City of Brass

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 22
  3. Negative: 2 out of 22
  1. IGN
    May 9, 2018
    40
    There’s no doubt that City of Brass is meant to be punishing. But between its ungainly controls, its inability to stave off a sense of tedious repetition, and spirit-breaking lack of progression, it feels far less fair and more painful than its rogue-lite brethren.
  2. TheSixthAxis
    May 14, 2018
    30
    With an awesome inspiration and some very cool ideas, it’s an immense shame that City of Brass game ends up being as dull as it is. With lacklustre combat, enemy design, rooms and movement, City of Brass feels like a chore to play. With the smorgasbord of Rogue-lites to play these days, some of which are among the best games you can play, City of Brass is an easy pass.

Awards & Rankings

85
#85 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2018

User Reviews

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User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 20
  3. Negative: 8 out of 20
  1. GBG_Jason
    May 4, 2018
    7
    Back in the early 2000’s when I got my first original Xbox, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was one of the first games I purchased. IBack in the early 2000’s when I got my first original Xbox, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was one of the first games I purchased. I loved everything about it and to this day am a bit sad we never got a true sequel (I know they released a number of follow ups, but let’s be honest, they were mediocre at best). When City of Brass was announced, I was smitten and thought this would be a spiritual successor to one of my favorite games of all time.

    The game is a rouge-lite offering, contrary to what the trailer depicts, which gave me the impression of a narrative driven story, especially with folks from the Bioshock franchise being involved. While this was not an outright disappointment as I enjoy rouge-lites, I feel like a narrative would have improved the overall experience. There are a number of titles that combine similar genre’s well, such as We Happy Few, but this game has no narrative whatsoever. You’ll simply boot the game and be given the option to complete a tutorial or jump in head first.

    The gameplay is akin to most FPS games, with your right hand having a sword that you can attack with and the left hand used a whip, which serves a number of purposes; you can stun or disarm enemies when hitting the proper body parts, set off traps, or use it to grapple onto hooks to reach secret areas. While the trailer does allude to additional weaponry coming into play, I’ve spent nearly 20 hours with the game and have only seen the same 2 weapons, albeit with mild variations to the attack speed or range, that can be acquired. With this being said, the combat gets boring very quickly. There is a required amount of exploration as well, since you will need to seek out treasure to purchase upgrades or new equipment from vendors that are randomly placed throughout the levels. If you’re short on gold, you can also use one of 3 wishes that you are allotted per game session.

    The vendors are not your only means to upgrading your unnamed protagonist, as you can find them in hidden chests as well. Additionally, you will earn XP which will level up the standard equipment. Sadly, they don’t come frequently enough to change up the gameplay in any meaningful way, as 20 hours in I am still inching towards level 3. I prefer rouge-lites that offer the risk/reward system from acquiring pick-ups that make each run feel unique, which is sadly missing from this offering.

    The presentation is what you would come to expect from a AAA title, so there is that, but visuals and good controls alone don’t make a superb game. The enemies and environments are well rendered, with flame, water, and sand effects in place with a great variety of textures being used. Again, this just makes me wish they would have taken a different route with the gameplay, because this could have been a game for the ages with the right story and mechanics being implemented.

    The enemies thrown at you are the one thing that doesn’t get stale due to the varied nature of their attacks and abilities. While none of them are completely original (they look almost identical to those featured in the Prince of Persia: Sands of Times, with flames holding them together opposed to sand), their varied and often unpredictable attacks will keep you on your toes. If you’re lucky enough to make it past the first few levels, you will also face off against some bosses, which can be quite difficult and break up the monotony.

    If you get bored or find the vanilla game to be too difficult for you (I did not, but my 5 year old struggled a bit), you can add or remove modifiers before each run. While the ones to make the game easier are available from the start, the ones that add more difficulty to the game must be unlocked. These make the title more accessible, but they rarely make the experience feel any less repetitive.

    City of Brass clearly proves that pretty visuals alone do not make for a stellar gaming experience. While it does play well, the repetition sets in way too early, especially when other rouge-lites are on the market and offer the replay value the genre is known for.    … Full Review »
  2. rerhe
    Jan 25, 2023
    5
    it is interesting but wasn't that well designed or well made enough to be honest
  3. Djinn
    Jun 13, 2018
    9
    Playing through the whole game, even with getting the harder achievements, its a fun game. Like a mix of Bioshock with Prince of Persia withPlaying through the whole game, even with getting the harder achievements, its a fun game. Like a mix of Bioshock with Prince of Persia with Rogue-Like elements. the game from what I have noticed is quiet fair. Where it gets to be really punishing is when your not using your relics and the environment to the best of their abilities. If you want to understand the game more for subsequent runs, I would recommend using the blessings to get a feel for how it works. I personally recommend getting this game especially when it does go on sale.… Full Review »
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