Brok:The Investigator- One of the most innovative adventure games I've seen in a while. Brok is set an anthropomorphic universe where one as an InvestiGATOR must either use his brains or his fists (via action mode) to accomplish his goals of gathering info. This unfolds across 6 chapters via numerous investigations. The characters are well-written and the narrative can be rather deep and emotional at times. All in all....quite a unique and enjoyable mashup of beat-em-up and point-n-click. Brawl Bar- Allows us to strap those boxing gloves back on Brok and become a prize fighter. It has multiple playable characters and is entirely focused on the combat aspect along with various challenges. All in all, an excellent innovative title.
Not happy at all with this release. It looks to be a great addition to the Brok universe, but it's standalone on GOG whereas its rightfully DLC on STEAM. I have been testing since release, and there are issues. 1. The Dev forgot to add the option to switch to the investigator outfit for fighting during the VR missions. This has locked us out of using weapons in the game and forces us to use the new boxing mechanics without any weapon pickups. 2. If you load a save from the basegame or have an autosave from the base, or even configure through the base game (both games even though they are standalone share the same APPDATA folder configs, and settings) last.....you will be locked out of the new boxer outfit in the standalone Bar Brawl and be forced to only have the investigator outfit locking you out of boxing mechanics. I will say that the Brok Universe is amazing and keeps getting better. After all, the Dev did take input from the community and fixed some wonky combat mechanics.. However, this has been a very rocky release.
This game is simply amazing and a worthy successor to the Ninja Gaiden 8-bit classics (though this one is more 16-bit based). If you are interested in high-speed 2-D side-scrolling Ninja mayhem, then look no further. The artwork is sprite based with the additional options of having a CRT-style filter and HD text. Just as in the classic NES titles, the cutscene interludes are used to convey the story (light though it may be). I reiterate that this game is more reminiscent of the 16-bit era though as there are effects such as parallax scrolling, Mode 7, etc. seen from that era. The sound is a combination of synthwave, rock, Japanese retro tunes and arcade music. It's good enough to listen to on its own merits if GOG were to sell the OST. The controls are tight and responsive without a lot of complicated combinations to learn or remember. It's basically the OG Ninja Gaiden with more precise climbing, some added charge attacks, and some character swapping mechanics that I do not wish to divulge as it is a storyline spoiler. The story? Let's just say that this is a concurrent adventure of a different Hayabusa clan ninja while Ryu was travelling to America in the original to handle business after his father's death. TL;DR It's good. I'm gonna give it 5 stars. As for the performance.....go outside, dig up a potato, and install. It will work.
Crashes on startup if monitor has a higher native resolution than 1080p. Can be fixed via hex editing. This is a prime example of how GOG's preservation program is a joke. The fix for this title is the same as the fix on STEAM. Thus, GOG have done nothing, released a previously buggy build, and call it fixed/preserved. What a joke! The game itself is Epic though.
Crashes on startup if monitor has a higher native resolution than 1080p. Can be fixed via hex editing. This is a prime example of how GOG's preservation program is a joke. The fix for this title is the same as the fix on STEAM. Thus, GOG have done nothing, released a previously buggy build, and call it fixed/preserved. What a joke! The game itself is Epic though.
The title sums it up perfectly to be honest. One can enjoy this game either solo or up to 4-player offline co-op. Accordingly, it offers around 10 hours of playtime. I'm not claiming there is anything new or innovative here, but the gameplay is smooth, the controls are responsive, and the voice acting is spot on. Seemingly, there are also no technical issues and the game can literally run on a potato. Oddly enough, I also agree with all the reviews currently here...even the negative ones. The controls cannot be rebound and the art style might put off longtime Disney fans. This really is a game that either you love or hate. I'm ok with the art and the gameplay, but I'm not cool with the ridiculous price. This is more like a $15 game. All in all 3.75 Stars
As is typical with Bloober, this game is highly unoptimized on even the latest hardware. It is rife with stutters, slowdowns, hitches, and occasional crashes.....that have never been patched. While the story is absolutely amazing, the combat can be rather boring and repetitious. Though the environmental graphics look good, there is something off about the way the characters look and move. It's as though blooper hasn't completely figured out how human anatomy actually looks and moves. The sound and music are good and fitting for the environments replete with creepy whispers and murmuring. All in all...I can't in good conscious give it more than a 2. This is a janky AAA effort initiated by a not so great AA company. They bit off more than they could chew, and nostalgia is the only saving grace
This game is in t-t-t-t-typical Bloober fashion rife with performance issues and st-st-st-st-st-stutters. The graphics are beautiful, but the out of sync animation glitches and constant UE5 traversal stutters completely ruin any s-s-s-s-s-s-embalnce of immersion. There are a-a-a-a-a-also startup crash issues that have e-e-e-e-existed since release. These i-i-i-i-ssues still persist. I must have a different definition of what a m-m-m-m-m-masterpiece is because th-th-th-th-th-th-th-this ain't it in terms of Performance. The combat, Bloober's first attempt, is repetitous and boring. As for the st-st-st-st-st-story.....I heard it might be good, but I can't f-f-f-f-f-f-force myself to s-s-s-s-s-sit through the performance issues.
Letting go of the nostalgia factor, this is a middling port of an ok RPG. It was never really in my top ten back in the PS1 days being overshadowed by FF and Suikoden. However, It is a competent title that is rather fun, regardless of the terrible navigation of the characters on angular planes and the obstruction of the scenery due to this. There are some technical issues regarding the muddy filtering, choppy sound, crashes, excessive CPU load, etc. Perhaps those will get ironed out soon. The price? Way too high for a 25 year old title Final Fantasy clone, but not as good. Solid 3 stars.
