Sometimes appearances are not deceiving, but they also do not show you what is really interesting. Blast Brigade vs. the Evil Legion of Dr. Cread, to which in confidence we will call from here Blast brigade, is the perfect example. As a game, and in a very intentional way, it is inspired by the references of classic 2D action. Now, the way in which it distills and brings that essence to its own ground is what makes it a safe bet.
Because, to be honest, I thought that Blast brigade It would be another substitute for the legendary Metal Slug with fewer enemies on screen and more vertical levels. One more of so many others. And there is some of that, of course, but that’s just one of its nuances: Allods Team Arcade, the studio behind the game, also flirts with sagas like Metroid, SteamWorld and Shantae. And the result, the cocktail that comes out of that peculiar mixture, convinces without adding too much. And you don’t need it either.
From the beginning, Blast brigade It has ties with the action films of the 80s that inspire and serve more or less as a plot base for action sagas such as Contra, Broforce or the aforementioned Metal Slug. In fact, the place where our hero lands is a blatant tribute to the SNK saga. However, it won’t be long before we realize that your gaming experience has nothing to do with arcade classics.
Action and tight jumps are combined with scenarios that, without being twisted, are designed to be rediscovered by unlocking new skills and characters. Being fair, Blast brigade is much closer to the sensations of metroidvania that from the formula of Run-and-gun or platform shooters in scroll horizontal.
And, of course, with those ingredients ahead it’s hard not to get hooked as you unlock skills and expand the visible map a little. Increasing more and more the list of areas that, at the moment, you do not reach. A flawless experience? Well, to be in phase Early access what is played is very well polished. Of course, I recognize that when I lose a life in Blast brigade It makes me want to turn off the game and the PC. Although I have to admit that, as far as we have been able to play, his way of being challenging is quite fair.
Dr. Cread has set out to robotize the world. Our grenade launcher disagrees
There are lessons that can only be learned through action video games. For example, that gratuitous violence and explosives are the most effective syrup for megalomaniacs and their plans for world domination. A medicine that the four protagonists of Blast brigade they are more than willing to scatter among the minions of the wicked Dr. Cread.
The premise of the game is simple and full of clichés: four super spies With different abilities that distinguish them from each other, they end up infiltrating -or rather, shipwreck- on the island of a crazy scientist with a plan of world conquest that involves transforming the inhabitants of Earth into faithful mutants and enslaved robots. How typical!
Of course, each of our heroes has ended up at a different point on the island and from the start we will not have a sad slingshot to get out. Our first goal will be to find something that spits lead. Then go to the rescue of the rest of the brigade and, from there, leave a trail of explosions and destruction in our wake.
That Blast brigade it is not a substitute for Metal slug it is noticeable from the beginning and becomes more and more evident during the opening bars: our first protagonist cannot crouch, despite the fact that his jumping mobility is more or less similar to that of Marco and Tarma, but once we obtain the first submachine gun , and thanks to the right stick, we can shoot in any direction. The verticality and the platform have a great presence in the game.
The second thing we will see is that, from the beginning, the level design gives us clues about the existence of paths that we will have access to with the appropriate skill. Overhangs that ask to be reached with a higher jump or a hook or walls blatantly destructible that do not yield to our ammunition.
When you have gone far enough, the map begins to unfold and gives the impression that it is a Metroidvania. However, the pace of the games is not exactly that of Metroid or Castlevania, but is more in tune with Guacamelee ‘! or the most recent deliveries of Shantae, of which also inherit an animation inspired by the style Cartoon and some bosses capable of claiming a third of the screen.
The surprise comes when the elements of SteamWorld Dig they come into play, perhaps too far into the game. We will have to improve and manage our skills, as well as the bases that we are discovering, based on gathering different collectibles and the coins and jewels that the enemies drop or suspiciously keep the chests hidden from view. Including those that only appear giving leaps of faith at specific points on each level.
It is, more or less, when you have been just over an hour when the true nature of the game manifests itself: Blast brigade is an action game with four protagonists, which implies that, as in the Megaman classics or the mythical Shinobi by Game Gear, we will have to alternate on the fly between the four superspies that we are rescuing and his unique abilities to access every corner of the map. And, at the same time, improve our skills, the bases, the weapons that we carry … by the time you realize this you are completely hooked.
Blast Brigade, an action game that embraces simplicity, but with interesting layers of depth
While the version of Blast brigade to which we have had access is quite polished at the playable and content level – minor elements are missing, such as that at the moment you cannot change the language – its way of gradually introducing the player to his wacky but highly polished cocktail of action game styles It is one of his greatest successes.
In other words: it may not surprise you visually or artistically, and it definitely does not seek to innovate in the playable, but whether you are familiar with the classics mentioned above or if it catches you again, it won’t take long for you to adjust to what happens on the screen. To understand how to move forward and what places you cannot access yet. Which, logically, invites you to continue playing and expanding the visible areas of the map.
In fact, unlike games previously referred to as Contra, Mega Man or Metal slug in which you lost a life by receiving a single damage, in Blast brigade We will have a number of hearts that we can expand by collecting heart fragments (yes, in The Legend of Zelda style).
To which must be added a style of progress very in tune with Castlevania or Metroid in which we can save the game and improve each time we see a town or hammock and, how is expected of current games, there is no life limit. However, exhausting our last heart can be expensive: we will have to go back to our previous save point and sometimes it is not too close to where we left off. Other times, it is too far.
It is in those situations, and as I already mentioned, it is inevitable to consider leaving it there. Although, of course, the other option is to continue shooting.
Allods Team Arcade seems to be aware of the latter and encourages us to resume the adventure wherever we left off in a simple but effective way: in the same place where we were defeated we will find a bag with part of the loot collected by eliminating enemies. And considering that upgrades cost money, it is an important incentive.
While the variety of styles of combined action is the defining trait of Blast Brigade, your own way of setting the difficulty is the key element. As in Super Mario Bros .: The Lost Levels, the simplicity of the level design and the actions of our enemies contrast with a scenario design in which there is no margin to get too confused. In fact, it is rewarded that we are curious. And consequently, it frustrates when we go too reckless or trust ourselves more than necessary.
the basis of Blast brigade He already points out ways and what has been played leaves us wanting much more. Luckily, it won’t take long to get our hands on it: we’ll start twisting Dr. Cread’s plans from September on Steam, when Blast Brigade vs. the Evil Legion of Dr. Cread It will arrive as Early Access, and the final version is expected to arrive on PC in 2022, as well as PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S | X and Switch.
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S | X and Switch.
- Multiplayer: No
- Developer: Allods Team Arcade
- Company: MY.GAMES
- Launching: September 2021 on Steam as Early Access. As of 2022 in the rest of the systems.