Brut@l
- February 9, 2017
- Stormcloud Games
A neat dungeon crawler offering some fluid combat, with tough challenges wrapped up in an art style straight out of Tron.
Get on Steam"Brut@l is a modernized ASCII dungeon crawler, combining classic gaming with 3D visuals. Choose your hero and descend into a procedurally generated world to reach the 26th floor, battling various enemies and squads. Enjoy local multi-player, good graphics, and satisfying game mechanics with characters like the Minotaur, each with unique attack styles and weaknesses."
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
PlayStation
Reviews
- The game features a unique ASCII-inspired art style that is visually appealing and reminiscent of classic roguelikes.
- Gameplay is fun and engaging, with a solid crafting system and the ability to create your own dungeons, enhancing replayability.
- The cooperative multiplayer mode adds a great social element, making it a fun experience to play with friends.
- The platforming mechanics are frustrating, with instant-death pits that can end runs unexpectedly, leading to a lack of enjoyment.
- Controls can feel clunky and unresponsive, especially when using a keyboard and mouse, which detracts from the overall gameplay experience.
- The game lacks depth in terms of enemy variety and progression, making it feel repetitive and shallow over time.
- graphics39 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their unique and nostalgic art style, reminiscent of classic roguelikes and ASCII aesthetics, effectively translated into 3D. Players appreciate the smooth visuals and responsive animations that enhance the combat experience, although some note that the aesthetic may lack variety for those seeking more traditional graphics. Overall, the game's visuals are considered a strong point, contributing to its charm and appeal.
“The art style is a nice nod to the roguelikes of yesteryear, and the developers did a great job translating the ASCII style into 3D.”
“The art style is cool, and the brawling has weighty but responsive animations which make it feel fun to fight the enemies.”
“Very fun game, do not underestimate this game with its simplistic yet very clean graphics.”
“If you are looking at brut@l because you like proper roguelikes (rogue, nethack, dungeonmans, caves of qud, adom, that sort of thing) and are tempted by the ascii-inspired graphics, move on.”
“5/10, for visuals and polish, and it could be enjoyed casually.”
“The aesthetic, while being a major selling point, can also conversely be a negative if you're a fan of variety.”
- gameplay37 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring clunky mechanics and frustrating elements like instant-death pits and tedious environmental interactions, which detract from the overall experience. While it incorporates classic roguelike elements and offers some interesting challenges, such as mob placement strategies, many players find the controls and navigation cumbersome, especially when using a mouse and keyboard. Despite its smooth visuals and potential for engaging gameplay, it often feels uninspired and lacks a sense of progression.
“If you like randomized dungeons and challenging gameplay, then this is for you; if not, pass.”
“The game has a few misleadingly simple mechanics that appear interesting at first.”
“[Simple and satisfying roguelike gameplay, appealing retro presentation, rewarding character growth and exploration incentives will keep you hooked.]”
“The camera, controls, and nearly everything about it is designed for hack and slash gameplay, and throwing in instant death bottomless pits is an exercise in frustration.”
“The block/parry/dodge combat suffers from the same delayed control issues; for example, you can only dodge if your shield has been up for at least a half second or so, making it among the more worthless dodge mechanics.”
“I found the gameplay a little clunky and overall uninspired.”
- music10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its dramatic and engaging quality, enhancing the overall experience and keeping players on edge. While it can be relaxing and enjoyable, some users noted that it occasionally interferes with multitasking, such as watching videos. Overall, the soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere, evoking feelings reminiscent of titles like Titan Quest and Darksiders 2.
“Bowman's volley is really fun to use, and the music is really nice. This game gives me Titan Quest, Darksiders 2 chills, and even Doom.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“As good as this game is, you're still able to watch YouTube while you're playing it, but the music sometimes gets in the way of watching videos.”
“There's definitely enough to keep you playing for a long time, plus the dramatic soundtrack will permanently keep you on edge!”
“The dramatic soundtrack.”
- story8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game emphasizes the unpredictability of life and perseverance, with players sharing personal anecdotes of overcoming challenges. While the gameplay elements like art style, crafting, and combat are praised, there is a desire for a more structured, manually crafted story mode instead of relying on random elements. Overall, the narrative is seen as a backdrop to the engaging gameplay rather than a central focus.
“The art style is great, the crafting system is clever, the fighting feels good, the coop mode is enjoyable, the transition from turn-based to action works out great ... but why couldn't you add a manually crafted story mode and make the RNG mode optional?”
“The art style is great, the crafting system is clever, the fighting feels good, the coop mode is enjoyable, the transition from turn-based to action works out great... but why couldn't you add a manually crafted story mode and make the RNG mode optional?”
“And anyone who has played this game has a story of how their high-level character was taken down by a rat because they kept missing, and it kept hitting, solely by the random luck of the 'dice'.”
“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.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players criticize the grinding aspect of the game for being excessive and tedious, particularly in acquiring weapon enchantments and navigating repetitive, maze-like maps. The enemy AI is described as easy, leading to a lack of engaging gameplay, while the need to constantly search for hidden loot adds to the monotony. Overall, the grinding experience detracts from the enjoyment, making it feel more like a chore than an adventure.
“Doesn't seem to have a real understanding of what makes engaging gameplay; a lot of your playtime is spent walking through simple mazes devoid of enemies or tediously smashing every environmental object because half of the loot is hidden in them.”
“The AI of the enemies is ridiculously easy, repetitive maps, the mage is the only class that maybe is not boring to start, broken weapons system, too much grinding to get the enchantments of each weapon.”
“Sometimes the game goes nuts and gives an infinite rat maze that is so boring every time I have to pass through.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is noted for its high and addictive replayability, encouraging players to return for multiple playthroughs.
“Addictive replayability.”
“High replayability.”
“Addictive replayability.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is reminiscent of classic ASCII rogue games, effectively bringing that nostalgic feel to life.
“The atmosphere really does remind me of the old ASCII rogue games brought to life.”
Critic Reviews
Brut@l Review
Brut@l is a fun dungeon crawler regardless of whether the historical significance of collecting letters and throwing the @ sign at goblins is lost on you. A distinctive visual style complements simple and enjoyable combat, a satisfying collection of craftable weapons, and a rewarding learning curve. Dungeon runs can get a bit samey, but a co-op mode and robust dungeon creator reward further visits.
70%Brut@l PS4 Review
Arguably, Brut@l lacks the depth of some of its genre contemporaries while the uniquely touted ASCII-inspired veneer, though a flamboyant shift from the norm, results in some visually repetitive environments. All the same, Brut@l still acquits itself nicely as a decent hack and slash yarn whose prospects are elevated by co-operative play and a neat level editor that adds a good number of extra hours to its playtime.
75%Brut@l Review
A neat dungeon crawler offering some fluid combat, with tough challenges wrapped up in an art style straight out of Tron.
75%
