Broforce Review (ennemkay)
simultaneously the truest 21st century successor to contra and the best tribute to Gen X action movies in gaming. if it had come out in 2005 (which the technology at the time could have supported), Broforce would have been nominated for game of the year. It's a shame the gaming industry lost its appreciation for 2d gaming for so many years, but I'm glad that era has ended and the industry now recognizes this format is ageless. Broforce is one of the best examples of the format I've seen.
It does a few things in particular really well. First, as a tribute game, it's surprisingly extensive in its coverage of action movie references. I assume because it's a tribute/parody they didn't have licensing issues, because there are at least 30 movies represented. Your character changes at least every 5 minutes, and even after 5 hours I'm still seeing new characters.
Some examples: Commando, Terminator, Conan, Rambo, Alien, Time Cop, Mad Max, Rocketeer, Blade,
Which relates to the second thing I find really special about the game: its variety. Since you play as so many different characters and they each have different weapons and abilities, youre constantly adjusting your technique as you're working through a level. This makes it less repetitive and more addicting, because you never quite spend enough time with one character for it to feel familiar too quickly.
The third major strength of the game is that despite that the levels are totally linear (unlike a metroidvania, for example), the ability to tunnel through arbitrary obstacles gives you a ton of freedom in how you approach the level, and that freedom makes the game really immersive for me, especially compared to other games in the genre.
I also liked the fact that they vary the time of day and weather to add atmosphere to the game. I always appreciate weather changes in a game as it adds an extra dimension to the world, making it feel more substantial. Even when the game is low res and 2d, it still somehow makes the game feel like a deeper experience.
The last thing that warrants a comment is something that may be a strength or a weakness, depending on your taste in games. The game is challenging enough to be interesting, but not incredibly difficult. The bosses are interesting but not difficult to defeat. For me, a 50yo infrequent gamer, they got the formula just about right. It's never frustrating, but never boring either.
Overall, just really glad the gaming industry evolved to a point that games like this started being made again. I can easily say this is one of the best games I've played (and as a Gen X'er my life has spanned the entire history of gaming).
Ahem...freedom...ahem...operation...ahem...buy it.