BRINK

56%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,469 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
BRINK Game Cover
A whole new type of game lets you play two separate campaigns with 8 player co-op. The story is nothing to be blown away about but the leveling, classes and customization are unique to any other game.
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"Brink is a first-person shooter set on the Ark, a floating city divided by conflict between original inhabitants and refugees. The game offers both single-player and multiplayer modes, allowing for 2-player co-op and competitive multiplayer. Despite good gameplay, visuals, and extensive customization, Brink is poorly optimized and bug-ridden."

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Xbox
  • Xbox 360
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

56%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,469 reviews
story60 positive mentions
optimization11 negative mentions
  • Brink offers a unique parkour system that enhances movement and gameplay, allowing for fluid traversal of the environment.
  • The character and weapon customization options are extensive, providing players with a sense of individuality and personalization.
  • The game has an interesting premise and art style, creating an engaging atmosphere for players.
  • The multiplayer community is virtually non-existent, making it difficult to find matches and enjoy the game as intended.
  • The AI is often unhelpful and can hinder gameplay, leading to frustrating experiences in both single-player and co-op modes.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, which detract from the overall experience.
  • story262 mentions

    The story in Brink is generally viewed as weak and poorly executed, with many players finding it confusing and lacking depth. While the game features two factions with distinct missions and a potentially interesting premise centered around class struggle and rebellion, the narrative is often overshadowed by repetitive gameplay and uninspired character development. Overall, players appreciate the concept but feel that the storytelling fails to engage, making it feel more like a multiplayer experience with minimal narrative cohesion.

    • “The story of this game considers humanity in the dystopian future of climate change and an unexplained pandemic, at least for the lower classes.”
    • “The cut scenes and audio logs create quite a rich story and universe setting.”
    • “My favorite aspect of the entire campaign and story is that you can play both sides and see how the story develops and progresses as you complete levels and objectives.”
    • “The story had a cool concept but sadly didn't deliver well enough.”
    • “The campaign is a laughable attempt at a story of rebellion and class separation.”
    • “The entire story is forced and not engaging.”
  • gameplay231 mentions

    The gameplay of *Brink* is a mixed bag, featuring a unique parkour system that allows for fluid movement, but is often marred by poor mechanics, lackluster gunplay, and repetitive objectives. While some players appreciate the customization options and team-based gameplay, many criticize the game for its unbalanced design, uninspired maps, and a dead multiplayer scene, leading to an overall experience that feels underwhelming and frustrating. Despite its ambitious concepts, the execution leaves much to be desired, making it a decent but ultimately flawed title in the crowded shooter genre.

    • “The gameplay in Brink is excellent and provides fun each time you play.”
    • “Brink is a fun, refreshing, and all-around unconventional shooter that excels with its gratifying class system and movement mechanics.”
    • “The gunplay and character controls feel spot-on, and they're married with an elegant teamplay mechanic and fantastic graphic and audio design.”
    • “The gameplay itself does nothing for me.”
    • “The result was extremely underwhelming gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay is pretty bad... thanks to the AI, which is practically brain dead in terms of helping you.”
  • graphics128 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising its unique art style and visual appeal, particularly for its time. While some players noted that the graphics still hold up well today, others experienced performance issues and graphical glitches that detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the game's aesthetic and character design are often highlighted as standout features, despite some criticisms regarding optimization and clarity.

    • “The graphics, weapon customization, and parkour system were never seen before and everyone's jaw dropped.”
    • “Personally, I love the distinctive graphical style, environments, and general ambiance of the game.”
    • “The graphics are awesome and even playing it on normal, it's really hard.”
    • “As of 2020, it has some decent mechanics and the graphics still hold up, but for some reason the performance has a weird flicker and my framerate is in the toilet in the 20s and 30s, despite having a 2060 and a 2600x.”
    • “Cel shaded graphics are just a cover up for the poor bland textures and lack of art designer.”
    • “Horrible animations, ugly graphics.”
  • optimization25 mentions

    The optimization of the game has been widely criticized, with many users reporting severe performance issues such as stuttering and low frame rates, rendering it nearly unplayable for some. Despite having decent mechanics and graphics, the game suffers from poor optimization, particularly for AMD users, and was rushed to meet deadlines, leading to a lack of post-launch support. Overall, the game's performance problems overshadow its potential, making it difficult for players to enjoy the experience.

    • “Innovative TPS/RPS mix, with stunning graphics, smooth controls, and great optimization.”
    • “Unfortunately it was far too rushed so the developers could meet corporate deadlines, meaning it couldn't possibly deliver everything that it had promised, and what we did get wasn't optimized very well.”
    • “They offer some decent visual effects without a huge problem to performance.”
    • “Unfortunately, this excellent and pleasant game is now abandoned, full of bugs and with horrible optimization.”
    • “Overall, 'Brink' is borderline unplayable but the performance issues are not tied to hardware; the game is just so terribly optimized now that most people who try playing it for the first time will likely get nauseous from the hard stuttering.”
    • “Even if you somehow find a way to enjoy this kind of gameplay, the horrible optimization will completely kill off any desire to keep playing it.”
  • stability25 mentions

    The game's stability has been a significant point of contention among users, with many reporting severe bugs, performance issues, and frequent freezing, particularly at launch. While some players note improvements after patches, others still experience glitches that hinder gameplay, leading to a generally negative perception of its stability. Overall, the game is seen as having potential but is marred by its ongoing technical problems and a dwindling player base.

    • “It must be said that this game isn't buggy, which is a miracle given it comes from Bethesda.”
    • “Fun game, runs great.”
    • “A very good port for the PC, bug-free.”
    • “I remember staying up late at night as a kid waiting for it to install on release day, only to be greeted by a buggy, unoptimized mess.”
    • “Dont waste your time, the game freezes, then unfreezes, then freezes again, then unfreezes again, and so on... can't even return it.”
    • “Sadly it was a buggy mess on release, leaving a wave of players who'd paid full price (or even worse, pre-ordered) with a list of valid complaints.”
  • music19 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its cinematic quality and atmospheric depth, enhancing the overall experience with a beautiful and ambient soundtrack that stands out in the FPS genre. While some players find the background music to be less impactful, many highlight it as a key reason for their enjoyment, with memorable themes that resonate long after playing. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant asset, contributing to the game's compelling environments and aesthetic appeal.

    • “It's a fun family experience that isn't too dark and the soundtrack is so cinematic.”
    • “The music is amazing.”
    • “☑ Meh, background music.”
    • “While many FPS games have fast adrenaline-pumping music, Brink's OST is calm and ambient.”
    • “The beautiful environments influenced but not overtaken by science fiction elements are a sight to behold, and the music fits very appropriately, but it's all brought down by the developers' hubris.”
  • replayability15 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed among users. While some praise its multiplayer components, character customization, and the ability to experience different sides of conflicts as strong factors for replay value, others criticize the short campaigns and repetitive gameplay that diminish long-term engagement. Ultimately, the experience varies significantly depending on whether players focus on single-player or multiplayer modes.

    • “The ability to play on either side of every conflict is a great addition to replayability, and while it seems like another twist on a two-team objective-based game, it's still fresh enough to hold my interest, and I still replay it.”
    • “One of my top 3 games of all time! I love this game; it's an awesome objective shooter with huge replay value, awesome customization, and lots of stuff to do.”
    • “Although the campaigns are short, they're very replayable due to the inbuilt multiplayer component similar to Unreal Tournament's.”
    • “A game that had a lot of potential but was ruined by bugs, lack of replayability, and a single player that is the same as multiplayer.”
    • “But it's campaign is incredibly short and so replay value is pretty lacking.”
    • “The story and artwork are beautiful and the character customization and leveling is a really good trade-off for the lack of replay value, which can feel very monotonous after a few playthroughs.”
  • character development9 mentions

    Character development in the game has received largely negative feedback, with players criticizing the lack of meaningful progression and repetitive missions. While there are numerous customization options available, many feel that the character designs are ultimately unoriginal and fail to enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, the game's artistic elements are noted, but they do not compensate for the shortcomings in character development.

    • “There are loads of clothing, character design, and weapon attachment options which you unlock through leveling and playing the game.”
    • “A very fun game with cool character design.”
    • “Once you get over the unique (and unusual) character designs, you'll find quite a solid shooter here.”
    • “Missions are boring and repetitive, there is no real character development present, no one seems to play multiplayer anymore, and the story is vague and uninteresting.”
    • “Just wish that the art and character design was used in another game, truly a waste.”
    • “Character development: when I watched the videos about the character creation I was so excited...only to find out they're all the same.”
  • monetization7 mentions

    The monetization model of the game appears to be underdeveloped, featuring numerous trivial cosmetics that suggest a prototype for future microtransactions. While some players appreciate the game's appeal despite its flaws, there is significant criticism regarding misleading advertising and the overall execution of its monetization strategy.

    • “Seems like this game has a lot of small pointless cosmetics as some kind of prototype to a microtransactions model that was still a work in progress.”
    • “If all the ads and dev videos being rendered weren't a hint enough for you that the gameplay wasn't going to be as promised, then check out the number of people playing now.”
    • “Putting aside the hatred for this game regarding initial advertising, I still found it very appealing.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mixed bag; while the exaggerated character models and detailed environments evoke a sense of cartoonish fun, the overall comedic elements are lacking. Players find the game to be a humorous diversion despite its bugs and issues, but it ultimately falls short of delivering consistent laughs.

    • “Although the player models themselves look pretty funny with ridiculously elongated heads, the world itself is pretty detailed and reminds me heavily of 'Rage' and 'Bulletstorm'.”
    • “This was a great game, strangled at birth in the UK by a stupid timed exclusivity deal with the hilariously moribund game.”
    • “It also suffers from some bugs, like crashing now and then, etc., but it's a funny diversion in a genre that's gotten stale.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Reviews indicate that while "Brink" offers some fun, the grinding aspect can quickly become tedious, leading to a sense of monotony once progression is achieved. Players liken it to a less engaging version of "Team Fortress 2," with a grind-heavy progression system that may appeal to those who enjoy frantic multiplayer experiences but can feel repetitive overall.

    • “Don't get me wrong, there is fun to be had with Brink, but it can get tedious really quick.”
    • “Once you finish grinding the game, that's kind of it.”
    • “When things start to get exciting, they suddenly become tedious.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The atmosphere in the game is highly praised for its immersive qualities, including a captivating soundtrack, impressive audio effects, and a unique art style that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers note that the combination of graphics, sound, and world design creates a profound and inspiring environment, despite some criticisms regarding the lack of campaign and multiplayer options.

    • “There is something about Brink, the atmosphere, the soundtrack, the look of the world you're in.”
    • “Audio: the audio is really cool and I let the sounds of the guns and atmosphere when bullets bounce off stuff; even the voices are on point.”
    • “History, graphics, and atmosphere are great, but it has a lack of campaign and a non-existent multiplayer.”
    • “The game's art style, atmosphere, and general approach to visual design had a profound effect on me and inspired me creatively like no game ever had.”
    • “Audio: the audio is really cool, and I let the sounds of the guns and atmosphere when bullets bounce off stuff; even the voices are on point.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is described as lacking depth, especially when compared to its predecessor, Brink, which featured a more complex narrative and morally nuanced conflicts. Players express feelings of disappointment and emotional drain, with one reviewer highlighting a strong emotional reaction to the game's shortcomings. Overall, while the game may offer fast-paced action, it fails to deliver a compelling emotional experience.

    • “I cried that night!”
    • “Fast paced, emotionally draining, can you handle life on the brink?”
    • “It is good to see them doing such a good job with Dirty Bomb now, even though Dirty Bomb is an intensely simplified version of Brink with zero plot (a far cry from Brink's emotional story-based missions pitting two morally justified sides against each other).”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

69% average critic score

Buy BRINK

Play time

17hMedian play time
21hAverage play time
6hMain story
22hCompletionist
4-37hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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