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Review

Strange Brigade Review

Will you join the fight?

Cooperative shooters have really burgeoned in popularity this generation, with a myriad of titles adding co-op play as a supplementary or using it as foundation for the game’s appeal. Rebellion’s Strange Brigade is the former, being built around a tightknit co-op performance that sees players fending off hordes of undead Egyptian monsters for the common cause. It’s familiar and it’s fun, but it’s as one-dimensional as a cooperative third-person shooter can be. It’s disappointing given the game’s premise is pretty neat, and the 1930s comic shtick is well crafted.

This is what happens when you don’t slip, slop, slap

The story mode plot is fairly straightforward, you play as one of four secret service (aptly named the Strange Brigade) heroes tasked with defeating the evil Egyptian queen Seteki, who has risen from the grave after an archaeologist exhumed her cursed remains and unleased her malevolent thirst for vengeance on 1930s Egypt. Thus, beginning a merry-go-round of monster slaying and puzzle solving.

The gameplay itself is rather compelling, albeit slightly on the easy side. The Strange Brigade will deal with waves of enemies in a given area before moving on to the next one. As you progress you’ll be introduced to newer and stronger enemy types, some which will require a bit more force to take down. Occasionally you’ll have to solve a puzzle to unlock a door or path, and those puzzles that aren’t compulsory will usually yield treasures for you to plunder. Eventually the level will hit the zenith and you’ll have to tackle the big cheese, freeing souls Seteki has trapped in the process.

While the game on its merits is fun, the charade becomes tiresome after a while when flying solo (which I spent a majority of the review doing). It’s like kicking the football by yourself – it’s fun for a while, but it’s something much more enjoyable when sharing the experience with someone else.

Hieroglyphics or Wingdings?

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Shooting has a nice arcadey feel to it, with the game not overcomplicating itself with realistic gun mechanics such as recoil and reticle sway. If you’ve played any of Rebellion’s recent shooters then you’ll know what to expect. Weapon variety is a little light on and the weapons themselves don’t feel like they pack a massive punch (I guess it is the 1930s after all), but there’s something satisfying about mowing down a throng of undead mummies with a flamethrower or blowing the skulls off of skeletons (no not Calista Flockhart) with a shotgun at short range. There are also traps located throughout the level that players can activate to take out an approaching mob of monsters.

Each protagonist has their own default weaponry loadout, but this can be changed at one of the level’s many inventory switcheroo points. Players can choose from existing weapons or purchase new ones with gold coinage looted from the Egyptian landscapes. Players can also upgrade their guns with perks found throughout the game, and this is where the guns can be given extra clout. If you thought that the shotgun was good to use before, wait until you can freeze your opponents with the same shot. Furthermore, special weapons can be bought from caches around the world, but they are limited to one magazine of ammunition.

To give our heroes a little more oomph they will be able to use the power of an amulet to deal an extra level of damage, such as a powerful shoulder barge or a homing fiery attack. Amulets are charged by acquiring the souls from fallen enemies, and can take a fair bit of killing to charge up, but their one-hit kill can you get you out of some sticky situations.

There’s plenty of lead to go around

One of the game’s best assets is its quirky and comical narration. Players are accompanied by a commentator of sorts who will natter amusing and witty lines about the Strange Brigade’s predicament, enemies and journey. They provide a good sense of comic relief at times and help sell the game’s overall jocular tone. However, much like the gameplay it can become a little repetitive and just like the Honey Badger’s (Australia’s most recent star of The Bachelor for our international fans) famous one-liners eventually you’ll be sick of hearing the same rib-ticklers over and over again.

Another pleasing aspect is that the game runs without any issue. Minimal loading times and stable framerates ensure that the game is launching in a solid state, unlike many games of today. The visuals are also impressive, with the sandy locales laden with rich detail which true to the material manages to get into every nook and cranny.

For those that want to test themselves in more than just the game’s campaign there’s a couple additional modes that will see you killing Seteki’s cannon fodder with a couple of twists. Score Attack mode will require players to eliminate as many enemies as quickly and with as much style as possible, while Horde Mode will see the Strange Brigade fight off waves of enemies and then faced with how to spend the gold. Players can also find matches online via the main menu should none of their friends feel like battling the Seteki.

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Who knew sand and stone could look this good?

Final Thoughts

Strange Brigade is a strange beast. On one hand it’s a game with gameplay that’s repetitive as playing the same album on repeat over and over again with a story that feels wasted in such a simplistic campaign. But on the other hand it’s mighty fun to play, and really for a game of this ilk that’s all that matters. Plus, the game’s comical tone is worth experiencing, even if it does become rather monotonous along the way.

Reviewed on PS4 Pro / Review code supplied by publisher

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Strange Brigade Review
Bring Out Your Dead
Strange Brigade is a third-person shooter whose fun cooperative elements do its best to assuage its repetitive gameplay.
The Good
Good cooperative fun
Tasty visuals
Humorous narration
Weapon upgrades add some extra muscle
The Bad
Gameplay descends into repetition
Wasted story potential
A little too easy
7.3
Good
  • Rebellion Developments
  • Rebellion Developments
  • PS4 / Xbox One / PC
  • August 28, 2018

Strange Brigade Review
Bring Out Your Dead
Strange Brigade is a third-person shooter whose fun cooperative elements do its best to assuage its repetitive gameplay.
The Good
Good cooperative fun
Tasty visuals
Humorous narration
Weapon upgrades add some extra muscle
The Bad
Gameplay descends into repetition
Wasted story potential
A little too easy
7.3
Good
Written By Zach Jackson

Despite a childhood playing survival horrors, point and clicks and beat ’em ups, these days Zach tries to convince people that Homefront: The Revolution is a good game while pining for a sequel to The Order: 1886 and a live-action Treasure Planet film. Carlton, Burnley FC & SJ Sharks fan. Get around him on Twitter @tightinthejorts

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