Brawlout (XB1) Review

Not so Super.

To be fair I’m surprised that there aren’t more clones of Super Smash Bros. And while Sony gave it a try with PlayStation All-Stars back on the PS3, its reception was luke warm at best; even with a roster that included Ratchet and Clank, Nathan Drake and Cole from Infamous. No one can seem to get close to replicating the success Nintendo has had in the free-for-all brawlier genre.

In steps Brawlout, a new game from developers Angry Mob, that aims to take Smash Bros. on and more importantly bring the genre to platforms other than Nintendo’s. Offering gameplay that is almost identical in identity to the legendary brawler, but with one major caveat; it lacks major star power. That isn’t to say you won’t recognize the odd face as Yooka-Laylee, the Hyper Light Drifter and the wrestler from Guacamelee all make a guest appearance. The hero from Dead Cells will also be arriving in the autumn for free. But outside of these there are no other known heroes and the ones that they have created for the game all look bland in design and uninspired. They’re colorful, but generic. A wolfman, a monkey, an eagle, a frog, a cat lady and a large frozen dude. That’s all the characters there are. There are variants to the characters to unlock, which are more than just a palette swap. But they’re only variations on each character and don’t bring anything in the way of a personality. These skins are unlocked in the same way everything else is; randomly.

Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Price: $19.99
Price I’d Pay: $9.99

Playing in matches, either on or offline will gain you coins; as will completing a range of challenges. With these coins you can purchase pinatas which can be smashed open to reveal randomized loot and boy is there a lot to unlock. 15-character variants, 46 skins, 28 avatars and 38 taunts. That’s not including the effects, gear items and even exclusive unlockable items for taking part in scheduled events. It wouldn’t be so bad, but the game is a little stingy with the coins, taking forever to earn enough to unlock just one low tier pinata. At least Brawlout doesn’t support micro-transactions… Yet.

Battles takes place across 13 different stages, all of which offer hazards and moving platforms. You could probably guess the themes of the stages. Desserts, jungles, oceans, castles and frozen landscapes are all represented here and all of them are just as generic as they sound. Some are even repeated.

The combat system also feels second class, again employing a similar system to SSB with an attack button and a special button. Attacks differ based upon which direction you are pushing the left stick in, but unlike SSB the attacks lack a flair to them and hit with more of a whimper than a bang. I also felt that the movement was imprecise and I was often left attacking in the wrong direction or falling off of a ledge. Players can only use the left stick to move the fighter and the Xbox controller isn’t great for that and can lead to many a death. While the combat and controls may leave a little to be desired there is at least enough modes to get stuck in to. From the tutorials that goes through the finer points of battle to a couch mode for up to four players, and the single player mode offers both arcade and quick match options. As one would expect, there is an online mode for Brawlout, though at the time of writing players were a little thin on the ground. The Online mode offers 1v1 matches, as well as a ranked mode once you have levelled up enough brawlers. You can also host your own private lobby of up to eight friends. When playing online it often took a while to match with an opponent and although I didn’t experience any issues when playing online, some people could encounter lag as the online is peer-to-peer.

But it is the local 4-player bouts that provide the most fun, when things are getting chaotic and players have trouble keeping up with the action, that is when the game is at its best. It even did a good approximation of it when I was playing against 3 AI opponents.

There are also a few issues that I encountered. Firstly, and the most bizarre is the lack of any main menu sound when the game starts up. I think it’s a bug and not intentional. Well I hope it’s not any way, as it’s off putting. But the biggest issue I had by far is when I switched the game’s resolution to 4K. On some of the stages the game would slow down to a crawl of about 10-20 frames a second, which for a fighter is a huge no-no and hopefully something that can be addressed in a patch.

Brawlout is pretty much what you would expect it to be, a mediocre attempt at a genre that has its main event as a console exclusive. Playing on your own won’t be much fun and neither will be trying to grind out the coins to unlock the cook stuff. But get some friends together and there is definitely some fun to be had.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Multiplayer
  • Guest characters
  • Lots to unlock
Bad
  • Bland arenas
  • Real framerate issues in 4K mode
  • Fighting mechanics are lacking
6.5
Decent
Written by
News Editor/Reviewer, he also lends his distinct British tones to the N4G Radio Podcast. When not at his PC, he can be found either playing something with the word LEGO in it, or TROPICO!!!