Broforce

- Reviewed on Switch -

Broforce released on October 15th, 2015.

Whilst scrolling through the Nintendo eShop, I came across a particular side-scrolling, platformer, that caught my eye.

Developed by Free Lives, this game I saw was called Broforce. 

The pixel graphic style is a much beloved art path for game design, and Free Lives did an outstanding job with their pixel art, animations, audio, and most importantly, gameplay!

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

Immediately upon booting up this run-and-gun style game, you're greeted with amazing "war like" music and the very patriotic Broforce main menu / logo. 

The American patriotism is everywhere in this title and plays a key role in the main story.

The plot is really simple. You play as various members of an elite, American group of soldiers, whose goal is to eliminate any and all threats. 

These threats include terrorism, hounds, and even the main boss of Broforce, Satan himself.

You can play the campaign either on your own, or with online / local multiplayer.

Into the core gameplay, you know you have a special game on your hands, when you find yourself just craving for more of those satisfying moments in-game!

When you play the main game, you play in the traditional 2D side scrolling fashion. 

You'll start as a random "Bro" and begin your shooting mayhem as you try to reach the end of each level and kill Satan, in order to continue onto the next. 

Humor is a subjective topic and is different for everyone. 

But when I say I found myself laughing out loud to this game, I truly mean it! 

And they weren't one offs either. 

I chuckled throughout my entire time playing this (average) seven-hour game.

One of these humorous moments came from the vast cast of "Bro" characters you play as / unlock. 

Most of them were original concepts (designs), but there were also a handful of, obviously, parodied pop culture icons.

Examples of these "Bro" characters include the Brominator, Indiana Brones, Bro Lee, Rambro, Brolander, and much more!

I mentioned that you have to unlock these characters, and how Broforce designed this mechanic was quite neat.

You play as a randomly selected Bro each and every time you play / die. 

Then, during missions, in order to get extra lives, you have to find and free your ally from cages. 

This will grant you another life, but your current character will change into a randomly selected Bro once more. 

Sometimes these unlocked characters from the cages are already unlocked, but sometimes, their brand new, and thus, will now be in your game's random draft pool. 

Broforce is a one shot and your dead kind of game. 

If you freed Bros, your good to continue from the previously reached checkpoints (which are American flags of course). 

However, there are also special missions on the globe map that you travel in a helicopter on, which have you play as a singular Bro instead (and with only one life).

These missions can be to demonstrate a specific Bros' abilities and such, while another could just be a straightforward challenge.

A prime example of these special missions is the Indiana Brones one, where you had to swing on your whip all over the desert temples.

You'll notice right from the first mission, that the sheer possibilities of finishing a level is astonishing! 

You can truly come up with your own unique way of dealing with the enemy in each mission.

You can either fight them on headfirst. 

Or you can take to the rooftops and parkour to the end. 

Or you can even do my favorite thing, and use your guns to make tunnels underground, skipping portions of the map / enemies, and either setting up traps for them, or getting near the end, unnoticed! 

Along with the campaign, which doesn't really have a specific story, but more of a relative plot topic, you can also choose to play Arcade Mode, New Game Plus, or Versus.

There is one thing about Broforce that is absolutely horrible however (at least on Switch). And that is the load times.

This game is trial and error most times, so your bound to die and fail missions more often than not. 

However, combining this fact, with the other fact that the loading times are abysmal... spells disaster for the Bros. 

If it weren't for the load times, this game would've been a perfect side scrolling title in my opinion. 

This isn't a game breaker in no means though, for Broforce. 

The endless ways of beating missions, the hilarious dialogue / characters, and the gorgeous graphics, animations, and music, makes Broforce a well-beloved game today, and a game I'm so happy I saw on the eShop!

Pros: 

    - Outstanding Gameplay Mechanics / Freedom

    - Very Humorous

    - Vast Cast of Characters

    - Fluent Animations (Even for Pixels)

    - Sound Design is Superb

    - Multiplayer Modes

    - Good Longevity

Cons:

    - Not Much of a Story for the Campaign Mode

    - Horrible Loading Times

My Rating for Broforce (on Switch):

4 / 5

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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.