Brigador

 PC
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. Critical Hit
    Jun 24, 2016
    90
    Brigador delivers fun retro style gameplay in a very pretty package. The amount of strategy and planning that go into completing each mission elevate Brigador above being a run of the mill top down shooter and provides a much deeper gameplay experience. While the difficult control scheme and aiming system may turn some players off, Brigador will still provide hours of entertainment for fans of retro games.
  2. GameCritics
    Jul 7, 2016
    85
    Just small flaws in an otherwise sublime shooter. Brigador might not necessarily satisfy players looking for a new sim or a successor to a beloved series like MechCommander, but it scratches the itch for a challenging rampage game steeped in top-notch cyberpunk atmosphere.
  3. Destructoid
    Jul 5, 2016
    80
    A thrilling, hectic vehicle shooter that's quite a bit deeper than the forebears that inspired it.
  5. Games.cz
    Jun 24, 2016
    80
    Slightly nostalgic, yet contemporary and very impulsive isometric sci-fi action. Inside ruthless mech, tank or hovercraft you'll be taking down the enemies by hundreds, and have fun doing so. You just need to accept a bit extreme difficulty and weird controls.
  6. IGN Spain
    Jun 2, 2016
    78
    Tanks, mecas or gravas: all depends on player's choice to create chaos and destruction. Brigador is fun, good looking and highly addictive.
  7. Kill Screen
    Jul 7, 2016
    77
    If the game has any message, it’s that the only thing more rewarding than admiring a lovely cathedral is watching it explode.
  8. PC Gamer
    Jun 29, 2016
    76
    Beyond a fairly daunting control and difficulty curve, Brigador is a gorgeous top-down shooter with a remarkable level of strategy.
  9. GameSpot
    Jul 15, 2016
    70
    In many ways, Brigador is the modern, indie progeny of classic mecha games like Armored Core. It's rough around the edges, and doesn't do much with its story or its tutorials, but distills the gluttony of the 90s action genre into an impassioned, indulgent package.
  10. Hooked Gamers
    Jun 21, 2016
    69
    Brigador does a lot of things right, but there are a handful of things which prevent it from being great.
  11. Vandal
    Jun 10, 2016
    65
    Brigador is fun and deep, but it feels like it's sitting between the simulation/strategy and the arcade, what leaves it with an unfulfilled potential.
  12. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 12, 2016
    60
    Funny and wonderfully looking mecha action is unfortunately afflicted by an excessive difficulty and clumsy controls. [Issue#265]
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  13. Riot Pixels
    Aug 12, 2016
    40
    A mindless, clunky, tedious, boring, and difficult for the sake of difficulty game.
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  1. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Jun 3, 2016
    Make no mistake, Brigador is a toybox first and foremost – assemble your dream mech or deathtank, take it out for a spin in Bladerunnerville, trash everything, have a bloody great fight. A few UI frustrations can’t take away the innate pleasure of that, especially when it looks so delightfully, tangibly model-like too. It’s not Mechwarrior, no, but it scratches pretty much every other mech itch going, and with style.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 47 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 47
  3. Negative: 5 out of 47
  1. XTRMNTR2K
    Nov 23, 2016
    9
    Brigador is, without doubt, a gem. And I'm not talking diamond-in-the-rough here, but a real, polished gem.

    The lore, while not the main    Brigador is, without doubt, a gem. And I'm not talking diamond-in-the-rough here, but a real, polished gem.

    The lore, while not the main selling point, is fantastic. Through well-written pilot and equipment descriptions as well as dedicated lore and intel entries you get a glimpse into a fleshed-out universe that has obviously been crafted with love and care. Add to that the fantastic 80's-synth-inspired soundtrack and beautiful, cyberpunk-esque graphical presentation and you've already got a winner. But the real star here is the gameplay; Brigador is not just an isometric mech shooter, but a surprisingly deep and engaging experience.

    The game's description in the steam store is surprisingly accurate. Here's what it says:

    "Choose your vehicle, weapons, pilot, and defense.
    Assault the districts of Solo Nobre, then escape or die trying.
    Your choice."

    This describes the Freelance mode, which is the core of the game, pretty well.

    You choose from a wide selection of pilots (determining difficulty and payout multiplier), vehicles (possibly increasing your payout multiplier) and weapons/special weapons.

    Vehicles come in three flavors: Mechs, tanks and anti-gravs (agravs for short). Each has distinctive characteristics and handles differently.

    Weapons come in five different size classes, with 8 weapons in each class. (A whopping 40 weapons all in all!)

    Additionally, you can equip your vehicle with one of four different special weapons, that can have either defensive or offensive purposes - or a mix of both.

    Finally you choose a mission and you're ready to go. In order to finish and leave each district (map) of a mission you need to complete at least one of three main goals; there are also optional goals which you can complete for a better payout.

    Your goal is to fulfill your mission, stay alive and finally extract via spaceport. If you fail, there is no continue, almost all of your hard-earned points will be withheld in order to cover your 'funeral expenses'.

    If you don't pay attention to your surroundings and blow up something explosive while standing right next to it, you will die. (Sounds like a noob mistake, but believe me, it happens more often than you think.)

    If you get cocky and rush into a large group of enemies, or trigger an alarm to have basically a whole districts worth of enemies converging on your last known location, you will die (at least if you don't GTFO immediately).

    If you select a combination of vehicle and weaponry you are not (yet) comfortable with and decide to do a high-difficulty run, you will absolutely, positively die in the most horrific way possible.

    However, how hard or easy the game plays is actually up to the player.

    If you like to take it easy or simply get acquainted with the game, choose a powerful vehicle/weapon combo, and an 'easy' pilot. Or, if you want to feel miserable, you can attempt to ride a tuk-tuk equipped with shrapnel-blasting cannons (that look like they're exploding in your own face) into the depths of hell.

    Speaking of difficulty, there are levels ranging from 1 to 13, and the first few of these are rather mild. Personally speaking I've been able to beat up to level 7 reliably with a reasonably powerful vehicle and weapons, but anything above is pure madness.

    Another one of the great things about Brigador is its large variety of vehicles and weapons. Pretty much every playstyle is possible.

    If you want to blast your enemies to smithereens from afar with naval cannons mounted to an ultra heavy tank, you can do just that.

    If you love to zoom around in a tiny agrav and murder your enemies in the face with shrapnel cannons that's totally possible.

    And if you like a heavy mech that stomps things that get too close and shoots lasers and gatling guns at everyone else - be my guest.

    That being said, none of the above works without some sort of tactical modus operandi; simply rushing in guns blazing will quickly get you killed on anything but the lowest difficulties.

    Finding out what works for you (and what doesn't) is important - and it's fun, too.

    Aside from freelance, there is also a campaign mode that should at least be played for the tutorials as well as the first few levels in order to learn the ropes of the game. After that, it quickly becomes tough as nails and very frustrating, though it's not bad.

    So, is Brigador good? Without a doubt. The controls are precise (but can take a bit of pratice), the overall presentation leaves an impression of a game crafted with love and care, and the gameplay is surprisingly deep - much more than you would expect simply judging from screenshots or videos of this game. The soundtrack is fantastic as well. If you like mechs, tanks and all things sci-fi, love shooting things from an isometric perspective, enjoy tight, challenging gameplay and a game that can be tailored to your needs and tastes to some degree, Brigador may just be THE thing for you.    … Full Review »
  2. howlatthemoon
    Jul 21, 2016
    8
    Rushed out of EA and not sure why. A few more months, a little more feedback and I think this could have been a real gem.

    The game has a    Rushed out of EA and not sure why. A few more months, a little more feedback and I think this could have been a real gem.

    The game has a cool story trapped behind a cold game menu through which it is told. This is made more frustrating after they went to the trouble of having someone write and voice an audio-book but didn't include a single sound bite in the game.

    There are a couple dozen unique drivers each with their own stories and "traits" that effect your final score. But those stories are so coldly told through the games menu that the driver becomes nothing more than a score multiplier.

    A few cut scenes similar to what you might find in cryptark or invisible inc. Simple text and pixel portraits could have really gone a long way in connecting the player with the avatar.

    The unlock system feels a little blind at times, you'll often spend a mill on some lore and a few mill on a driver only to feel like you just stuck your hand in a lucky dip or played pin the tale on the donkey, with the only consolation being that all the prizes were pretty crap so what difference does it make what you get.

    Now if the lore had been audio logs, or part of the audio book along side the menu text, it would have been worth a mill.. and that driver, if it came with 3 or 4 personalised text boxes expressing their motives for risking their lives, placed next to their portraits at the start of the first 3 or 4 Freelance missions I took 'em on, maybe I'd care about them and be inclined to learn about another.

    Some of the stories told through the menus are emotive but feel like a chore to connect with. It's a real shame.

    The game looks great imo, music is perfect, it's that new retro wave.
    Controls are perfect imo also, some people complain about them, but if you give them a chance and think about the logistics they work well and make sense.

    It's in the variety of vehicles and weapons that this game really shines, while missions can feel similar (due to having little to no investment in any of the characters or the story), it's the loadout that makes a run unique. Vehicles have their own feel and can't all support the same mounts, so with weapons ranging from explosives with arch like firing arcs to machine gun lazers, there is absolutely an incentive and desire to experiment.

    + Beautiful game, lovely lighting
    + Lots of unlockables
    + Great ost and sfx
    + Lots of lore (though poorly implemented)
    + Fun guns
    + Strong level design
    + Interesting vehicles
    + Fair amount of content
    + Multiple ways to finish your mission

    - Feels rushed
    - Some bugs (known about since EA)
    - No ability to zoom in on the lovely pixelated mechs and weps, not even through the Acquisitions menu
    - Poor use of wonderfully crafted lore
    - Missions can feel the same, with little to no investment in any of the characters or the story
    - No Auto forward key (trust me it needs one)
    - No level editor

    7.5/10 Pretty good, could have been so much better. Could still be, with some work

    Recommended    … Full Review »
  3. yolo_ono
    Jun 27, 2016
    10
    The greatest Kool Aid Man simulator that I have ever played. Worth more than any Nickelback poster. GREAT LEADER IS DEAD. LIBERATE SOLO NOBRE TONIGHT.
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