Who wants to rock out with their…best air guitar out? Well if you answered yes, then Brutal Legend may be right up your alley. There’s no title on the Xbox 360 that gives the metalheads as much to love as Brutal Legend does. From appearances of Ozzy Osbourne to Lemmy, the lead singer of Motorhead, Brutal Legend is a long-lived fantasy come true for anyone who has picked up a guitar and wanted to shred as hard or as fast as Dave Murray from Iron Maiden or Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath. Tim Schafer, the mastermind behind Brutal Legend, has continued his clever ways of telling a wonderful story mixed in with charming humor. Playing as Eddie Riggs – voiced by none other than Jack Black himself – the single-player campaign of Brutal Legend is cheerfully amusing till the bitter end. Once Riggs finds himself ejected from the real world and walking about in a fantasy world that is ruled by the dark Lord Diviculus, the campaign of Brutal Legend never let’s up for gamers to catch their breath. If there’s a moment where boredom is about to set in, the game barges in and transplants them in a new scenario that is fresh and full of vigor.
One aspect that should be enjoyed is Jack Black’s performance as Riggs. Filling in as a character he classically portrays from the majority of his career, Riggs is a lovable fuzzy-wuzzy teddy bear that is kooky, a little bit selfish, obsessed with metal, and doesn’t have too much common sense on his side. Players can expect a lot of loud outbursts, one-liners, and a lot of erratic acting that resembles all of what Jack Black stands for. If gamers have found themselves shying away from Black’s brand of humor, then Brutal Legend may not be the best purchase as the appearance and voice of Riggs is identical to all things that relate to Black. There were several moments that the game presented that were more or less distracting due to his voice-acting. The game mechanics of Brutal Legend are much harder than to define than any typical action-adventure title. Brutal Legend is a creation that even Dr. Frankenstein would be proud of; it utilizes the real-time strategy, the beat ‘em up, and action-driving genres superbly.
There’s never a moment that gamers will think to themselves, “Man, they are trying too hard to be cool.” The action is non-stop fun, full of leather-clads characters that players should adore, and complete with segments that will players will remember for the rest of their lives. Never afraid to mix in simplicity with complexity, the controls and combat is rather easy to pick up and play, while also being exciting to learn the more in-depth maneuvers. Relying on the guitar axe as a weapon, players can wield it as a melee weapon to smash over an enemy’s head or shred a few tunes to cast magical attacks from afar. Not afraid to follow clichés, a majority of the attacks are flame-based and what players should expect from their very first metal-themed action title on the Xbox 360. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the action is brilliantly pleasant to the point that it’ll suck all the free time away from the player without them every knowing it.
Picking up allies on the way to causing mayhem in this exotic and dangerous world, the player’s journey as Eddie Riggs is one to die for. The only issues that need to be briefly talked about are the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type moments where the action seemingly transitions from the brawling aspects to the RTS tactical portion. As a metal fan, it’s important to create an authentic experience that anyone can identify with. Well, leading hordes of metalheads across the battlefield could potentially be one of the most satisfying elements of Brutal Legend… or it could end up being swansong for Schafer as the switch from hack and slashing to an RTS may not be the best mix of two genres. It’s still a favorable mixture from a journalistic point-of-view, but speaking as an avid gamer who enjoys metal and crushing skulls with a guitar, it’s an odd change to say the least. If there’s one reason to pick up Brutal Legend, it should be for the amazing art direction and soundtrack. Containing over 100 tracks and 70 artists, the music of Brutal Legend lives and breathes metal.
It’s literally a heaven for any metalhead looking for an extraordinary collection of metal and all of its subgenres. The art direction of Brutal Legend on the other hand is what pushes the visuals to the next level. Granted, the game isn’t the most beautiful game of 2009, but it’s definitely one of the more impressively designed titles to reach the Xbox 360. The environments are marvelously laid out with objects that lend to the metal theme – there’s never a time where a level will be mistaken for the last! Brutal Legend is a fabulous title that fits right in with the extraordinary history of Tim Schafer. While it’s definitely not a perfect game, the flaws can at least be overlooked to concentrate on the wonders of entertaining storytelling and humor.
