Broforce is not simply another mindless videogame. It handles war more clever than even the Metal Gear games to critique the American military industrial complex in the conflicts of the bleaker moments of US history as well as the politics of today.


Upon first-glances, the game appears as a nonsense-filled American adventure of blinding heroism. Underlying the action-hero storyline and gameplay, there is a self-awareness of the pro-war sentimentality of the U.S and Allied nations from the '60s through '90s.

Through the action-hero icons of your playable cast, the game uses its macho heroes' aesthetic to convey its patriotism. This is a deliberate choice to make the player think what he is doing is ALWAYS right. And the game's narrative reinforces that idea by ignoring the enemies' thoughts and the game always blaiming them for being potential terrorists because they are different.

For example, the POWs, a horrible memory of history ,is rendered into an action-hero mechanic. They are not beaten, mentally-unstable individuals who at any moment might die in their capter's hands. Instead, they are all potential action-heros to take the spotlight should a "bro" fall in combat.

The geography of the map also emphasizes the severity behind the "in-game" mechanics/enemies like the POWs (taken from Metal Slug and set in not-Vietnam), the nameless, demonized terrorists in the East (Russians, Muslims and the IRA) and aliens (encrouching upon the homeland). Finally coming to a self-awareness that even America, land of freedom, is ultimately plagued by satantists and demons, and they must be purged (atheists and non-Christians).

The message through gameplay is that all conflicts can be resolved with blind heroics just like the Hollywood blockbusters have instilled into the minds of the masses. But what is always there while you play are the real-world conflicts masked by the fantasy of an action-hero movie.

In the end, you perservere any obstacle in your way clinging to a false notion of freedom. At what cost is that freedom worth to corpses? At one point do you consider the ramifications of your heroics? How can you justify your actions?

These are the difficult questions the game leaves you with...


Okay, real-talk. I completely made up that entire interepretation of this game. And yet, after finishing through two runs of the game (12 hours), I cannot but wonder if the game played me like a fool when I first paroided something that always seemed to be aware of the joke too.

The main point I'm trying to say is... Don't take this game too seriously. Have fun!


This game is what it sells itself; cheesy, nonsense American action with all your favorite action heroes. Each character controls similarly (one attack, one special and one melee--or another special--attack) as a basic jump-and-shoot game.

The interesting aspect is each character's unique abilities and quirks. In total, there is a cast of 29/30 to play with, and as you start off with Rambro, the simpliest character, you can get some ludicrous characters that require skill like Cherry Bromb, Indiana Brones and Bronan the Barbarian.

The game keeps a "rogue-lite" feel without making an entirely random experience. This is a statement both to the game's benefit and to its detriment.

Levels are always the same, but how you go through them is based on who you are playing. Every level does not require you to have one specific character, and every level has fully-destructable terrain to make each playthrough (or retry) different from the last. You can carve your own paths, literally, and this mechanic never entirely ruins or breaks the game.

No character is mandatory, but there are some levels better suited towards the level/boss. This wouldn't be a problem if you could select your bro-loadout (maybe as a post-game reward) or know what you will have at any point in the game.

Every time you begin a level you start with a random bro, and whenever you save a Bro on the battlefield you will get another randomized Bro (and an extra life, which is very useful as every Bro takes one hit).

This "rouge-lite" experience doesn't get in your way because the levels are short (2 to 3 mins if you're careful, excluding boss-fights), and if you fail you can retry the same stage without playing it the same way. It's a good solution to make playing the game over again better as well as failing those harder stages multiple times.

But, as I mentioned before, not everything is flawless because of the random nature of the game.


That is my reaction whenever I get the worst character possible for a level, and this is not because one character requires more skill. It's because of balancing issues. Namely the enemy variety towards the end-game.

When fighting from terrorists to aliens to demons, most characters retain a balancing act hampered only by enemy behaviors not compatible with a specific hero. Bosses are the worst at this, which can either be riddiculous challenges with some characters or a breeze with certain characters (Cherry Bomb with the Alien Heart is so simple).

It also doesn't help that some abilities are rendered useless because of the level (Chuck Norris' airstrikes underground) or by the enemies your fighting (Neo's bullettime with Xenomorphs). Thankfully, some characters are compensated for when their abilities are useless (Norris' shotgun is my favorite).

The level-design is never against you, which is good, but I think if they fleshed out some characters' abilities to work on specific enemies or all of them, then the game would be a lot more polished without these unfair difficulty spikes.


Also, one important point: This game is not a game where you need to grab some friends. (Although it makes the game a lot more interesting/chaotic). The game balances its overall difficulty nicely by giving solo players more extra bros to spare, while making extra players more helpful in dealing with bosses and hordes of enemies.

And despite the problems with the game, none of these ruin the game from being enjoyed for what it is and the replay value is high with muliple modes, the rouge-lite elements and the Steam Workshop levels (only the devs can provide more heroes to keep every character interesting and balanced).

Is it worth $15? I would think so, even when playing by yourself for a 4 to 5 hour adventure. There is Ironbro Mode for a Contra-like feel, the Workshop campaigns, and the game itself is a joy. And cooperative play will offer tons of other replay value from the amount of chaos you can unlesh with a group of four.

Just don't take this game seriously. It's not.

Maybe.

Possibly.

No.

You take a leak on Satan's grave.

Broforce is not simply another mindless videogame. It handles war more clever than even the Metal Gear games to critique the American military industrial complex in the conflicts of the bleaker moments of US history as well as the politics of today. [h1]Bro, You Serious?[/h1] Upon first-glances, the game appears as a nonsense-filled American adventure of blinding heroism. Underlying the action-hero storyline and gameplay, there is a self-awareness of the pro-war sentimentality of the U.S and Allied nations from the '60s through '90s. Through the action-hero icons of your playable cast, the game uses its macho heroes' aesthetic to convey its patriotism. This is a deliberate choice to make the player think what he is doing is ALWAYS right. And the game's narrative reinforces that idea by ignoring the enemies' thoughts and the game always blaiming them for being potential terrorists because they are different. For example, the POWs, a horrible memory of history ,is rendered into an action-hero mechanic. They are not beaten, mentally-unstable individuals who at any moment might die in their capter's hands. Instead, they are all potential action-heros to take the spotlight should a "bro" fall in combat. The geography of the map also emphasizes the severity behind the "in-game" mechanics/enemies like the POWs (taken from Metal Slug and set in not-Vietnam), the nameless, demonized terrorists in the East (Russians, Muslims and the IRA) and aliens (encrouching upon the homeland). Finally coming to a self-awareness that even America, land of freedom, is ultimately plagued by satantists and demons, and they must be purged (atheists and non-Christians). The message through gameplay is that all conflicts can be resolved with blind heroics just like the Hollywood blockbusters have instilled into the minds of the masses. But what is always there while you play are the real-world conflicts masked by the fantasy of an action-hero movie. In the end, you perservere any obstacle in your way clinging to a false notion of freedom. At what cost is that freedom worth to corpses? At one point do you consider the ramifications of your heroics? How can you justify your actions? These are the difficult questions the game leaves you with... [h1]Or not...? Maybe it's a Bromantical Comedy.[/h1] Okay, real-talk. I completely made up that entire interepretation of this game. And yet, after finishing through two runs of the game (12 hours), I cannot but wonder if the game played me like a fool when I first paroided something that always seemed to be aware of the joke too. The main point I'm trying to say is... Don't take this game too seriously. Have fun! [h1]Cue the '80s Montage[/h1] This game is what it sells itself; cheesy, nonsense American action with all your favorite action heroes. Each character controls similarly (one attack, one special and one melee--or another special--attack) as a basic jump-and-shoot game. The interesting aspect is each character's unique abilities and quirks. In total, there is a cast of 29/30 to play with, and as you start off with Rambro, the simpliest character, you can get some ludicrous characters that require skill like Cherry Bromb, Indiana Brones and Bronan the Barbarian. The game keeps a "rogue-lite" feel without making an entirely random experience. This is a statement both to the game's benefit and to its detriment. Levels are always the same, but how you go through them is based on who you are playing. Every level does not require you to have one specific character, and every level has fully-destructable terrain to make each playthrough (or retry) different from the last. You can carve your own paths, literally, and this mechanic never entirely ruins or breaks the game. No character is mandatory, but there are some levels better suited towards the level/boss. This wouldn't be a problem if you could select your bro-loadout (maybe as a post-game reward) or know what you will have at any point in the game. Every time you begin a level you start with a random bro, and whenever you save a Bro on the battlefield you will get another randomized Bro (and an extra life, which is very useful as every Bro takes one hit). This "rouge-lite" experience doesn't get in your way because the levels are short (2 to 3 mins if you're careful, excluding boss-fights), and if you fail you can retry the same stage without playing it the same way. It's a good solution to make playing the game over again better as well as failing those harder stages multiple times. But, as I mentioned before, not everything is flawless because of the random nature of the game. [h1]"Oh, Brother"[/h1] That is my reaction whenever I get the worst character possible for a level, and this is not because one character requires more skill. It's because of balancing issues. Namely the enemy variety towards the end-game. When fighting from terrorists to aliens to demons, most characters retain a balancing act hampered only by enemy behaviors not compatible with a specific hero. Bosses are the worst at this, which can either be riddiculous challenges with some characters or a breeze with certain characters (Cherry Bomb with the Alien Heart is so simple). It also doesn't help that some abilities are rendered useless because of the level (Chuck Norris' airstrikes underground) or by the enemies your fighting (Neo's bullettime with Xenomorphs). Thankfully, some characters are compensated for when their abilities are useless (Norris' shotgun is my favorite). The level-design is never against you, which is good, but I think if they fleshed out some characters' abilities to work on specific enemies or all of them, then the game would be a lot more polished without these unfair difficulty spikes. [h1]You Can Go Alone or WIth Bros[/h1] Also, one important point: This game is not a game where you need to grab some friends. (Although it makes the game a lot more interesting/chaotic). The game balances its overall difficulty nicely by giving solo players more extra bros to spare, while making extra players more helpful in dealing with bosses and hordes of enemies. And despite the problems with the game, none of these ruin the game from being enjoyed for what it is and the replay value is high with muliple modes, the rouge-lite elements and the Steam Workshop levels (only the devs can provide more heroes to keep every character interesting and balanced). Is it worth $15? I would think so, even when playing by yourself for a 4 to 5 hour adventure. There is Ironbro Mode for a Contra-like feel, the Workshop campaigns, and the game itself is a joy. And cooperative play will offer tons of other replay value from the amount of chaos you can unlesh with a group of four. Just don't take this game seriously. It's not. Maybe. Possibly. No. You take a leak on Satan's grave.