Just as any hit song needs a catchy melody or riff to immediately grab and hold onto the attention of the listener, video games need something major for gamers to sink their teeth into leading up to their release. After a look at the run and gun platformer Broforce, it is clear that developer Free Lives Games knows the importance of hooking the audience all too well.
By all accounts, Broforce is a perfectly fun experience on its own. You are dropped directly into high-voltage action (man, I always wanted to use that term in a write-up!) right from the start, and the entirely destructible environments allow for plenty of variety in how you handle enemies (or your co-op partner.) There's a ton of humor as well, from the dumbfounded "HUH?!" sound clips of confused enemies to triumphant electric guitar-scored explosions at each level's end. These elements are much appreciated and will keep people playing, but without a really great hook, perhaps the game would have ended up lost in the shuffle.
Free Lives Games found the perfect way to reel people in: nostalgia. By making the cast of playable characters homages to classic action-movie heroes, Broforce has an immediate audience-pleasing "Oh man, check this out!" factor that will serve it well for a long time to come.
Yeah, that's right. You can play as analogues of fan-favorite characters like Rambo, John McClane, B.A. Baracus, John Matrix, and even freakin' Judge Dredd:
Gah, it's just so cool, and it doesn't even end there! As you play through the game, you unlock a wide array of these iconic "Bros," all with incredibly smile-inducing names like "Bro Hard" and "Bro Dredd." These homages create an incredibly strong entry level for the game, ensuring that many gamers will inevitably check it out. That's damn smart. Free Lives Games knows what's up.
The game isn't even technically finished yet, and people are still having tons of fun with it via the Early Access release on Steam. The completed game is set to have new missions, several more tweaks in gameplay, visuals, and sound, and even more bad-ass "Bros" added to the character roster! With an early release this strong, I'm greatly looking forward to seeing where the final version of Broforce is headed.
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