BombermanBoard

Plasma Bomber · #1 Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:40 pm

Hi, everyone.

My partner at TandemShock apparently sweet-talked us into a couple of free Steam keys for a recent Bomberman-esque indie game called BRAWL. I was given one of them; I'm in the process of making my way through the game (almost halfway through the story mode). As for the other key, I was told to give it to one of you guys.

BRAWL is a Bomberman-style game and before you mention it, yes, it's dark and gritty, but it doesn't take itself too seriously - the characters are creepy circus folk and it's all narrated by an absolute asshole. It's kind of bloody and some of the cinematics are a little gory (for instance, a clown holding someone's still-beating heart), but I haven't seen anything too outlandish thus far. The gameplay itself just has basic blood spray effects, and there's an option to turn off that stuff. Some of the characters' stories do touch on some potentially uncomfortable themes. If you're not put off by all this stuff, read on, because this is actually a really interesting variant of Bomberman.

On the surface, it looks like a typical clone, but things have been tweaked and changed to make the experience a lot different than what you're used to. For example, Bomb and Fire stats have been nerfed for most modes, maxing out at 4 units each, and Speed Ups/Getas don't even appear in most modes. Bomb blasts spread rather than instantly appearing, and they are only dangerous for a brief moment. From what little I've played of the multiplayer mode, it takes modes you may recognize from Bomberman games, like Classic, Reversi (Color Domination), Knock-Out Battle (Sumo), etc. and revitalizes them with special abilities and new power-ups.

Speaking of special abilities, each of the eight characters has one rechargeable ability and one special ability that relies on stock items. Most of these abilities are hardly comparable to anything I've seen in the Bomberman franchise. The story mode actually relies on them heavily, crafting each set of stages specifically for the character you've selected. And boy, is it ever brutal. If you're one of us rare people who has always been really interested in a good single-player Bomberman campaign, you should find this really interesting. The enemies are more intelligent, the mid-bosses are hand-picked to challenge your character's techniques, and it's generally all designed to make you think and strategize based on what you can do. It has depth to it, is what I'm saying.

I won't go into much detail, but suffice it to say that this is really pretty interesting and innovative. The developers certainly put more thought into it than Hudson Soft did in their waning years. So, ultimately, what I'm looking for is somebody who really wants to try out a strange new Bomberman experience.

The person I select will get a free Steam key for the game. The method of selection will depend on what you guys have to say and how many of you want it. For example, if just two or three people respond, I might just select the person who seems to be most interested, but if a bunch of people respond, I might have to resort to a drawing of some sort.

If you'd like a free copy of BRAWL, please do the following:

1) If you're on Facebook, like the Bloober Team page and the TandemShock Facebook pages. This is the only thing I was asked to require. I can't verify that you did it, and if you don't have a Facebook account, don't sweat it. I'm going by the honour system here.

2) Leave a reply in this thread telling me that you want in. Feel free to beg and plead and explain why you're interested. I only slightly jest, as this might help me decide depending on the circumstances. You can even draw me a picture or write some uncomfortable fanfiction (if you're crazy enough do that you might want to PM it to me, to avoid the wrath of Razon). I don't know why you'd do that, though, as it almost certainly wouldn't be factored into my decision. All you really need to do is just tell me you want it.

That's it. That is seriously all I'm asking.

I'm not getting paid for this or anything. I just want to give away this gift. Besides, you know I'll jump at a chance to generate some activity in this community.