Broforce review: you’ll never bro this hard again

Broforce proudly boasts almost every single stereotype that has become synonymous with American culture, and does it with a glorious side-scrolling retro swagger. From an endless symphony of massive explosions to perpetual pixelated bloodshed, this title will more than satisfy your inner-patriot.

For a game that exudes so much American spirit, it might come as a surprise to know that it actually hails from the tip of Africa, developed by Cape Town-based studio, FreeLives. But don’t let that deter you from indulging in this wonderfully blood-soaked title.

These guys do America better than Americans.

Enter the Broforce

One of Broforce’s greatest appeals is its blatant but strategic homage to the eighties and nineties action B-movie heroes and everything they represent.

Blatant, because it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to recognize the massive array of heroes referenced, and strategic because of its tactically inserted bro-puns to avoid copyright infringement, an aspect which also adds a very unique flavour to the experience.

Rambro, Macbrover, Bro Dredd, Brominator. These are only a few names of the surprisingly healthy line-up of characters that will be at your disposal.

Each one of these heroes has three unique modes of attack, a standard shooting mode, a melee attack and a special move. As a standard weapon, Rambro will for instance sport a machine gun while Macbrover has an endless supply of dynamite to rain on his enemies.

This also means that each character has its own distinctive playing style, keeping the gameplay fresh and unpredictable. You will also not be able to choose which character you play as and will constantly be cycling through the heroes as you rescue the prisoners scattered throughout the levels (which also makes you gain an extra life point).

The game provides the player with various play modes such as Campaign Mode, Arcade Mode, Versus Mode and Level Editor.

Campaign mode and Arcade mode are essentially the same, with the only difference being that Arcade Mode strings the levels one after the other (as arcade games do) and does away with the “overbearing storyline”.

Campaign mode doesn’t really offer that much in terms of story, providing only a few planted narrative elements that gives just enough meaning and motivation behind the game’s splendid orgy of violence.

In a nutshell, you play as the Broforce, “an underfunded, over-powered paramilitary organization dealing exclusively in excessive force.”, as described by the developer’s Steam page.

But to be honest, story isn’t why you will be playing Broforce.

At its core, your main objective will almost always be the same: blast your way through a plethora of faceless terrorists to eventually kill the suit-wearing Satan at the end of the level, raise the American flag and fly away on you army helicopter while the land you just invaded blows to smithereens.

It’s a simple premise but one that I will easily repeat with great pleasure. As soon as you are dropped into a level until the moment you slay that smartly dressed devil, you will be treated to an action-packed festival of pure carnage.

And Action!

From the moment you enter the battlefield you will see what makes Broforce shine. Everything is up for destruction. Just start firing away and you will see how the very ground you walk on is blown to pieces.

The game provides an amazing level flow and makes it easy to for you to charge forward and enter a constant state of trigger happy.

Each level will provide you with a plethora of ways to exact your death-inducing justice, mostly in the form explosions… lots and lots of explosions. Shoot one red barrel and watch how it sets of a chain reaction of bangs and booms, reshaping the landscape and blowing your unsuspecting victims into a fountain of red pixels.

At first, you will mostly be facing the simple terrorist, a balaclava-wearing nameless individual who sports a very slow firing rifle. But as you progress through the game your enemies will rapidly become more and more formidable.

About halfway through the game you will encounter anything from flesh hungry bulldogs to monolithic missile firing tanks. But as intimidating as they may sound, by the time you reach them you will be filled with so much adrenaline that you will embrace the encounter with open arms. Or open fire rather.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. Broforce features a decent amount of boss fights. From an even larger missile firing tank to an extremely agile bazooka wielding commando called “GR666”, each will provide its own creative challenge.

Beyond the campaign mode, another aspect that makes Broforce so popular is the addition of the level editor. Here users can create their own levels, populating it with whatever enemies and destructive elements they desire, and share it online for other players to enjoy. This ensures that, even when you’ve finished the campaign, that Broforce will still be able to provide you with a fresh experience.

Game information:

Release Date: 15 October 2015
Developer(s): Free Lives
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Genre: Action-adventure
Platform(s): PC (review platform), PlayStation 4, Linux, Mac OS X
Price: US$14.99
Steam Score: 10/10; 9248 positive, 201 negative

Verdict: If you’re looking for a title that gets straight to the point then look no further than Broforce. This delightful chaos simulator will throw you straight in the action and will make sure it never ends. From the moment you start until the moment you finish, Broforce will provide you with an endless supply of pure adrenaline.

Gearburn Score: 8/10