Okay, I've said this previously in other ways, but I want to share with you about why I think Brütal Legend is a Good Game, and why I think it is Worth Playing. Warning: Opinion follows. YMMV. HAND.
The game was released in 2009, which at the time of writing I guess makes it kind of retro, which I think is appropriate given the heavy metal soundtrack that lifts heavily from what I refer to as Golden Age Metal. Hey, gold is heavy, right? I've never been a metal fan, particularly. But this game introduced me to the best of metal, carefully curated by experts in the field. The soundtrack to this game is nothing short of awesome. More on that in a moment.
The gameplay is... okay. It has aspects of a lot of genres - it's mostly an action adventure third person RPG, but it's also got squad command, driving and racing sim, and real-time strategy elements. It's not as good as the best third person RPGs, and it's not as good as the best squad command game. It's not the best racing sim and it's not the best RTS. But it's okay at being everything that it tries to be. And I think that's enough. It doesn't need to excel at being those things because of its other strengths. And those strengths are these:
It has an amazing backstory, revealed gradually through the course of the game. As long as you hit all the right monuments, you learn the background and how the world came to be the world it is. It draws straight from the "Everything I Know About Storytelling I Learned From Babylon 5" school. It becomes clear that you're really starting the story in the middle, not the beginning. You learn about the beginning as you progress towards the end.
It has excellently written characters. Yes, it's a platform for Jack Black to be Jack Black. But all of the main characters are interesting, flawed, quirky, likeable people that the player has reasons to care about. They make decisions that may confuse the player. They have conflicts, they have resolutions, they have highs and lows, WTF moments, OMG moments, and it is immensely satisfying to experience the story with them. Speaking of which...
It has a well-written and compelling story. It's a story about love and betrayal, about subjugation and resistance, and the struggle and triumph over ultimate evil. Joseph Campbell would like this story.
As previously mentioned, the soundtrack draws from the best of metal with actual licensed tracks from groups like Black Sabbath, Mötorhead, Mastodon, Anthrax, Brocas Helm, Def Leppard, Judas Priest and more well-known and perhaps less well-known bands. The tracks are masterfully matched to story elements, as well as being available while simply driving around - which you will do a lot of. And it includes the absolute best use of Ozzy Osborne's Mr Crowley that you will ever encounter.
The voice acting is outstanding. Jack Black, of course, is as he always is, Jack Black. But the game also features voice acting by Tim Curry, Lemmy Kilmister, Ozzy Osborne, Lita Ford, Robin Atkin Downes, Brian Posehn and a host of other talent. Even those who aren't normally known for their voice over work, such as Lemmy and Ozzy, are excellent and at no point in the game seem strained or artificial.
The world design is outstanding. From the moment you enter the metal world, everywhere you look there's another album cover. It's atmospheric. It's integrated heavily with the backstory. There are a number of different environments, each with their own colour palette and ambience. It's a pleasure just to drive around in this game, discovering all its secrets and hidden locations and bonuses.
So there's six reasons to play this game. It's available on Steam for Windows at least, playable with mouse and keyboard or controller. It's not available for PS4. But if you're interested in story, characters, design, and aren't too hung up about gameplay that is pretty good but not outstanding, I heartily recommend giving Brütal Legend a try.
