Decapitatiooooon!!!
SO! Finally getting round to it…next bloggage. If I’m short, its due to impatience over various other attempts at writing this, that failed miserably due to a very old and damaged laptop…
Regardless of its quality, I will complete this epic task of letting you know my opinion of the most metal game I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing…
Brutal Legend.
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If you’re sitting there thinking “Brutal legend? Oh yeah, the game with Jack Black, the guitar and the demons and that…yeah I tried the demo but thats it.” You’ve missed out. I’m not just saying, I mean what could I accomplish from verbally selling this game to strangers? No benefit my end… Point is, if you tried it out, had a giggle and figured you’d seen enough then you probably agree with me… In that the titles are pretty good and the soundtrack (Oh GOD the soundtrack!) is rather alluring but the sample you’ve been offered was…so-so. Not bad, per say, but when you’ve played it through you’ll know for sure that a lot was left to be desired…It wasn’t as comical as you figured; there were different levels to it; it was a masterpiece in combining classic game attributes- with some metal thrown in; a good story with twists here and there and beautiful and creative in an artistic sense. There are also voice appearances from a few familiar actors and some unmistakeable rock legends
The totally original story begins with a roadie named Eddie Riggs, whose current placement finds him supplying, rescuing and tuning for the band “Kabbage Boy.” They’re the definition of todays general idea of rock… the way its faded into the backround, it doesn’t seem as “real” anymore and its all about visuals, gimmicks and keeping it mainstream, or targetting as wide an audience as possible for the sake of the money. Anyway, Eddie dreams of a life somewhere else, possibly in the past where rock can come alive again, but for now, he’s just doing his job. The job of making someone else look good and seeing that they get all the credit. That is until an accident causes Eddie to be crushed under stage scenery, having him near death and bleeding into his demonic looking belt buckle, passed on by his father. When the blood reaches the mouth of the demon we come to discover its name was once “Ormagoden” and in reincarnation of an enormous and destructive beast, it takes Eddie to the place his true destiny lies…
Bladehenge.
Bladehenge is a beautiful, once peaceful land that resembles a a more medieval time…just a little more bad ass. Its quirky and different, with the way it unravels the dwellers’ weapons to be mere instruments, infused with the power of metal and that they have more resources than they knew about or would expect in this time and place. Our main heroes living in Bladehenge go by the name of Lars Halford, his sister Lita and Ophelia, the daughter of dangerous people known as Tear Drinkers, but persistent on gaining trust and proving her worth. Times are hard for the people who live there, as a grotesque demon named Doviculus reigns as emperor and aims to have everyone bow at his feet. There are lesser evils, namely General Lionwhyte, causing trouble for the good people, enslaving their comrades for their own personal gain and wreaking havoc… However, when Eddie comes to after the accident he ends up in a strange temple belonging to the Emperor and is attacked by his servants until he crosses blades with a disguised Ophelia, who was on a mission to find the very axe he seems to have already landed upon.
Together Eddie and the Bladehenge leaders learn more about his purpose and the abilities they didn’t know they had. They discover that they can not only use weapons as a means of attacking but that a full blown concert with a stage, lights, pyro and even Merch booths can gather the wonderous and ghostly fans from geysers in the ground…harvesting the energy the fans provide, when your solos and skills entice them. The more solos played, the more Merch booths built, and the more Merch booths, the more fans will help you grow in strength and create bigger and better armies; eventually making you strong enough to take down the Emperor himself. Eddie’s path soon becomes clear. Use his gift of putting together a show and proving the power of music to help free the good men, women and even animals from the clutches of evil. Cheesy? Maybe…but it works. It gets pretty epic. There’s emotion, theres a lot of violence and gore, against the clock challenges and testing your wits… and did I mention the awesome soundtrack you’ll be delighted to play along to? Granted it takes a tiny bit of work to get all the songs, but still.
You’ll learn that in this game you find yourself:
- in pure and aggressive one-on-one combat;
- strategising through tower defence;
- throwing in some mini guitar solos, in the side scrolling guitar hero like manner;
- doing a lot of driving with the aid of a map and guiding light;
- working your way to plenty of upgrades and collecting for trophies/achievements, particularly when you reach the end of the game and Eddie parts to “take care of a few things”
I am sad to report that I haven’t yet mastered the trophies side of this game, though very close and with 99% cleared stats when it comes to the one player campaign… I know, not good enough :p but to be honest I’ve lost patience yet again when technology failed me a second time and corrupted my data meaning I went from 98% complete to zero, then started over. Trophies in this game can be difficult…though I’ve witnessed that things like double teaming with certain allies for a particular amount of kills and for example things like spending 250,000 fans or riding every wild animal in the game are attainable; there are certain trophies that may involve online multiplayer matches etc and as this game is highly undervalued and not the shiniest newest game on the shelf, its hard to grab certain achievements.
Other than to go into complete detail, share my knowledge; tricks to earning extras and descriptions on for example my favourite parts of the game; my recommended upgrades and the ins and outs of all the characters, attacks and solos… I’m not really sure what else I can add. I would love to go on more and more about those in depth opinions but I’ll save that for anyone wanting to know more after this. This is just my (believe it or not) shortened outburst over what a game this is. I could say so much more but I’ve milked this game enough as it is, and I’d like to keep you interested so I shall conclude by saying…
This game isn’t just gonna blow your mind… its gonna blow your soul.
Sorry, Mr Black’s words, not mine.
Originally published at angryswan.co.uk.
