Battle Bruise
- May 3, 2017
- Zanardi and Liza
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Battle Bruise" is a chaotic action game where you fight off hordes of enemies on a shifting, corpse-filled battlefield. The Arcade mode challenges you to survive against countless foes, while the Car Defense mode has you defend your vehicle with turrets. With around 5 classes of weapons and 5 distinct enemy types, including a final boss, the game offers a healthy dose of mayhem, accompanied by a soundtrack by Txai inspired by the Pothead Zombies series.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a unique corpse piling mechanic that alters the terrain, adding depth to the gameplay.
- It's a fun and addictive arcade shooter with a charming art style and engaging soundtrack.
- For its low price, the game offers a surprising amount of content and replayability, making it a great value.
- The game is relatively short and lacks depth, with limited enemy variety and no endless mode.
- Some players found the car defense levels frustrating and luck-based, detracting from the overall experience.
- There are technical issues, such as choppy frame rates and a lack of options for sound adjustments.
- gameplay67 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its addictive and chaotic nature, featuring unique mechanics like terrain deformation and a "corpse pile-up" system that adds depth and replay value. While the fast-paced action and nostalgic feel are praised, some players note a lack of variety in enemies and balance issues, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the game is considered a fun and engaging shooter, particularly for fans of the genre.
“The game features a unique gameplay style that involves fighting through swarms of enemies while navigating changing terrain.”
“The gameplay is really fun while surprisingly maintaining some diversity through the main campaign.”
“Gameplay is tight and frantic, music is great, lots of weapons and upgrades.”
“But all in all, the gameplay is what people are here for, and it's not here.”
“The only good thing about this game is the pile of bodies mechanic.”
“The corpse pile-up mechanic adds a bit of depth and thought to gameplay, though my one complaint is that the gatling gun simply doesn't seem useful.”
- graphics38 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique hand-drawn art style, which features a punk aesthetic that resonates well with players. While some find the visuals basic, many appreciate the charm and thematic fit of the marker-style artwork, likening it to graffiti or a punk kid's notebook. Overall, the visuals enhance the gameplay experience, despite minor technical glitches.
“I absolutely love the art style and am drawn to even making fan art~”
“The visuals seem to be taken straight out of some downtown graffiti, and that's pretty cool - it fits with the awesome soundtrack very much!”
“Great gameplay, good art style, and the soundtrack is fantastic!”
“The visuals are pretty basic with a nice art style.”
“Granted there are a few technical glitches but it never distracts from the game and I love the aesthetic.”
“The sloppy marker art style seemed kinda off-putting at first, but it totally fits with the theme.”
- music37 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its impressive soundtrack and dynamic composition, which enhances the overall experience. Reviewers noted the engaging and varied tunes that evolve with gameplay, creating a fun and immersive atmosphere. The soundtrack, inspired by the pothead zombies series, is described as both entertaining and fitting, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“Great gameplay, good art style, and the soundtrack is fantastic!”
“The tunes sounded basic at first, but as more zombies flood the battlefield, they kick it up a notch, bringing out guitars, keyboards, etc. It's not often you find a game with dynamic music, especially from a 1 dollar game.”
“The game's soundtrack, by txai, is inspired by the Pothead Zombies series and adds to the overall experience.”
“Oh yeah, and for bonus points, the art is interesting and the music isn't half bad.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by amusing character interactions, such as a funny voice yelling during power-up pickups, and entertaining gameplay elements like a car defense mode that adds a comedic twist to the action. Players find the humor to be both funny and addictive, contributing to the overall enjoyment and craziness of the experience.
“There's also a car defense mode, where you sit on a car throwing rocket turrets all over it and laughing to the bank.”
“Very funny and addictive!”
“Fun, addicting, hilariously crazy rage-action well worth its price!”
- story8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is highlighted as crucial for player engagement, emphasizing the importance of a meaningful narrative and immersive world. Players appreciate when they feel part of a team, as seen in titles like X-Wing Alliance, where camaraderie enhances the experience, even if the gameplay is somewhat scripted. Overall, a lack of story or environmental context can lead to a sense of failure in the game's design.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“X-Wing Alliance was great even when I went on missions and my allies did everything... because you felt part of a team. It made you care for the people around you, made you want to steal their kills or help them or keep them alive and check their health points, and focus on the mission and impress them. It didn't matter that the game was rigged so the mission would end in success sometimes.”
“The story really immerses you in the world, making every mission feel significant and every character feel real.”
“It's dumb; if the game plays itself and there is no story or sense of world or environment, then it fails.”
“The story lacks depth and fails to engage the player, making the overall experience feel hollow.”
“The narrative is disjointed and fails to provide a coherent experience, leaving players confused and unsatisfied.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Users have noted that enabling vsync at the video driver level significantly improves performance, although there are indications of some non-optimized code affecting camera movement in response to cursor actions. Overall, while there are optimization issues, adjustments can enhance the gaming experience.
“By ensuring vsync was enabled on the video driver level, I was able to smooth out the performance quite a bit.”
“I think what might be happening is some slightly non-optimized code which moves the camera when the cursor is moved.”
“☐ unoptimized”
“☐ unoptimized”
- grinding4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be enjoyable and straightforward, making it suitable for farming without feeling overly tedious.
“➕ Simple but not tedious 🔥🔥🔥”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game experiences some technical glitches and bugs, such as issues with shooting, but these do not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment. While players note that the gameplay may become repetitive over time, the aesthetic appeal helps maintain interest.
“Cons: I'm sure this will get repetitive after a while, but it is a dollar game and every game does after a while. A little buggy (I couldn't shoot for the first couple of times playing).”
“Granted, there are a few technical glitches, but it never distracts from the game and I love the aesthetic.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development is praised for its stylish design and strong art direction, contributing to an overall positive impression of the characters. However, there is no specific mention of depth or growth in character arcs.
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the "corpse mountain" mechanic, highlighting it as a significant factor that contributes to the game's high replayability. This unique feature encourages multiple playthroughs, as users find new strategies and experiences each time.
“I love the 'corpse mountain' mechanic and can see a lot of replay value in the game.”
