Review - BROFORCE - If you want to live, hasta la vista!
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| Now I have a machine gun...AND I'm ridin' a wild pig. Ho ho ho! (there'll be lots of 80s/90s movies references in this review! Can you find them all?) |
This testosterone-filled trailer will turn any shemale feminist into Andre the giant mixed with a hairless Russian bear... Oh wait, some of them do look like that though.
This thing is so awesome that biceps grew on my biceps.
Now gimme some sugar, baby.
| Store | Platform | OVERALL RATING: 88% |
| Buy it on GOG | PC |
+ THE POSITIVE
- Lovely 16-bit pixel art- Destructible environment - Mega-intense action - Very good replayability - Perfect for speedrunning
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THE NEGATIVE
- Insanely hard at times- You can't choose your Bro! |
| Buy it on Playstation Store | PS4 |
THE MOST AMERICAN GAME EVER MADE
Broforce is the manliest 2D shooter/platformer ever made.
It was made with pure bio ingredients only, manliness and testosterone, in a new programming language called Balls++.
BROFORCE IS THE METAL SLUG OF THE 2010s.
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| Just take a fuc**** look at the menu and hear that piercing eagle screech, it'll turn you into an American. A deaf one, but at least a true American. |
What's the story? What do you need a story for anyway?
There are "evildoers" threatening the world, and we have to call the "BROFORCE", a big bunch of retar- I mean hot-blooded over-powered oily bodybuilders carrying BIG guns, and you'll need it, cos you'll encounter BIG enemies. With little brains.
"The people from this country, look, speak, and act differently to us. Let's move fast, bros!"
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| Fockerize them! They're messing with the wrong guys. BIG MISTAKE. |
As a Broforce member, you might be wondering, "so why don't you use the regular army? What do you need us for?" Well, I'll tell you, you son of a b****, cos some damn fool accused you of being the BEST.
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| The very first level, where it all began. A perfectly peaceful country before you bring them freedom and happiness the Murican way. Don't mind the skulls and spines attached to the trees, it's just to amuse tourists. |
Anyway, get your balls re-attached and get ready to play dozens of different "bros" in this "run ‘n’ gun", and eliminate whoever opposes your freedom and way of life.
They're the disease and you're the cure!
Satan: "Here, have some beers in Val Verde, Matrix. It'll give everyone a little more time with your daughter."
Brommando: "You're a funny guy, Satan. I like you. That's why I'm going to kill you last."
You'll have at your disposal tons of unique ridiculously over-powered weapons(almost as devastating as the Russian Overkill mod for Doom), and you'll also be able to use environment to your advantage and set off chain reactions of various freedom-spreading napalm bombs and various other cute chemicals not approved by the Geneva Protocol.
In this trailer, you'll see all of the bros you'll be able to play throughout your freedom campaign =>
All pixel art chibi versions of action movie heroes of the 80's and 90's!
You'll recognize Rambo, John Matrix from Commando, Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee, Dirty Harry, Danny Trejo, John McClane from die hard, The Terminator, Predator, Ash from Evil Dead, Conan the barbarian, and MANY more! There are 35 available bros!
And every one of these alpha males get their own unique weapon(based on what weapon they used in their movie) and also a secondary attack, which may be a grenade, a gas, an airstrike, or a special skill like camouflage!
(don't underestimate the melee attack too, VERY important if you don't want to be "stealthy"!)
Each level will start with a random bro and you can only switch characters (again randomly) when you rescue hostages!
"When Chuck Norris turned 18, his parents moved out."
I tell you though, this list is missing a few characters.
What do you think of Al Bundy, the shoe salesman hero from "Married... With Children" series?
Let's call him Al Brody or something like that.🤣
Although the biggest widow-maker who is missing is Kenshiro (Kenshibro sounds so good though!🤣) from Hokuto no ken.
But I heard that the other bros were afraid of him and thought he was too insensitive.
Anyway, there's been countless requests to add new characters in the Steam forums. 😄
GAMEPLAY - RANDOM RAMPAGE
The hysterical gameplay blows away every 2D action game released since a LONG time.
Controls are perfect and are reminiscent of the best platformers ever made in the 90s, like Kid Chameleon on the Megadrive.(my personal favorite platformer ever)
Actually, it's a nice comparison, since, in Kid Chameleon, you can also play different characters with unique gameplay styles throughout any level.
Comparing it to Streets of Rogue isn't too far-fetched either, with its dozens of different characters.
The two main modes are campaign and arcade.
I felt the arcade mode was the best because there were no cutscenes.
In such a frenetic game, you don't want to interrupt your gun talking, that would be rude.
In Murica, guns talks first, people second. 🔫😊
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| Look at the number of possibilities in this insane map! What will you do first? (if I were you, I would kill the guy on the left with a ! above his head) You can save one of your bros in the lower left... Destroy the environment to the right and the explosives to make it crumble underneath the terrorists...(suicide bombers will explode on landing, destroying even further the environment)... And don't forget the rising underground elevator thing filled with more terrorists... You won't get bored with Broforce, that's for sure. |
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| Dead or dead, you're coming with me! |
The first thing that comes to mind is that environment is destructible!
And this leads to very "exciting" moments, believe me.
Random liberated civilian: "you call this exciting? You destroyed my country, you motherless ****!"
Random Bro: "Look at the bright side, Ching Chong! At least your grand-kids will get awesome video games out of this!"
Whatever character you end up with will be able to wreak fierce havoc upon terrorists and turn the entire map to crumbles, if that's what it takes to liberate people.
Even better, destroying the environment isn't just for the fun of sheer mayhem, but can also be used to escape from a too dangerous situation.
How? Just dig yourself a horizontal hole underground with your gun and avoid enemies! 😄
I won't say that the game can be played stealthily, that's for sure (although I'll write something about this in the next part), but you can avoid LOTS of killings if you really wanted to.
Of course, that wouldn't make you a true American, though. 😁
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| Get out of here FAST! By the way, don't worry about your bros, they can't be killed by explosions as long as they're still in their cages! |
Also, Broforce is a bit similar to hardcore platformers as Super Meat Boy(or the more recent Celeste) because it'll force you to trial and error your way through it, MANY times. Yes, you'll die a lot, you won't be able to avoid it.
I made the mistake of playing the game with Chuck Norris' keyboard, which doesn't have an escape button.
Just kidding, I played with my beloved Logitech F310, and I really suggest you do the same. This game is made to be played with a gamepad.
TIP!
If you hold the melee button, you'll throw your enemy, whether they're dead or alive! Try that on the suicide terrorists, they'll explode right after landing on the ground!
But make sure to reach him first without alerting him... he he
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| "Stay thy hand, fair prince!" "Who said I'm fair?" |
Finally, I really want to emphasize the fact that in my opinion, BROFORCE IS THE ULTIMATE SPEEDRUNNING GAME.
I think it's the best way to enjoy the game to its fullest frenzy madness.
I remember speedrunning this game even in the first free alpha versions released YEARS ago, because it just felt natural to me. The game is DESIGNED for this.
Going from a platform to another while avoiding getting shot, using skills occasionally to speed up even further, to finally reach Satan and bash his brains in is one of the most satisfying things I've ever done in a video game.
Well, all of this is very cute, but...
Unfortunately...
THIS IS A MAN'S MAN'S WORLD
Ok, this game has some problems though.
First, every character has just 1 HP. Yep, you're supposed to be the biggest bad-asses in the world but you die in one hit only. You ain't got time to bleed.
Your enemies? They need several hits to die. Somebody explain, please.
Secondly, the levels with continuous airstrikes are extremely unfair, unpredictable, and way too hardcore in general.
Missiles drop VERY fast and many times, you won't be able to avoid them.
In such levels, I tend to go slow and try to free as many bros as possible, since speedrunning always gets me killed.
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| Damn airstrikes are one of the most annoying features of the game. Seeing this reminds me of my first airstrike in Worms United. *tears of nostalgia* |
Another HUGE problem is that you won't get to choose which bros you play.
Nope, NEVER.
After you die, you'll always respawn as a different character in the exact spot you died.
And VEEEEEERY often, you'll be forced to play a character which is completely incompatible with the way the level has been laid out.(some people have even been complaining that there were too many bros.)
Let me explain.
For example, in one level, I had only the bro with dynamite, MacBrover, but lots of kamikazes kept running at me way too fast for me to be able to stop them.(and yes, right from the start too!)
The fact that you can't select your bros makes you totally unable to plan a speedrun, for example.
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| Good example of gameplay design problem. (SPOILER) This boss can be killed ONLY by destroying the ground until he falls to his death. Problem: my character(Bro Hard) can't do it. My grenades are in fact like sleeping gas grenades... And I can't shoot down, remember? What did I do? I only waited for him to destroy the ground himself. |
In a way, it's exciting and feels a bit similar to Rogue Legacy, in which characters are randomly generated each new run.
In another way, it's HORRIBLY FRUSTRATING.
And this time, it's not just at the start of the run that you'll be "assigned" a random bro, but also DURING the run(unless you don't free any hostages), and multiple times, so you'd better learn to play with ALL of them and adjust your gameplay, because the bros all play VERY differently.
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| Playing with your close brolatives is a good idea to make things a bit easier. |
Another little detail...
Having to double-tap left or right to run just doesn't feel good.
The gameplay would have felt way smoother and natural if
- 1) we could get an "always run" option.
or
- 2) we would be able to push a button to run... simple, but not available in this game...
Broforce requires LIGHTNING-fast reflexes, and double-tapping is just problematic in most situations, really. It's the kind of game in which you don't want to lose a 1/1000 second.
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| Get away from me, you BITCHES!!! |
Literally, they're impossible and in some of them, I died 500 times before being able to complete them.
Stealth is one of my favorite genre so I should be happy, but Broforce is simply not designed for stealth.
It seems that most of these levels had just ONE bro available, so, one life to complete the entire level PERFECTLY without getting hit.
Good luck. F*** me.
Thanks god, these levels are very limited though.(I think I played only 2 or 3...)
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| Here's how NOT to play stealth. |
thanksfully!), and stupid unfair design choices, also called "artificial difficulty".
All in all, this game is EXTREMELY unfair and often feels like it was made for hardcore gamers.
Broforce will give you a war you won't believe.
It's actually one of the games that made me rage-quit the MOST in my entire life.
I have a love/hate relationship with it. Okay, much more love than hate though.😜
Oh well, maybe there's a reason to all of this...
GRAPHICS: THE NEW METAL SLUG!(almost)
I know I ALWAYS mention these games, but they're really the benchmark of pixel art when it comes to 2D action games.
I just LOVE the way Broforce looks, it has a "refreshing" color palette and belongs in the 90s, and I mean it in a GOOD way.
Back then, artists knew how to make a sprite alive with a few frames.
They knew how to make a convincing forest with a dozen of pixels.
Broforce is one of those games.
When you at it closely, you realize that everything is made of only a few pixels, and yet the whole thing looks so good!
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| Brochete (Danny Trejo) makes skewers(which is actually the word "brochette" in French!) of his enemies! |
Broforce backgrounds aren't as incredibly detailed as the Metal Slug games, but many enemy sprites sure are! Just take at look at this giant chopper!
Animation wasn't left behind and looks pretty good as well.
Whether it's the liberating explosions, the freeing fire, or the guns, which feel themselves like alive entities, everything pumps you up in this insane fire rampage!
Broforce is a piece of art, love, and "manlitude".
Yippee ki yay motherf*****!😁
MUSIC AND SOUNDS - HAIR GREW IN MY EARS
You're starting to know me now, I'm extremely hard to please when it comes to music, and Broforce is no exception.
The hard-rock tracks are definitely great, and I love especially the little guitar solo at the end of every level!
I wish one of the bros was a guitar-waving metalhead or something, it would be very fitting, I think.
Such tracks are unfortunately very scarce...
The actual gameplay music barely has any melody, and relies exclusively on extremely strong real percussion instruments, which end up sounding repetitive and primitive.
(I heard that the developers asked Chuck Norris to come over, and when he stared at the drums, they started playing themselves.)
But seriously, I think the composer missed a good opportunity to revive the 80s decade goodness, in which, on the contrary of what many people think, music composers didn't use that many synths, but real philharmonic orchestras(recent video though) instead!
Anyway, here's a good example of how most of Broforce OST sounds like =>
See, it's not too bad, right?
But now imagine playing with Predator OST instead(which is what I did😎) =>
This fits the game SO well it sounds like it was made for it.
(Like it? Get it on Amazon!)
Then again, you can also try Rambo 2...
Wait, I found the BEST!....
STARSHIP TROOPERS + BROFORCE = ULTIMATE BADASSERY
Starship Troopers is the only 90s movie that is more manly than the 80s.😅💪
(Get the OST on Amazon!)
By the way, if you haven't watched it already, do yourself a favor and go watch it NOW as it's one of the top 5 action movies ever made, and also sadly completely misunderstood.
Oh, also, this website uses a Starship Troopers Easter Egg... He he can you find it?
Anyway, these soundtracks sound infinitely more bad-ass than the simple percussions Broforce ost is made of.
On the other hand!
The sound effects are top-notch and almost match the quality level of action movies, which is quite surprising!
I usually say "16-bit graphics require 16-bit sounds", but this is one of the few cases that proves me completely wrong easily.
The realistic sounds are a pure delight(this is the exception) and your satisfaction wouldn't be the same when you blow up the world to smithereens with your rocket launcher if the sounds had lower sample rates
Dirty Harry Magnum 44 sound is ORGASMIC.
BONUS!
Now you bunch of fag**** get yourself a body bag, and watch the REAL hidden trailer of Broforce!(what? It would be funny! 😅)
Although this version might be even better.
🤣
Oh! Finally, I almost forgot, if you want to "try" Broforce before buying it, a good idea is to try "Expendabros", a free spinoff!
Basically, it's like getting a demo version of Broforce.
🌼HAPPY ENDING🌸
Brommando: "Just bodies. Alright, Jenny, let's go back to our normal life now, hand-feeding cute deers and carrying 3000kgs sequoia trunks!"
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| Say hello to my morning wood! |
Satan: "I'll be back! You'll hear from me!"👺
Lily: "No, we won't." *shoots a bullet to his head*😋
RATING BOX
 
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(VERSION TESTED: Update 19-07-2017)
Publisher:
Developer:
Release Date:
15 October, 2015
1-4 PLAYERS
Difficulty: Easy at first, then becomes impossible unless you're Chuck Norris
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| GRAPHICS: 93% | |
| All levels with no exception are extremely pleasant to look at, and have an "organic" feeling, despite the minimalist character design. (maybe the "organic feeling" comes from the amount of guts I spilled everywhere though...Hmmmm...😕) |
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| MUSIC: 77% | |
| Brutal mix of hairy hard-rock(hey we said "hard-rock" in the 80s, not metal, alright? lol) and sweaty orchestral percussions. Nothing sounds as good as the original movies OSTs this game is inspired from though. |
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| SOUNDS: 94% | |
| Get some big-ass speakers and you've got a 2D game with a big-budget action movie sound! Now THIS does sound even better than 80s movies. (if you watched them on VHS, of course...😅) | |
| GAMEPLAY: 87% | |
| The insanely satisfying firepower you've got in your hands is unparalleled in the 2D gaming universe.(not even the Metal Slug series is as brutal) Unfortunately, some level and gameplay design choices can turn your world into a world of pain as early as mid-game. |
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| OVERALL RATING: 88% | |
| Broforce is one of the best flawed games I ever played. It's frustrating, infuriating, and unfair in most situations, but the sheer action madness and satisfying shooting mixed with perfect platforming will make you come back to it for a LONG time. Not a perfect game by any stretch, and yet the best shooter/platformer since the Metal Slug series. Play this game for Murica! |
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