Strange Brigade

 PlayStation 4
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 57 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 57
  3. Negative: 15 out of 57
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  1. ShadowPeter
    Aug 28, 2018
    8
    If you usually play the works of Rebellion, like Sniper Elite and Zombie Arms Trilogy, surely you will feel familiar with this Strange Brigade. It is a cooperative Third-person shooter (we can also play solo) and the objective is to kill mummies and explore ancient ruins. And no, it's not the first time that Rebellion makes mummy-related games, since in 2000 we had The Mummy for PSOne andIf you usually play the works of Rebellion, like Sniper Elite and Zombie Arms Trilogy, surely you will feel familiar with this Strange Brigade. It is a cooperative Third-person shooter (we can also play solo) and the objective is to kill mummies and explore ancient ruins. And no, it's not the first time that Rebellion makes mummy-related games, since in 2000 we had The Mummy for PSOne and for PC.

    Imagine the Strange Brigade as if it was a 1930s English television series, in which 4 heroes have to kill the spirit of Seteki, a wicked, power-thirsty queen who was released by archeologist Edgar Harbin. Nalangu Rushida, Gracie Braithwaite, Prof. Archimedes de Quincey and Frank Fairburne are the names of the characters. During the gameplay or during a cutscene, Strange Brigade manages to positively capture the spirit of the adventurous series of the thirties. However, Rebellion made a basic mistake, which shouldn't happen as often as it still does: subtitles are lowercase. Sometimes I don't even notice the captions and this thought comes to me after I've been distracted, "huh? What? What happened?".

    As I said earlier, the player will have to venture through unexplored places, always with the Storyteller to describe the events, and use the gray matter to solve the puzzles, discover treasures and diaries, kill mummies, skeletons and a few more creatures. The campaign of the game is not so linear and as a result we have to look at the sites and find out what it is we can do to open the way to move or unlock a secret room, which in my opinion was an aspect that I pleased since I like slightly challenging puzzles. But don't worry, because some puzzles are between the easy and the normal. There are always traps that can be used against our enemies, but be careful, because you or your partners can take with these traps that is almost certain death.

    We have a good range of weapons from rifles, machine guns, shotguns, pistols, revolvers, dynamite, grenades, molotov cocktails and amulets. Speaking of amulets, let's say they are a kind of special blow that can be used against enemies. An example of this is the Chariot Charge that knocks down the mummies with devastating force. In order to use the amulets, we have to kill the enemies and collect the souls they left until the sphere is filled.

    Strange Brigade does not have energy regeneration (except when in the red zone), so we have to use health potions to revitalize our energy. By the way, you can't take more than one health potion. Whenever the player is killed and if he has a health potion in his possession, we can be resurrected in a sarcophagus (but with the energy bar in the red zone). Nice right?

    In addition to the campaign mode, we also have Horde mode (surviving waves of enemies) and Score Attack. In any of these modes, the player can play on solo or in cooperative mode for up to 4 players. And speaking in this latter way, it is always funny and satisfying to play cooperative (especially with friends), not having noticed any problems with LAG. But here is a big flaw, as there is only cooperative online and no local multiplayer. It's a shame, as this game would be extremely fun with local co-op.

    Strange Brigade despite running at 30 FPS, also gives us the option of setting at 60 FPS, but with the frame rate unlocked. I confess that I didn't notice major problems of fluency during the 60 FPS and also didn't notice great visual differences between the two modes of performance. In short, despite having taken with the attacks of the mummies, the Rebellion manages to escape with life and arrives at the secret tomb in which it finds the good treasure called Strange Brigade.

    Verdict: Despite its flaws, Strange Brigade manages to be a good cooperative game with funny puzzles.    … Expand
  2. RenaudLemieux
    Aug 29, 2018
    8
    Very good game I was expecting something and finally it is better than what I was expecting. People who put bad critic because they thought it would be as good as a tripple A game thats not the thing to do...The combat is very good for what it is fire system deserve a solid 8. You got a lot of weapons you can upgrade plus you have the possibility to buy other special weapons duringVery good game I was expecting something and finally it is better than what I was expecting. People who put bad critic because they thought it would be as good as a tripple A game thats not the thing to do...The combat is very good for what it is fire system deserve a solid 8. You got a lot of weapons you can upgrade plus you have the possibility to buy other special weapons during mission so people who say the game have lack of variety on weapons have not playing the same game i played. For skills you got 4 per character and theyre all different it is better than zombie army wich you had 0 SKILLS. Similar enemy ? Again wrong wrong wrong and WRONG im just at the beginning and already meet 5 different type of ennemy... The only problem of the game wich is not something that bad its the lack of a good story but like I said no big deal gameplay is the more important. So dont make the mistake of expecting something extraordinairy its a 50 dollard game and for the price it is very good. Sorry for my bad english its not my primary language… Expand
  3. SweStars
    Apr 5, 2019
    9
    Probably one of the best co-op shooters I've played. Similar to Zombie Army Trilogy, but in my opinion - better. There are many hazardous environment that can be shot to blow, crush spike etc. the mummies. Different type of enemies which mixed it up.

    Pro tip: 1. Unlock framerate. On my PS4 Pro it flows like 60 fps instead of 25-30 fps. Gorgeous. 2. Play on Hard. Medium you can take to    Probably one of the best co-op shooters I've played. Similar to Zombie Army Trilogy, but in my opinion - better. There are many hazardous environment that can be shot to blow, crush spike etc. the mummies. Different type of enemies which mixed it up.

    Pro tip:
    1. Unlock framerate. On my PS4 Pro it flows like 60 fps instead of 25-30 fps. Gorgeous.
    2. Play on Hard. Medium you can take to many hits. Hard? 2 hits and you'r dead. More fun, especially if you are:
    3: Playing coop.

    I got the deluxe version for $27, otherrwise it's quite pricey at $86.
    Solid coop. I had a great time with this little hidden gem.    … Expand
  4. ManOfChap
    Sep 28, 2018
    8
    While basic, it is a fun and entertaining 4 player co-op game. Very similar to sniper elite
  5. StoffelPresents
    Sep 4, 2018
    9
    As a review site, we play an abundance of games. But every so often a truly wonderful gem of a game takes us by surprise. Strange Brigade is one of those games. A third person adventure game that will no doubt be likened to Uncharted or Tomb Raider. As soon as you start up Strange Brigade you are in no doubt you are in for a unique experience.

    Story Egypt, 1930’s. Erased from ancient    As a review site, we play an abundance of games. But every so often a truly wonderful gem of a game takes us by surprise. Strange Brigade is one of those games. A third person adventure game that will no doubt be likened to Uncharted or Tomb Raider. As soon as you start up Strange Brigade you are in no doubt you are in for a unique experience.

    Story
    Egypt, 1930’s. Erased from ancient history and buried in a nameless tomb for 4,000 years, Seteki the Witch Queen has risen once again.

    Only one troop of daring heroes can stand against the fearsome power of Seteki and her army of mummified monstrosities: The Strange Brigade!

    Explore remarkable ruins, solve perilous puzzles and uncover tantalising treasure while blasting your way through an array of undead enemies in thrilling third-person action that’s certain to bring out your inner adventurer!

    Gameplay
    The first thing you notice in Strange Brigade is its amazing humour. The narrator really brings joy to the game and is as central a character as four members of the Strange Brigade.

    Strange Brigade can be played solo or as a 2-4 online co-op multiplayer. With each character having their own beautifully crafted personalities and individual special moves. The choice of character is a real one.

    The levels themselves are fairly big. Even when I knew most of the puzzles and ran through a level. It still took over an hour to do so. Each level is filled with puzzles, locked doors, hidden items and traps to discover. The traps are worth mentioning too. The levels are populated with traps that if you are canny enough you can use to your advantage. For example, there is a point on the first level where you can choose to fight about a dozen mummies or with a single pistol shot to release a spiked filled log and wipe them all out in one go.

    One of the main game mechanics in Strange Brigade is the puzzles. Whilst certain types of puzzles are repeated in every level. There is such a variety of puzzles that they never get boring. In fact, sometimes the familiarity of a puzzle is welcomed.

    The main issue I had with Strange Brigade was that starting out the controls felt extremley loose. This is something I got used to over time and it became less of an issue. To begin with, it was a taxing experience but I soon adapted.

    On top of all this outside of missions, you can buy new guns. Upgrade the ones you have with magical relics found in levels. These relics add massively powerful attributes to your guns such as freezing monsters, setting them on fire, breaking armour and life steal.

    As well as the story mode of the game there is also Horde mode and Score Attack. two modes I have admittedly not tried by the time of writing this review simply because I have been so absorbed in the story.

    Overall Thoughts
    Strange Brigade is a breath of fresh air in a time of dark, serious games. Not only is it fun but there is a fantastic and complex game beneath the humour which is rare to find. Every aspect of the game is beautifully crafted.

    The Story is intriguing and feels like a real archaeological adventure. The characters are well defined with there own unique traits. Level design is so big, sprawling and twisting that you can easily get turned around. One thing I loved was when playing a level back through. I often forgot how to open a door to get to a certain puzzle because there was that much to remember.

    Strange Brigade allows me to relive all those childhood Indiana Jones fantasies with my dry adult humour intact. There isn’t a single aspect of Strange Brigade that fails to deliver. Quite simply when I have a free moment to play, I play Strange Brigade!

    Overall Score – 9/10    … Expand
  6. Lord_Machine_X
    Dec 1, 2018
    8
    Me and my friend love this game. I bought it for play cooperative and think this is one of the best coop shooter games. The maps are awesome. Lot of hidden ruins and puzzles. Enjoyable the search for them. Really underrated.
  7. Slowmow123
    Jun 14, 2019
    9
    This is by far a better game than most shooters in recent memory. There are no great cinematics, the story is bare bones, and there is no flashy triple A glam... But what it is, is a great GAME. No regenerating health, learn the enemies movements and weak points, and actually have fun within the game levels as provided.

    If your tired of open worlds filled to the brim with fetch quests,    This is by far a better game than most shooters in recent memory. There are no great cinematics, the story is bare bones, and there is no flashy triple A glam... But what it is, is a great GAME. No regenerating health, learn the enemies movements and weak points, and actually have fun within the game levels as provided.

    If your tired of open worlds filled to the brim with fetch quests, if you are disillusioned enough to know that "Battle Royals" are more boring versions of death matches, or if you want loot boxes that can be opened by pressing square rather than using your wallet, then strange brigade is for you.

    The basic structure of the game is simple, walk a linear level, which has some cross sections, kill enemies on the way, open chests and find other loot, get to a large area and kill a couple of waves of enemies (using guns, skills, and environmental traps and hazards). Simple and sweet. Progressing in the game gets you: new enemies are introduced in different areas and in new levels. You can purchase better guns using loot (better stat versions of the starting guns), and you can also find runes which give your weapons special properties (life steal, ricocheting bullets etc).

    There are 2 main draw backs that I can think of... game length and no split screen. The campaign isn't very long (10 hrs), though the extra modes will pad out some more play time. But the biggest gripe I have with this game is... NO COUCH COOP... Sadly, you will have to sit it out solo, or go online with randos if you want that coop action.

    Puzzles, I have read in other reviews, to be a big problem with some people... Though I will agree that they are very simple, laughably so... BUT they are QUICK, very quick: shoot a couple of symbols, get your loot and go on the the next shootout... I fail to see this as a problem, they don't take you out of the action for long, they give you a brief distractions while you look for the correct combo, and you are off and on your way in no time to do put the dead back in the ground. Yet games like Uncharted have puzzle which are just as basic (But that being a Big Budget Game, the plebes be like: OOOOhhh its flawless!), but it isn't considered a big deal because it looks so pretty...

    In the end... If you want a Michael Bay blockbuster, you wont find that here... If you want a campy old school GAME, well... I'd say, tighten yer britches, ol' chapp, and enlist into the Strange Brigade.    … Expand
  8. Goliexe
    Jun 28, 2020
    9
    Das Spiel macht im Koop sehr viel Spaß. Das Leveldesign ist cool, Die Waffen machen Spaß, das Spiel hat einen tollen Humor und die Grafik ist sehr gut
  9. JNorton
    Jun 23, 2020
    10
    Rebellion Studios this generation has been making bangers!

    Sniper Elite to the Zombie Army games. If you like their other works you’ll enjoy this.

Awards & Rankings

96
#96 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2018
47
#47 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 36
  3. Negative: 1 out of 36
  1. Gameblog.fr
    Oct 2, 2018
    60
    If Strange Brigade has the good idea to offer an original set and tone in the kind of cooperative shooter, it does so either too late or too bad, but in any case, it does not fully convince. Especially against the competition already in place.
    Read full review
  2. GamePro Germany
    Sep 23, 2018
    82
    Entertaining co-op shooter, brightened up with puzzles, that shows its top form with several players.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Sep 22, 2018
    80
    A great campaign (with Score Attack mode for extra replayability), and an evergreen Horde mode. Fun when played with friends, with strangers, and when played alone? How strange. [Issue#154, p.88]
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