Broforce: PS4 Review

Broforce: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released in March by PlayStation Plus

Broforce was the game chosen by the community to be part of the March PlayStation Plus line up.

And after it's over-ridden my life for the past few days, it's easy to see why this pixelated shoot-em-up is so popular.

Essentially just taking on the side-scrolling shooter, this run and gun platformer is a blast of fun and a blow to the head for any kind of logic.It's very much a salutation of the 1980s action film and sees you taking the guise of various heroes from the action world and shooting your way through to freedom.

But the catch is, each time you free a victim of the terrorists, you get a new Bro unlocked. You see, you get to play as Bro versions of action heroes - from Rambro to Robrocop, no hero from yesteryear is saved from the terrible puns on display. Each has their own superpower (accessible in only short bursts) and each is facing a variety of baddies, whose one desire is simply to shoot you to bits.

From marauding mega goons with guns to suicide bombers, this 8 bit quick pick up and play game is a tremendous blast.

For the large part.

Sometimes, the frame rate drops and you end up freezing in mid action - usually at the start of a level of the game - and it always ends in your death by a single shot from one of your nemeses. It's beyond frustrating and makes the game a bit of a pain at times. Equally, an inability to select a Bro for playing a level is a pain - it can mean instead of using someone with real power to blast away, you can be stuck with the likes of Indiana Brones, whose power is simply to wield the whip.

That said, a game that can give an entire cut scene dream sequence to a suicide bomber reflecting on his life before going back to 8Bit reality where he blows himself up, is ok in my book.

You can take the Bros online too - and the multiplayer is a hell of a lot of fun with others involved. With everything being pretty much there to be destroyed, it can be hard to rein in the desire to go mental and ultimately, if you don't, you end up with no ground to achieve and leap your way to glory.

Essentially a gaming equivalent of leaving your brain at the door, Broforce is a tremendous little title, packed full of silly puns (BA Broracus, Brommando, Chuck Brones) but it's also a great paean to those who made the action genre great.

Trust me, once you pick up Broforce, you won't put it down.