Brütal Legend follows roadie Eddie Riggs (modeled after and voiced by Jack Black) as a freak accident teleports him from our world into a strange, hostile new land that is ruled by the power of Metal. Everything about this strange new land is as if the theatrics put on by Metal musicians in our world were everyday life for the inhabitants of this universe. Even the animals in the land are much more brutal versions of normal creatures, with steel quills on porcupines or giant mammoths with razor-sharp, metallic tusks.
After regaining his bearings, Eddie meets a group of humans who explain to him that they are under the oppressive rule of the demonic Emperor Doviculus (voiced by Tim Curry) and his Glam-Rock General Lionwhyte (voiced by Judas Priest's Rob Halford). Luckily for this rebel group of humans, Eddie is found to have the power to raise and harness the ancient artifacts of the Metal titans which once ruled the world. Additionally, Eddie's get-things-done attitude and magnetic personality allow him to recruit the downtrodden peoples into an army which he affectionately names "Ironheade". With this new-found power and army, Eddie leads the humans in battle against the tyrannical Doviculus in hopes of securing freedom for the humans of the world.
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| I wonder if magnets are illegal in a world of metal? |
Brütal Legend offers an open world to explore as you raise your armies to combat the evil demon emperor. Travel through jungles, deserts, frozen tundras and more as you push Doviculus's forces from the land. Missions are handled in a way that is similar to other open world or sandbox style games, with quest givers being located around the world and a quick discussion with them starting a mission which throws you into battle.
One of the ancient artifacts used by Eddie in his battle is his trusty car, the "Deuce". Not only does the car allow Eddie to travel the open world quickly, but its attached weapons also give him an edge over some of the more vicious creatures in the world. Eddie can summon his car as well as raise other ancient relics by the power of guitar solos. These solos also come into play later, as they can have other effects such as melting the faces of your enemies, or rallying your own army's spirits. Solos are found throughout the game in the form of ancient tablatures scratched into rock. Other ancient relics exist as collectables and, as they are found, unlock increases to Eddie's powers or new songs to be played while in the car.
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| Fear the power of screeching guitar strings! Your parents already do... |
Brütal Legend's gameplay is...interesting. When not on a mission, Eddie can explore the world, pick up side-missions, or search for collectables. The majority of the game's story missions play out as a third-person Action game, with Eddie wielding a battle axe, as well as his stringed axe, Clementine. Eddie bashes enemies with his axe, and harnesses the power of the titans to turn his guitar into a conduit for attack magic. Eddie can switch freely between the two weapons to pull off combos with devastating effect. You can purchase new combos and weapons from the Guardian of Metal (Ozzie Osbourne), though, disappointingly, there are only around five combos.
The other half of the game closely resembles a Real-Time Strategy game. Eddie takes part in "Stage Battles" during which he collects resources to spend on training units. These units each have their own strengths and weaknesses to other units. The goal in these battles is to successfully build and lead your army to the enemy's stage and destroy it as they attempt to do the same to you. Eddie can command troops as well as fight alongside them if things get dicey.
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| A true general supports his troops, even when that means giving shoulder-rides! |
This mix of two game genres seems to polarize gamers. Fans of RTSs complain about how shallow the elements in the game are. Action gamers complain that the RTS elements take away from the action by making you stop and think too much. I personally thought that the hybrid gameplay was interesting, even if the stage battles were a bit boring. It wasn't until the last two battles that I ever even felt at all challenged. Players worried about this game being too easy should start the game on a harder difficulty setting than normal.
I had a hard time getting into Brütal Legend. The combat feels very shallow, and side-missions get repetitive and are boring for the most part. Once I got used to the game though, I started to really enjoy it. This game is extremely funny. Wacky characters and surroundings never fail to amuse, and the writing and voice acting is top notch. Schafer clearly knows what he's doing when it comes to imaginative world and creature creation. Everything in Brütal Legend, from the characters to the buildings, are steeped in metal. It's amazing that Double Fine could create a world that stays so true to the metal fashion.
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| Think they'll hear us coming? |
Brütal Legend also offers a multiplayer mode in which multiple players can take part in stage battles against or alongside each other. Unlike the story stage battles, these fights against actual thinking humans can become intense, and are much more enjoyable than the single-player battles.
Brütal Legend's single-player story will last only around 7 hours if you rush through and don't worry about exploration or collectables. I went for 100%, however, and got nearly 20 hours out of the game, so there's definitely a good bit of meat there for those looking for it. I can't say enough how creative and enjoyable this game is. There are so many little metal references and jokes in the game that you'd have to at least be familiar with the scene, but even strangers to the genre will enjoy the characters and world. I can't wait to see what Tim Schafer does next!
Amulets and Ale Rating:
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