Hot Brass

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 257 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Hot Brass Game Cover
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Hot Brass is a tactical strategy game where you play as a SWAT team member, tasked with resolving high-stakes situations such as hostage rescues and terrorist threats. With a variety of missions, destructible environments, and a wide range of equipment to choose from, you must use keen awareness, expert tactics, and strategic decision-making to successfully complete each operation. The game offers multiple points of entry and encourages players to utilize their surroundings to gain the upper hand.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 257 reviews
gameplay16 positive mentions
story8 negative mentions
  • The game offers a fun and engaging tactical experience, especially in co-op mode, allowing players to strategize and communicate effectively.
  • The minimalist art style, using icons instead of detailed character models, enhances gameplay by providing clear information about enemy behavior and status.
  • The sound design and level design are praised for their quality, contributing to an immersive atmosphere that keeps players engaged.
  • The game can be frustrating due to its strict rules of engagement, where players can fail missions for using excessive force even in self-defense situations.
  • There is a lack of AI squadmates, making solo play significantly more challenging and less enjoyable compared to playing with friends.
  • Some players have reported bugs and issues with mission completion, particularly with enemies getting stuck or the game failing to recognize objectives.
  • story139 mentions

    The game's story is minimal, primarily revolving around tactical missions where players assume the role of a SWAT officer. Players face frustrating mechanics that penalize them for split-second decisions, often resulting in mission failures for actions that seem justified, such as shooting at armed suspects before they fire. While the missions offer varied challenges, the lack of a cohesive narrative and the repetitive nature of gameplay detract from the overall experience, making it feel tedious, especially in solo play.

    • “You'll find yourself in intense missions with gritty, realistic settings, and the sound effects are on point, making every gunshot and order sound real.”
    • “Combining the best elements of the legendary SWAT 4 and the pixel-art indie hit Police Stories, Hot Brass offers a top-down shooter experience with deep tactical possibilities, where you will sneak or shoot your way in and out of bomb threats, hostage situations, heists in progress, and other search-and-detain missions.”
    • “Each successfully completed mission unlocks new missions or arcade maps, and completing challenges within them unlocks additional equipment and perks too; new weapons, body armor, and equipment like night-vision.”
    • “You die in a couple of shots, but you fail the mission if you hit an enemy waving a gun at you before they shoot, even if their compatriots in the same room have already fired upon you, meaning armed encounters feel unrealistic and unfair.”
    • “There's no variety in mechanics, so you end up doing the same tedious door checking and room clearing over and over, which is especially frustrating since any mistake requires a full restart of the mission.”
    • “The only thing I got frustrated with is how one infraction will fail a whole mission regardless of how expansive the mission is.”
  • gameplay51 mentions

    The gameplay of "Hot Brass" is characterized by its fun and addictive mechanics, offering a mix of tactical shooting and stealth elements that cater to various playstyles. While the core mechanics are well-executed and provide a satisfying experience, some players find the repetitive mission structure and lack of variety in gameplay mechanics to be frustrating. Overall, the game successfully captures the SWAT fantasy, though it may benefit from improved tutorials and more diverse mission challenges.

    • “The gameplay is fun and addicting, the art style looks incredible, and each level provides a different challenge forcing you to adapt.”
    • “Smooth gameplay, lots of details and great sound design, which all pulls you in.”
    • “Excellent gameplay: fast, precise controls and mechanics that give you complete reign over your movements, aiming, shooting and covering.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics are not intuitive and the gameplay loop is not satisfying.”
    • “There's no variety in mechanics, so you end up doing the same tedious door checking and room clearing over and over, which is especially frustrating since any mistake requires a full restart of the mission.”
    • “The visuals are confusing, gameplay feels unnatural, and it randomly hard freezes after a mission.”
  • graphics34 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some praising the unique art style and clean user interface, while others criticize the simplistic 2D visuals that feel outdated and lack immersion. Although the visuals are described as decent and sufficient for gameplay, they often fall short of modern gaming standards, leading to a disconnect between the detailed level design and the basic character representations. Overall, the game's aesthetic choices have sparked debate, with some players appreciating the creative direction while others find it unengaging.

    • “The gameplay is fun and addicting, the art style looks incredible, and each level provides a different challenge forcing you to adapt.”
    • “It's like tactical Hotline Miami, with a unique art style.”
    • “The graphics are also good, and better than the screenshots would seem to indicate.”
    • “Hot Brass is a somewhat genuine attempt to make SWAT 4, but with much less real police procedure, and with 2D graphics you might expect from an Adobe Flash game instead of graphics remotely resembling a video game from the 21st century.”
    • “While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
    • “Without any other substantial graphics tweaks, it's not possible for gamers to improve the lackluster 2D visuals.”
  • replayability7 mentions

    Overall, the game offers a solid level of replayability due to random placements and multiple levels, though some players find the requirement to complete specific challenges for unlocking content frustrating. While the game is relatively short, it provides decent replay value at an affordable price, despite some criticisms regarding character design and immersion.

    • “Overall, a solid game with a good amount of replayability.”
    • “It is a bit short, but there is the option for a decent amount of replay value, and it's also not very expensive.”
    • “Each level has a pretty good level of replayability.”
    • “Police games on Steam are a rarity, and even if this happens, for some reason they are unreplayable.”
    • “It's just that the lack of character design does detract from immersiveness and replayability, and I'm pretty sure, sales.”
    • “While I can see what the challenges do for replayability, and I would appreciate them if they were optional, locking game content behind them is irritating.”
  • stability6 mentions

    The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and instances of hard freezes, particularly after missions. While some updates have shown improvement, the overall experience remains inconsistent and often frustrating.

    • “The visuals are confusing, gameplay feels unnatural, and it randomly hard freezes after a mission.”
    • “Very buggy and unpleasant game.”
    • “But this game has a lot of glitches; each update it will get better!”
  • music5 mentions

    The music in the game is described as funky and engaging, enhancing the overall experience, particularly during intense moments. While some players feel it may be overly intense for the gameplay, others appreciate the endearing beats that complement the sound design and atmosphere effectively.

    • “Fun swatting game, but there is no reason the music should go so hard.”
    • “It doesn’t slack on the soundtrack either… with some endearing beats during tense firefights.”
    • “The guns feel nice, the sound design is superb, the music is funky, the lighting effects are a nice touch, the difficulty curve and progression are satisfying.”
    • “The music doesn't really help enhance the experience.”
    • “It's a fun swatting game, but there's no reason for the music to be so intense.”
    • “While the soundtrack is present, it fails to contribute meaningfully to the gameplay.”
  • character development3 mentions

    Character development in the game is criticized for relying heavily on iconography and color coding rather than effective character design and body language, which detracts from immersion and replayability. However, some players still praise the overall character design as a highlight of the game, indicating a mixed reception regarding this aspect.

    • “This game is the best I have ever played, especially in terms of level design and character design.”
    • “It tries to show you through iconography and color coding what it should be accomplishing through character design, body language, and supporting visuals.”
    • “It tries to show you through iconography and color coding what it should be accomplishing through character design, body language, and supporting visuals; all of this at the cost of efficiency and immersiveness.”
    • “The lack of character design detracts from immersiveness and replayability, and I'm pretty sure it affects sales.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to repetitive mechanics, such as constant door checking and room clearing, compounded by the need to restart missions after mistakes. However, the presence of collectibles and unlockables is seen as a positive, as they are not overly burdensome to obtain.

    • “There's a good amount of collectibles and unlockables that aren't too tedious to obtain.”
    • “The grinding feels rewarding, as each level brings new challenges and exciting rewards.”
    • “I appreciate how the game balances grinding with engaging gameplay, making it enjoyable to progress.”
    • “There's no variety in mechanics, so you end up doing the same tedious door checking and room clearing over and over. This is especially frustrating since any mistake requires a full restart of the mission.”
    • “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
    • “I find myself stuck in a loop of grinding for resources, and it quickly becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization has been criticized for poorly functioning mechanics that can lead to mission failures due to random delays, which players attribute to the game's elaborate lighting effects. Despite being a 2D game, the performance does not meet expectations, resulting in frustrating gameplay experiences.

    • “A lone-wolf SWAT game where the mission is automatically failed if you do not let the enemy shoot you first, or the poorly optimized mechanics that sometimes randomly delay, resulting in a typical infraction = mission fail.”
    • “While I can guess this is due to the fancy lighting effects the game employs, I usually expect pretty sleek performance from 2D games.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted as exceptionally funny, particularly when played with friends, enhancing the overall experience and enjoyment.

    • “Super funny SWAT game.”
    • “Extremely funny when played with friends.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

5hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
5-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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