If Rampage were an isometric game, and if its cast consisted of an armoured battalion featuring mechs rather than giant mutant animals, you might end up with Brigador. This is a little convoluted, I know, but it’s difficult really to compare Brigador to anything currently on the market. I’ve heard comparisons made between it and the earlier MechWarrior games, or it and Syndicate; but these are surface comparisons. And they’re comparisons we had to hop back over a decade to make. But is this due to innovation, or outdated mechanics? I took to the early access copy on Steam to find out.
The gameplay is very simplistic, with the mech’s legs moving on a swivel with what are usually reserved for strafe keys. Though ‘W’ and ‘S’ still provide forward and backward movement respectively. This does take some getting used to, however, especially given the isometric camera angle. It’s a bit like moving around in an early Silent Hill game except instead of walls, you run into – and destroy – plenty of buildings. Mouse buttons fire primary and secondary weapons and special ability, with the spacebar left to stomp things. This is the extent of game mechanics.
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“If Rampage were an isometric game, and if its cast consisted of an armoured battalion featuring mechs rather than giant mutant animals, you might end up with Brigador.”
So, this should make for an easy game, right? Wrong. Death will reset your progress, and health does not carry between levels. The stellar techno soundtrack is righteously tense, and finishing one of nine districts in the early access to move on to the next with only a sliver of health is a harrowing decision in its own right.
The game looks great, too, for its dated style. Crisp, well detailed models rendered in the fixed camera style are easy to interpret, and bright colours surrounding enemy models prevent them from blending into the sometimes bland city and outskirt backgrounds. Though, the ugly palette of scenery colours do a great job of highlighting enemy units on the battlefield. It’s a difficult balance to strike, but Stellar Jockeys seem somewhere close to hitting the nail on the head with it.
The gameplay is addicting in its challenging simplicity. And hopping on to ramp up a decent score in a couple of districts between real life responsibilities is a breeze to get into. Unfortunately, as of yet, the $19.99 price tag for the early release copy doesn’t exactly feel worth it with what’s currently offered by this version of the game. But, we’re eagerly awaiting what’s to come in later iterations.
*** PC code provided by the publisher ***
