So, hear me out, it’s been quite a while since Brütal Legend first launched back in 2009 and going back to play it, I can safely say that it still rocks just like 15 years ago. It may not be a masterpiece and might have one or two flaws here and there, but by the gods of metal is it a gem and a relic from when games were still entertaining.
First thing’s first, Brütal Legend is an action game, close to a hack and slash for most parts, with a nifty real-time strategy missions and mode to it; published under Electronic Arts, it was created by Double Fine. Gameplay wise it feels smooth and although the in-game driving might not handle perfectly, it is still okay-ish (a friend told me that it felt worse than driving the Mako to which I disagree entirely – nothing feels as bad as driving that hunk of space junk).
Story wise, on paper, the idea is preposterous and should never work, but in the absurd spirit of Brütal Legend it makes perfect sense. You play as a roadie, a behind-the-scenes handy-man that makes sure concerts go flawlessly; this until you sacrifice yourself to save a glam-rock star wannabe (of whom you disapprove) and a metal god resurrects shortly after. You and are transported to a parallel world where everything is hard-core-metal-music-themed, as all things should be; we are talking black leather, studs and spikes, crosses, chromes, skulls and swords, blood and pretty much any other kind of stereotype that you could possibly associate with metal music in general. And at this point we are still within the first ten minutes of the game. The main plot follows the roadie turned hero along his journey, fighting against an arch-demon lord that has imprisoned humans, a capitalistic glam-rock David Bowie lookalike that didn’t want to suffer as the other humans so he becomes a demon underling and eventually your in-game love interest turned Goth-chick extraordinaire. I am unsure of what I have just written, I just know that within the game, it makes sense and this leads me to my second point: it is impossible not to love this game. It never takes itself too seriously and with its peculiar brand of humour and action it transports you to such an absurd world that just does a 360 and from seemingly a trashy-game becomes a hidden gem. Did I mention that while you have a double-headed axe as your main weapon, your secondary armament is a Flying-V guitar that electrocutes enemies and that you use to play mini solos that activate various abilities? Yeah, it all still makes perfect sense. The strategy element comes into play in several occasions within the campaign but it also has its separate session where you can play against friends. In this you have four ‘factions’ based on musical types – rock, glam, goth and finally Satanic metal (idk, the last faction is comprised of demons with a certain bondage aesthetic to them).
So what makes it such a great and enjoyable game? Well, it is obvious that the team responsible for making it knew exactly what it was doing. The tropes, sketches and jokes fit perfectly with the narrative, the music (oh my god the musical choices in this game are so on point) is exactly what you would expect from a title such as Brütal Legend and finally the voice actors gave a spectacular performance. Something I did not mention until now is the fact that the main character not only resembles a very muscular Jack Black, but that he was in fact the one that gave the character its voice. You can feel the passion, excitement and fun Jack Black is having while delivering his lines. Furthermore, other star appearances that also voiced their characters include Lemmy Kilmister, Ozzy Ozbourne and Rob Halford. To top it off, the arch-demon is voiced by Tim Curry who brings his A-game giving the antagonist an awkwardly deep and sensual tone to the antagonist.
There is so much more that I would like to discuss, but if by any chance you consider yourself a ‘metal-head’ and a gamer and you haven’t heard or played Brütal Legend, do yourself a favour and give it a try. It is a mindless and absurd adventure that is worth re-playing a fifteen-year old game.
Rock on my fellow head-bangers!