Welcome back to The Backlog. We’re back from a winter break that felt way too short. After the final exams from last semester, I coped with my subpar grades through eating, sleeping for 12 hours straight and playing video games for the other 12 hours of the day. This month we will be reviewing games based on the word “fight.” This category encompasses the vast majority of games, but one that I believe truly encompasses the word is “Brawlhalla.”
Created by Blue Mammoth Games and published by Ubisoft, “Brawlhalla” was initially released in 2014 as an early-access game on Steam. Later it was fully released in 2017 and can be found on the vast majority of consoles, PC and mobile devices. The free-to-play fighting game is simplistic yet addictive to those who feed off of competition and find happiness in the suffering of others.
Those who do not know what the platform fighting game genre encompasses may be more familiar with some of its bigger titles, such as “Super Smash Bros.” or “Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl.” These are games with a 2D stage, in which many players can duke it out with a variety of characters, each having their own abilities and limitations. There usually isn’t a cohesive story element in fighting titles, as in “Brawlhalla” all the lore is located in each character’s description. Essentially, each character has their own tale and wound up in Valhalla; where they can battle worthy opponents forever.
The gameplay is simple and easy for newer players to learn. I’ve become accustomed to playing the game on the PS5 with a controller. I have used a keyboard but I feel that it goes much smoother with the controller. “Brawlhalla” is the perfect game for those who have guests in their home. Local matches can have up to four players, and more if you include online players. Though they usually say the more the merrier, it can quickly become a chaotic slugfest as you have to dodge attacks and avoid falling off the stage.
What makes “Brawlhalla” so familiar however is the fact that it has become a big game for esport players. They regularly hold online tournaments pitting the most skilled against one another. The prizes are often large sums of money, which would motivate anyone to compete. However, these tournaments aren’t the only way to compete: A good way to master one or a few characters is to go through the ranked battles which can be done as a 1v1 match, or you can invite a friend and compete in 2v2 matches. There certainly is a big difference in how you play if you are doing so with a friend; friendly fire is on so there have been many instances where I almost knock out my partner in real life because they accidentally knocked me off the stage.
What keeps drawing me into the game is the fact that it is updated often, not just with skins or customizable features, but with new characters and mechanics. An example of this is the plethora of items that can be obtained. The main category of items are weapons that correspond to each character’s arsenal. The others are gadgets which have a variety of effects. Some are as simple as a bomb you could throw, or a horn that summons your sidekick who drops a weapon. The developers regularly experiment by introducing new gadgets and seeing how players respond. Recent additions have been the boomerang and the sticky bomb.
Although “Brawlhalla” is free, there are many in-game purchases available, so much so in fact that I find it takes away from the heart of the game a bit. You can earn currency in-game but there is another currency that is pretty much tied to real money. While I don’t feel the need to collect every single skin for each of the characters, it is tempting since they regularly release crossover skins. A character that I use (and therefore refuse to use anyone else) is Diana, a monster hunter who wields a bow and blasters. A crossover skin for Diana that I use a lot is Lara Croft, the protagonist of the famous “Tomb Raider” franchise. Skins and other customizable features are indicators of those who spend a lot of time playing, although this could be deceptive since I have run into many players who use the default skins and still destroy me in record time.
“Brawlhalla” is a polished experience and I haven’t encountered too many issues, the only complaints would be against other players who are too good at killing me by pushing me off screen. Yet, I find that it doesn’t do anything too inventive — not that it needs to. It is very friendly for esports competitions but that is all it is; it lacks a compelling casual experience. For most players, it’s just a good way to mindlessly pass time without having to think too hard about your moves.
Rating: 3.5/5