Brigador: Up-Armored Edition

I can't out-write the top reviews for this game, but here's my anecdote: I bought this game on Steam on discount for $9.99, after a friend was raving about it and I happened to be bored from the world pandemic of 2020. Hours later, I'm blown away by how satisfying everything feels, with the weapons, the environmental destruction, and even the spectacle of getting destroyed by the enemy! I won't say that everything is perfect. For example the menu system has questionable design decisions such as the difficulty of cross referencing the campaign mech loadouts with the actual loadout menus. Yet, the bones of this game are so good that instead of buying new games during the GoG sale at this time, I'm tossing in $13 as a tip to the developer and soundtrack artists. Signed up for the Stellar Jockeys dev newsletter and am excitedly looking forward to the sequel, Brigador Killers!

Very polished 2D isometric view: check. Customizable mechs: check. Extensive singeplayer campaign: check. Very good difficulty level that properly increases with each mission: check Everything within the playing field can be destroyed with no time limit: CHECK. Great googley-moogley, I can spend hours in Brigador. So worth the money. I'm a very old school PC gamer. I cut my mech teeth on games like Mechwarrior 1, 2, 3, and 4, Mech Commander, etc. The story setting is extensive enough to set the mood. It feels like GTA set in the future with big stompy mechs. The mech designs range from Battletech-ish to Road Warrior, depending on the faction. Everything is destructible. Everything. Visual effects suit the game well. Excellent sprite work, very polished for the effect the devs were going for. I wouldn't change a thing, not even the smoke effects. Sound is a big part of this game. Whereas the 2D graphics are good, the sound effects are perfection. Weapon effects hit very hard. When there's a lull in the action on a remote part of a map, hearing my Broodmare's electro-mechanical stomp-stomp-stomp while a random civilian runs in front of my smoothly animated headlights is amazing. And the music, oh the music. Someone stole Vangelis' moogs and did wonderful, wonderful things with them. Also, I recommend getting the DLC. Once you get through the campaign, you'll want more of the setting, which includes an OST. Support the devs and add more flavor to your experience. That's what the DLC is for. You'll want it once you finish. I wish I had done that originally, I had to go back and get the DLC once I finished the campaign. Save yourself the effort and get both. A definite two konigs up!

Dad and Dad said to buy. I buy. Game is actually fun. I am good boy. Music is great. I dance.

One of the single best games to have seen a release in the past five years at least and the relaunch only made it better. There are a few options for controls (either the more simulation or arcade heavy variations) and the core gameplay is at the surface a twin stick shooter, until you have to deal with turret speeds, firing arcs, and 3D firing planes. On top of that you'll have the freedom to decide which damage types you want to focus on (cover, hull, shield). Wrap this around a wonderfully varied and personality fueled weapon and chassis list and Freelance mode alone is a wild ride and endlessly replayable for the challenge and testing nifty and silly loadouts. The campaign cuts down on the customization but has some wonderful dark comedy thrown into the mix. If you want some incredibly fun reading, the purchasable intel and lore are quick and enjoyable reads about everything from vehicle performance to which strip clubs are better in Solo Nobre. The lore is one of the unsung heroes of this game and accents everything in wonderfully glorious dystopian cyberpunk tones. Screenshots make the game look gorgeous already but seeing it in motion is a treat. The neon rich backgrounds fit perfectly with the well realized lighting system and who could say no to making everything go boom? (Just watch out for gas stations). The amount of destruction you can cause is only limited by the amount of stuff in each district and your own firepower and desire. The AI can be toyed with using various stealth and noise tactics to create ambushes but when the difficulty is cranked up they aren't slouches either. The game still has a bit of a rocky difficulty curve in the campaign but it's such a wonderfully realized concept that it's hard to even be that hard towards it.

Part of what attracted me to Brigador was how the world the developers created reminded me so much visually and aesthetically of Tiberium Sun. Whenever I play the game I always expect a cutscene with Kane to come online to tell me about the Tiberium Future and PEACE THROUGH POWER. The music is excellent and only adds to the cyberpunk dystopian feeling the game gives off, although in my opinion, it could use a little variety. Please get Frank Klepacki to do some music for the sequel. The variety of mechs, tanks, and vehicles you can pilot make the game really stand out with each mech and its loadout changing how you play the game.