Broforce is a 2D Run and Gun game where you are tasked with bringing freedom to the entire world. At least that is what they claim we are doing, as we blow enemy hideouts to smithereens and fly off into the sunset. To accomplish this we are given control of “Bros” which are all parody characters out of popular films such as Rambro, Bro Hard and Bronan the Brobarian. As you can no doubt tell, this is very much a tongue in cheek type of game. Broforce is centered around fast gameplay, epic guitar riffs and destruction above all else and has very little story to speak of. You and up to three friends can join in on the carnage via drop in, drop out online or local coop to deliver fiery freedom to terrorists. Starting off the game you will have the choice of either picking Campaign or Arcade Mode. They are mostly the same except campaign mode gives you an overworld while arcade is just back to back missions. Then you will be given the choice of normal and hard difficulty. It is suggested to start on normal since hard has faster rates of fire, more enemies and placements designed to annoy you.
At the start of each mission you are given a random Bro that you have unlocked and must make your way throughout the levels saving new Bros for extra lives. Bros all play differently from one another and each have special attacks. For example one bro may only have his fists and be able to send projectiles back at enemies, while another bro throws dynamite and is able to attract enemies via a cooked turkey with dynamite stuffed into it. There are also differences in speed, strength and range between them, so every Bro requires their own play-style, which makes the repetition in this game feel very minimal. To unlock more characters you have to a certain amount of Bros from their cages. The random nature in which you are given Bros is a double edged sword. On one hand you will not be able to rely on the character you are best at and only play as them throughout, but on the other hand some Bros are just not equipped for the task at hand, which will cause you to die until you are given a Bro more suited to the situation. You can retry a mission as many times as you like so it is a minor issue. Unless you are playing on IronBro mode, a permadeath mode that is unlocked later in the game and makes it so each Bro can live only once, so if you lose all Bros it’s game over.
To defend yourself you will have melee, ranged and special attacks. Melee and ranged can be used indefinitely while special attacks usage amount varies from character to character. Strangely enough you can only shoot horizontally, so any enemy above or below you is untouchable via weapon fire until they are on the same plane as you. That is unless you get clever with explosives or special attacks to kill them before they know what hit them. The problem with simply jumping below is that enemies have far greater range than most Bros do, so you have to get in rather close to shoot them. Since you die in a single hit that can be an unnecessarily risky move. This game does require a decent amount of foresight before going in guns blazing. You have to consider if there may be enemies hiding in the grass, if you can take out the enemies before they fire at you and shoot an explosive near you, or if it would simply be better if you punch through a wall and make your own path. There is a pleasant amount to consider before making your move and makes it all the more sweeter when you proudly stand alone in an environment torn apart by an intense battle. That is the perfect time to use the button dedicated to flexing your muscles.
Enemies have quite a bit of variety to them and range from dogs, suicide bombers and even supernatural enemies later on. They all have different means of attack and some are able to take a lot of damage. Terrorists have a certain room in which they will infinitely respawn until you destroy the ground under that door, causing them to all fall to their deaths. Sadly, AI is terrible in this game and enemies are very likely to be the cause of their own deaths. If you are spotted the enemy will just stand there and shoot at the direction he last saw you, over and over again until you kill him. The difficulty comes from the traps, enemy numbers and camera which you have no control over. Once you kill an enemy its corpse will provide cover to his friends behind it until you gib it with a few bullets, while enemy bullets can conveniently pass through the body. The camera is far too zoomed in, causing you to be killed by an enemy that was out of view or getting explosives dropped on your head that you had no way of knowing where there on occasions.
You will also face multiple vehicles like mechs, helicopters and trucks that spawn enemies from it. Out of all the vehicles you can only hijack the mechs by standing on it and pressing the melee button. These deal some serious damage to everything it comes across, though its ability to move around is based on a very small fuel supply, so it won’t last too long. Your main threats will be the crazy bosses in this game. The amount of destruction they all cause is staggering and it is a joy to take these down. Some will not just die by shooting at it and will require some outside the box thinking. The overall amount of destruction you will see in this game is truly impressive. Nearly anything can be destroyed and the levels usually end up looking like the planet is imploding in on itself. The only things which can’t be destroyed is the ground surrounding the American flag which is used as a respawn point. There is quite a bit of levels to play through on the campaign/arcade. It keeps getting crazier and crazier the further in you go until you are eventually fighting on American soil. What little dialogue there is, is delivered via text and adds nothing to the game. The only difference in campaign mode is the over-world I previously mentioned, where you can fly around and run into seagulls because why not, as well as be able to choose which levels to take on first at times.
To top it off this game supports custom maps via Steam workshop. These can also be played with friends and are just as enjoyable as the ones found in the main game. They can be downloaded right from in game and can also be saved so you can play them offline. These offer much more value to the game and are quite a few of them already. Great music is something Broforce also has, especially that final ending theme song. With its fast paced gameplay, considerable difference between Bros and various ways to tackle levels, it offers plenty of replay value even without the user made content. Its AI is unimpressive to say the least but there is a ton of fun to be had mowing them down in various ways. All levels are perfectly playable if you end up doing it solo and may even be preferable, so you know exactly what is going on, which can be pretty hard when you have three others blowing up the map. At the end of the day this is a great game that plays like a mix of Metal Slug and an extreme version of Dig Dug. For those still unsure I highly recommend checking out the free game The Expendabros to get a taste of what is on offer. Highly recommended to those that like the genre, want an action packed game or simply want a fun game to play with friends.
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