Metal music seems to have a bad reputation among the general population. When someone thinks metal, they usually think greasy-looking men screaming bloody murder into a crowd of even more greasy-looking men. But metal surprises all of us by being the cornerstone of a game so unforgettably amazing that it will even make the pop fans let their hair down and rock out over Double Fine’s newest videogame, ‘Brutal Legend’.
The game tells the story of Eddie Riggs (the game’s player character), a roadie who fears that heavy metal is dying, until a fantastical beast transports him to a mystical alternate history where heavy metal suffers under the tyrannical rule of the evil Lord Deviculous. Eddie must free this world and its inhabitants from the demon reign, but to do so he is going to need all his roadie skills, and he is going to need an army.
Brutal Legend is a game that is hard to define, mixing several different game play styles from open-world action-adventure, to vehicular combat, to real-time strategy (although this element can feel significantly downplayed at times). While Double Fine pulls off these combinations well, there is a certain degree of annoyance that pokes through during the most intense moments. Many games have employed the beat em up attack style that Brutal Legend uses, and the vehicle controls can be exasperatingly difficult to master; but really the game is so amusing and original those minor flaws can be overlooked.The command-style battles are certainly different from the standard ‘every man for himself’ multiplayer games, but that doesn’t make the experience any less enjoyable. Here players can choose to lead any of the game’s factions, giving them a chance to play on the evil side. Up to eight people can join the fight online with four on each side. Multi-player can be a great bonding experience, especially for those who thought they had nothing in common with their metal loving friends.
Brutal Legend is a game that is hard to define, mixing several different game play styles from open-world action-adventure, to vehicular combat, to real-time strategy (although this element can feel significantly downplayed at times). While Double Fine pulls off these combinations well, there is a certain degree of annoyance that pokes through during the most intense moments. Many games have employed the beat em up attack style that Brutal Legend uses, and the vehicle controls can be exasperatingly difficult to master; but really the game is so amusing and original those minor flaws can be overlooked.The command-style battles are certainly different from the standard ‘every man for himself’ multiplayer games, but that doesn’t make the experience any less enjoyable. Here players can choose to lead any of the game’s factions, giving them a chance to play on the evil side. Up to eight people can join the fight online with four on each side. Multi-player can be a great bonding experience, especially for those who thought they had nothing in common with their metal loving friends.
What really makes the story of Brutal Legend work is the astonishing amount of characters that Double Fine created and the voice actors behind them. You expect a fine performance from actors Jack Black (Eddie) and Tim Curry (Deviculous), but it’s the musical talent that steals the show. Heavy metal artists aren’t known for their acting skills, but for the most part they really aren’t acting in the game: they are just being themselves, and it works. From Lemmy Killmister’s mumbled comments to Ozzy Osborne’s surprisingly humorous witticisms, their words feel natural because in a way the game is their home away from home. An honorable mention should go to Lita Ford, who had to voice an entirely original character, and did a surprisingly good job of it.
Brutal Legend lives up to its name: there is plenty of delightful gore to be found here, although the cartoon art style softens the effect. Heads are chopped off, blood is splattered, and faces melted, but it is all in good fun. The game is rated M for Mature, so if you are playing you should be old enough to appreciate the violence, but you can choose to turn the gore on or off at any time. That could be a handy feature if you have kids or younger siblings that wander into the room from time to time while you are playing. The same can be done with the game’s harsh language — you’ll even get the Parental Advisory sticker over any middle fingers that are flipped.
Strip away the glitz and glam, and of course, metal, and Brutal Legend is the classic tale of a stranger in a strange land, leading a motley crew of rebels in an uprising against their oppressors (see Army of Darkness or District 9). It is the sort of story we have seen time and time again in books and movies, though this time around the strange land is far stranger, yet comforting for the metal fans who will be playing. It’s outrageous and over the top, while still maintaining just a bit of humanity, even if it is a more goofy, hilarious sort of humanity. Brutal Legend doesn’t take itself too seriously, but honestly the game wouldn’t work if it did.