E3 Hands On — Strange Brigade

Strange Brigade

While at E3, I was able to see Strange Brigade in a more intimate setting than just a trailer. Here is my take on Strange Brigade.

One of the great things about E3 is finding little gems of games around the floor and getting to check out other lesser-known titles like Strange Brigade. This being a game we have brought up a few times before here on the site, but also have been eagerly waiting for sine Rebellion first announced that it was coming and again when it was given the August 28^th release date for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Strange Brigade looks like a new and fresh take on the third-person shooter style of game, but with some great twists and turns. Many of which I had a chance to check out as I gave the game a bit of a whirl with the lead developer of the game.

While Strange Brigade is being given the third-person shooter slotting, it is a bit more than just that. It is also a one to four-player co-op game with a bit of a competitive nature mixed in. Use the basis of games like Gauntlet to start with and then add in the different gameplay angle and setting and you are on the correct path to understanding the basics. That is at least what seems to be the basis of the game design here as we will take one of our heroes/heroines on a quest through the map with up to three others. All of whom have a special ability to go along with them as well as a look all their own. The difference being that we are shooting things in Strange Brigade and can use the game’s many traps and environmental effects to our advantage.

From the onset of what I had to experience for Strange Brigade, I was given the option between one of four different characters to play. I was able to select a loadout of weapons and a special power to use during the adventure. The team and I were dropped into the location and were set loose to find out way about the map shooting enemies and objects to complete smaller tasks. Also to collect gold and items along the way as Strange Brigade is also a bit on the competitive side of things as none of the loot is shared directly between all players. It is also the only way to upgrade and expand out your arsenal and skills in the game, so it will have you fighting over all of that, or working together, right from the start.

After getting all of that under control and situated, we were able to move right along to the game’s next set of pillars. That would be the level of exploration and richness. While the levels are not procedurally generated, the loot that is found is a bit; they are vast and sprawling with many nooks and crannies to be explored. Some of which hidden behind puzzles and others well off the beaten path. The idea behind it all is to have you wanting to replay each level of Strange Brigade to find new and interesting things you may have missed before. Even playing the level that we have seen in many gameplay bits, and with some of the team, I did not get to see all that the map had to offer and that was not from a lack of trying. There were some great distractions that always seemed to pull me away.

One of these distractions in Strange Brigade had to be the combat and taking down swarms of enemies in basic and creative ways. As I said, at its core it is a third-person shooter so there was a lot of firing at enemies with the many weapons at my disposal. Then there was the mix of extra upgrades and abilities that could be attached during the mission; this usually led to me wanting to see how things had changed with the new items and then ignoring where I was going before. The other thing that blended into all of these fun distractions was running across some other and new kind of environmental attack or trap in Strange Brigade that caught my eye and led to another fun experience. I can see how there will be a need to keep replaying missions and levels to get to see all of the different paths we could have taken.

As with any good demo, the one for Strange Brigade led to an all-out firefight with swarms of enemies, new and old. It was a great showing of how we could all work together or the hardships that could come if someone is snagging all the loot while everyone else is doing all of the fighting. I was “that guy” during the demo who had all of the gold and souls that could have been collected leaving my allies with few upgrades and ammo to help out with. I was “all powerful” at the time but had to spend more time trying to bring back my allies or defend them as I was the greedy one. All signs of a good game and team working being key in Strange Brigade. Or at least a better strategy to make it through to the end. Either way, I am excited to see where the rest of this fun adventure goes and builds from.