Last year I got my group this game for Christmas with the intent that we would get together and bust up some mummies, but no one seemed ready to jump any time soon. This is not a shocker as we are PC gamers on Steam, so the idea of a backlog is far from alien to any of us. So when the dice chose it in this time of all things spooky, I decided that it would be ok to go it alone... and go it alone I did.
Now as my mouse rests, I have to say it was a pretty good choice, and while I will not do this again on my own, I will happily go again as part of that team. It was a fun time, but had that spark of just how much more fun it can be if you fight along side your friends.
Story: Welcome to the Strange Brigade, an secret elite team of agents for Britain. Lead by the mysterious leader Lady Webster, you and your three teammates guard the world of the 1930s from the horrors the civilized world simply do not believe exist. And today, your talents are needed more then ever. The unfortunate truth is despite another member of the organization's best efforts, a major archeological discovery was recently unearthed, unleashing the dark queen of Egypt who was once entombed within. Seteki lives again! And now she can begin to enact her evil plans from beyond the grave. What are those plans? How will you stop her? And how can you make sure she will never threaten the world of the living ever again? Tune in to find out!
And I chose that way to put rather deliberately, for the story is played out like a 1930s serial you might expect to see in a movie theater before the main film, complete with a narrator to comment on the events. These episodes (there are 9 of them) will make up your adventure in small chunks that each will take an hour or two to finish up. There are no real twists and turns to this game's story. Rather before you play each episode, you will get a message from Lady Webster on the radio to explain what her researchers have figured out so far and where you are going to further your plans to stop this impending doom from approaching. It's formulaic, but at the same time, the format it's told in molds perfectly for it, making the whole thing a rather solid piece.
In addition there are details you can find in the game in the form of notes you can find as you play, offering insight into things like what Seteki's rule was like or the backstories of our intrepid heroes. These are strictly optional, but can be a fun little window to pause the game for a second and view.
7/10
Graphics: This is a much more modern title then I find myself playing as often as not, and it shows drastically. You will play from a 3rd person perspective as you traverse each of the game's 9 levels, and the world you will traverse is absolutely gorgeous. From lush jungles to sandy deserts to caves and ruins, this game manages to keep a keep everything just looking spectacular, keeping the mood of an adventure across foreign and forgotten lands perfectly.
And the Egyptian motif is never forgotten, even when it takes a temporary back seat (as it will from time to time), as just about everything you face in these glorious lands has a base in the mythology. Mummies and the undead make up most of their ranks, changing up more in how they are equipped then makeup. But that style of variety fits perfectly when your main enemy is damned souls of the undead serving their dark mistress.
And they not only get the look, but the motion as well. The shambling hoard look great in action from a distance until they get close enough to break into a run, all with uneven motion that suggests their nature all the more of things that should not be moving anymore.
It all comes together for a beautifully crafted set of scenarios that live up to what you would expect out of a triple A experience.
9/10
Sound: Musically, this game is a lot more of a standard then anything special. You can expect most of the game to go between ambiance and some light drumming and ominous tones to set the mood with little else outside the world beaming into your ears (ironically sometimes that including the tinny sound of an old radio you might have expected to see in the game's timeframe sitting nearby). Basically you might get some music for boss fights and closed off arenas, but even that really isn't going to happen all the time.
Thankfully those sounds that make up most of the soundtrack actually sound really good. From mummies moaning to skeletons creaking to your weapons cracking off shots, everything is just perfectly balanced here.
Still, these are not the audio parts you will remember. Rather that will be the voice acting. The main cast all sounds good and carry their personalities brilliantly... including the narrator. And while he may not have anything to do with the plot so much as comments, he is effectively the focus here and absolutely perfect! Even going so far as to react to you directly if you manage to annoy him yourself (which I did to my delight).
Overall this is not a game that sounds as good as it looks, but it sounds fine and definitely will bring you a few highlights.
7/10
Gameplay: As noted in the graphical section of this review, Strange Brigade is a 3rd person shooter having you track all across the lands of Egypt, and looks gorgeous doing it. When you start, you will pick one of 4 characters who make up the dynamic team, each with their own equipment and abilities. For example I played the game as Frank Fairburne, a crack-shot sharpshooter who used to be part of Britain's finest on the battlefield before being recruited to the much more secretive and elite world of the Strange Brigade. As such, my playthrough had different available base and upgrade weapons others might have if they picked other team members.
You will gain these upgrades by collecting treasure during your adventures. Sometimes it is simple coin, sometimes relics where your goal is to complete sets. After each mission, rewards will be divided up between you and your team and you will have the option to spend any money you've earned on new weapons, of which you will always carry three: a main weapon, a sidearm, and a thrown device. You can further upgrade most of these by applying gems you find on the way to them, granting things like a faster reload or ricocheting bullets.
But the hardest thing to upgrade is your amulet... this requires you to gain skill points which is why those relic sets are important. You complete one, you get a point.
But yes, I did just gloss over a detail. While I played this game solo, it was not designed for this. Rather you are supposed to go in with up to 3 other players to form a full team and sadly the game will make you suffer if you do not! Simply put this game was balanced for 4 players to be blasting through the hoards of undead, but they don't even give you bots if you go it alone, so expect the crowds to overwhelm you more then they should. Sure the game is still fun and I had a great time, but I couldn't help but lament the fact that none of my friends had the game were giving the game a go and if you don't bring your own, there is likely not going to be anyone to join you out there. The game just didn't take off, so the multiplayer it was designed for is pretty much dead. I also wouldn't say much for replayability this time around. The maps are all standard, so once you've done them, there is little reason to play through the game again unless, of course, you find yourself with a team who wants to go in and needs a 4th.
Still the setups for the hoards are really good in their own right, often giving you interesting maps to lay waste to them in, and the bosses are actually something to behold, giving you several truly unique encounters before the game is through. You may not want to come back after you finish, but you will enjoy your stay while it lasts.
7/10
Bugs: I can say quite happily the only bugs in this game were the scarab swarm you have to shoot down from time to time. The game itself ran like a dream.
Score: Overall I have to say this is a very good game, but one I wish had not slid under so many radars. It's good playing alone, but it just has that "if more people were playing it" energy that stops it from being amazing. It simply needed more players. If you can get a group of friends to join you, this will be a great time as you beat back the undead hoards. Even if you take it on alone, you will enjoy it, but you might need to tone it down due to balance issues.
Either way, this is a trip to Egypt worth taking... but if you can do it as a group, you will get even more out of it.
7/10
System Requirements:
- Ryzen 3 2200G or Intel CPU Core i3-2100
- 4 GB RAM
- NVIDIA Geforce GTX 750 Ti or AMD Radeon HD 7870 (2GB VRAM required)
- 35 GB hard drive space
- Windows 7 or 10 (64-bit only)
System Specs:
- Ryzen 7 (5700X) 3.4 Ghz
- 32 GB RAM
- AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT (8 GB VRAM)
- Windows 11 (64 Bit)
No comments:
Post a Comment