Among the manliest game designers in the video game industry is Tim Schafer. He is a male alpha among nerds, his career is an unblemished pile of win. Every product that wore his name in the history of video games was synonymous with quality, balls and awesome themes: Pirates(Monkey Island), Bikers(Full Throttle), Death(Grim Fandango), Fucking with people`s mind(Psychonauts) and lately, Schafer challenged his own manliness by trying to tackle the manliest subject of them all...heavy metal.
Yes, Brütal Legend is ambitious! Myself being a crazed fan of Motörhead, Ronnie James Dio and the almighty Sabbath, I put my innocence in front of the integrity of evil and bought the game. I told myself that anyone who lures Lemmy into a video game was a very smart person. The man has been renowned for his integrity to rock n' roll all his life, making him sit in a voice over booth for hours was probably not easy. It could only come from my man Tim. Do Brütal Legend keeps Schafer's streak of win alive? Let`s check it out...
STORYTELLING
Good news folks. Tim still has it. The story revolves around roadie Eddie Riggs, living past his time, having to deal with shitty nu metal bands. One day, Eddie gets badly injured in a stage accident, but blood poored on his mysterious belt buckle summons a vortex and send him to a world powered by the forces of heavy metal. Like a prophet, Eddie teaches the power of the music we, manly mans all loves and bang head to. Just to give you a quick frame of reference, he's like a metal powered Jedi. Metal is the force. But that, we already know.
The tale and specially the dialogues live up to the Schafer standard. It's funny, witty and there is a plethora of references to metal culture. You don't need to be a metal afficcionado to enjoy Brütal Legend, but if you are one of those like me, you will enjoy it a lot more. Eddie is a well defined obscure hero, his quest is epic and you feel a part of it.As the story loses a tiny bit of steam as it goes on, gameplay comes around to save it a little bit, which is the mark of a good game. Especially if the game is story-centric like the ones of Schafer. No, there is no room for boredom in Brütal Legend. Tim Schafer even retains your attention when the campaign is done and you`re doing side missions. The dialogue is just that rich.
NOTE:24/25
GAMEPLAY
I`ll be honest, I had my worries. As I previously said, Schafer`s games are story-centric. Gameplay is usually accessory to the storyline. Most of his previous titles being click and play (I love these bastards), Psychonauts was a well achieved unheralded platformer...and what exactly is Brütal Legend?
It dosen`t have a fuckin' clue of what it`s trying to be. That`s my main complain about that game. I first thought it was a hack and slash a-la God Of War. It turns out the game is an open world sandbox that you can travel in car...and...there is a Real Time Strategy element to it too. The big battles are taking the form of a big rock show, which you control the production of. Fans gets to merchandise boots...they give you money to build buff out your army with headbangers, roadies, fire barons...and all kinds of awesome units that are...not easily controllable. The fact that you can alternate in between combat and RTS during a fight is confusing and can lead to your defeat. It's frustrating and not fun.
But then again...the very strong storyline comes to the rescue and as the campaign progress, you`ll feel compelled to lead the Ironheade army to victory. You'll care about Eddie`s army and the fate of metal. Another complain I have is the design that makes it pointless to do the sidequests starting halfway into the story. You`ll get so far from the main land and navigation gets to mundane that you`ll just want to get it over with. The storyline also does a brilliant job at suckering you into the main campaign. Which would be good if the game would be longer. The game is not dramatically short, but it is short.
Hack and slash element though it well implemented, kept simple and fun. There is few weapons, but many upgrades. Everything you can maul people with is cool. The axe, Clementine-the-guitar...and my heart choice for a video game ride...the deuce. Seriously, this car is so cool that I finished the game at 72% but I'll pop the game in sometimes just to get to ride the deuce around and get 100% completion. When you upgrade it in the Metal Forge (hosted by Ozzy Osbourne), it starts to kick so much ass that the game gets cooler.
NOTE:20/25
PRESENTATION
I'm a bit torn about this element. It`s a pretty unique setting, very original and breathing of metal culture like no other...but...graphics are dating a little bit. Close shots of the protagonists are very disappointing and sometimes break the suspension of disbelief. I got some clipping issues also that made the experience a little less interesting.
Full priced game, not much to do before completing the campaign, but a kick ass story that will keep metalheads enthralled until the end. Is it worth a buy? Yes. Everyone should play Brütal Legend, especially metalheads. But Tim Schafer fans will find that it's an overpriced product and one of his weakest offerings.
NOTES:17/25
AWESOMENESS
What`s not to like about slaying demons with an axe and the powers of rock n' roll? Brütal Legend succeeds at being remembered. Eddie Riggs is an average workmanlike Joe with a passion for his job. It's very rewarding to see this average Joe realizing his dreams and to live out of what he loves. Metalheads will feel compelled at fighting commercialism invasions and Gothic appropriation of their imagery.
The deuce has to bee the coolest thing with that game. It`s the car every video game hero should have. It`s summonable, it has style and it goes fast enough to jump over huge gaps. Don't misunderstand it. The game is flawed but you`ll feel like kicking some ass when pairing up with Eddie Riggs. There is plenty of awesome in Brütal Legend
NOTE:23/25
ACES
-The deuce
-Schafer`s humor
-Soundtrack enhances the fun of the game
FAILS
-RTS Element is clumsy and confusing
-You feel rushed to finish the game
-Jack Black is there, but no King Demon Slayer Ronnie James Dio? KAMAN!
CONCLUSIONS
If you expected something along the lines of Grim Fandango, you`ll be bitterly disappointed. Brütal Legend is not as strong and part of that weakness lies in the fact the game tries to spread out to too many genre and looses focus on it`s target gamer. It's not a bad game by any means, but it raises an interesting question about Tim Schafer`s future...where will he go from there? The lost art of click and play could use some revival. This was a style that was always good to Schafer in the past. Maybe Tim could give a shot at giving the style back his nobility.
NOTE:84%
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