Its mummies rather than zombies that are the undead threat in Rebellions no frills co-op shooter.
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Theres a lot to be said for the simple pleasures of a knowingly uncomplicated video game. As an increasing horde of games as a service titles attempt to steal away every second of your spare time some modern games can feel more like a job than a hobby. Even supposedly throwaway mobile games are desperate for you to return to them at every opportunity, which leaves precious little opportunity for anyone to enjoy a quick, undemanding game with friends. And its precisely that role that Strange Brigade is looking to fill.
The latest game from Sniper Elite makers Rebellion is pretty much exactly what it appears to be. Assuming that what it looks like to you is a more light-hearted version of Left 4 Dead, with mummies and other Ancient Egyptian monsters in place of more modern zombies. Although it can be relatively entertaining on your own the game is designed primarily as a four-player co-op game. Except that rather than worrying about level grinding and legendary loot your only real concern is prioritising which monster to shoot first.
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In essence its positioning itself as a sort of anti-Destiny, by offering you the chance to play a third person online shooter with your mates but with the minimum of fuss and preparation. Imagine Call Of Dutys Zombies, but easier and less obscure. Strange Brigades approach comes with some obvious drawbacks, but the gamble Rebellion is making is that youll deem it all worth the while for getting to shoot the maximum number of bad guys for the minimum amount of bother.
Strange Brigades unusual setting is that of a Victorian boys own adventure story, as you follow the exploits of a group of stiffly-lipped adventurers that includes an ex-soldier, an old-school magician, an African warrior, and the woman from the WWII We Can Do It! poster – except with a Lancastrian accent. Theres also a fifth character available at launch, but to be honest calling them characters is a bit of stretch given they really dont exhibit much discernible personality in either cut scenes or during the game.
The set-up initially seems like its going to lead to a series of Backadder style parodies of Colonial era fiction but even with a Pathé news style narrator the various quips never raise more than an amused eyebrow. Its a shame, because the setting is ripe for exploitation but in the end it seems all but wasted.
Each of the characters starts off with their own signature weapons and explosives, and these can be upgraded with collected gems that imbue their own special buffs and abilities. You can also use money to unlock limited-use weapons like a blunderbuss and flamethrower, or to unlock another characters weapon if youd prefer to use that. The gunplay is fine, and gets around the technological limitation of the era well enough, but it doesnt have anything like the precision or feedback of other top tier shooters.
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A lot of the most useful gems are well hidden behind relatively complex puzzles, that require quite some exploration to solve, but they mostly revolve around just shooting switches or memorising patterns. The harder puzzles are never essential to progress anyway, especially if you have a full cadre of allies tagging along with you, and the main path through a level never requires anything in the way of real brainpower.
With so many enemies on-screen at once crowd control becomes more essential than shooting accuracy, with the main complication being a fairly limited ammo supply that requires you to make use of various Indiana Jones style traps that can catch enemies in spear pits or knock them off cliffs with spike blocks.
The only other minor complication is the unique special moves for each character. These take a very long time to build up though and rarely seem worth the effort unless you manage to set them off at just the right moment. The melee combat is equally woolly, which is a shame as that puts extra pressure on the so-so gunplay.
Strange Brigade has a very specific role its trying to play and its one that leaves it wide open to accusations of being shallow and repetitive. And it is, unashamedly so, but in the same way that old school arcade games and shooters used to be. The real problem is the mediocre action and the games slow pacing and meandering levels.
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When backs are up against the wall it can all seem very exciting, and filled with the required amounts of daring do, but too often it feels just a bit turgid and aimless. A lack of complication is good but we frequently found ourselves zoning out and playing the game almost on autopilot, especially in the anaemic Horde and Score Attack modes.
Even that isnt necessarily a criticism, depending on your gaming preferences, but it does narrow Strange Brigades appeal to a very specific sub-set of gamers. That may seem a strange thing for a publisher to want to do, but if the game does fit your needs then what others may see as flaws will become the games most appealing aspect.
Strange Brigade
In Short: A pleasingly straightforward co-op shooter, whose lack of complications will be seen as either a blessing or a curse depending on your requirements as a gamer.
Pros: Instantly accessible action makes a virtue of the no frills presentation. Plenty of content and game modes, with just enough in terms of customisation options.
Cons: The gameplay is repetitive and shallow by design. Levels often feel overlong and poorly paced. Mediocre visuals and script.
Score: 6/10
Formats: PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Xbox One, and PC
Price: £39.99
Publisher: Rebellion
Developer: Rebellion
Release Date: 28th August 2018
Age Rating: 16
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