a great game even in its Early Access stage. Considering the dedication of Free Lives and Devolver to further improve the game before its full-fledged release in summer, it's one of the best investments on Steam right now.

Check out a gameplay video of the new title below.