Strange Brigade Reviews
To say that this game was everything I hoped is probably an understatement. It is fun, charming, beautiful and is just so easy to pick up and play. But I will say and the only reservation I have with it for most players is the issue of longevity.
Strange Brigade is a fun but simple co-op shooter, wrapped in an enjoyable aesthetic with a hilarious narrator and unusual looking characters. Its trap-filled level designs are a natural chaotic joy, and the interspersing of easy to grok puzzles into the combat is refreshing to someone like me who’s never figured out a zombies level in CoD on their own. It’s not a great game to play on your own, and being a bit less than full-price, I only just feel like recommending it. There will be free horde maps for all players in the future, but new campaigns and characters are locked behind a season pass, so keep that in mind when considering your purchase. If you’re bored stiff of CoD zombies and have long left Uncharted and Gears behind, Strange Brigade could be for you and your budding boffins’ beards.
Though I may be harsh on Strange Brigade it is because it is coming from a studio that has consistently put out top-quality, engaging, enjoyable, and replayable titles; Zombie Army Trilogy, next to Tom Clancy's The Division and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands is one of the most-played titles in my household. Sniper Elite 3 is literally one of the only games I have 100%'ed … since the Super Nintendo was the primary household gaming system. I can say this with utter certainty … After beating Strange Brigade I will not be back to play it again for a long, long time. I cannot say the same for other Rebellion titles, as they are not chalk-full of reused and tiresome puzzles, simple and predictable levels, or sympathetic player characters. Sure the mid-mission briefings done old-school Newsreel-style with a bit of comic relief thrown in are spectacular, but it just feels "off."
Strange Brigade is an exciting and excellent cooperative adventure for players to work through.
I'd highly recommend Strange Brigade, regardless of your familiarity with games of this genre or style, anyone can get involved and enjoy it. Strange Brigade poses a fair but rewarding challenge, with the opportunity to push yourself further if desired. With the number of in-game items to unlock, characters to familiarise yourself with and modes to try out, Strange Brigade has plenty of content to keep you coming back for more.
Strange Brigade's humour and witty writing have a lot of charm, but some camera issues bland boss fights and inconsistent gunplay take away from the experience, leaving it as something fun to do with friends while turning into a slow grind alone.
Strange Brigade is a formulaic action co-op that doesn’t break new ground as much as furrow a new groove in an already abundant genre. Does that make it boring though? No. Certainly not, and it’s actually quite brilliant. I haven’t really elaborated on the story, but not out of laziness or lack of understanding. There’s a dashing tale of adventure to be had, involving mummy queens and raided tombs. I just don’t want to spoil it for you. You may work out some tropes for yourself, especially if you’ve seen Brendan Fraser do his thing. It’s got some neat little jump scares in there, too.
Though it's value is diminished significantly to anyone looking to play the game solo, Strange Brigade stands head and shoulders above the pack as an incredible, action packed co-op adventure.
Overall, Strange Brigade felt like a game chalk full of good ideas and decent gameplay mechanics that never was able to pull things together all at once.
Strange Brigade is one of the best action-adventure co-op shooter games I’ve played in a long time + it has lots of puzzles. When you’re not burning a mummy to a crisp with a flamethrower, you’ll be solving puzzles on the wall or stomping on a downed zombies head in order to crush what little life it has left within it. Personally, I felt the lack of unique character stats and the small number of weaponry a little disappointing, but overall there is a tonne of fun to have as you take on hordes of horrendous beings who will stop at nothing until you’ve been ripped apart. Strange Brigade is just as much fun and accessible in single player as it is in multiplayer with friends and strangers alike – however you chose to play it, you’re in for one of the best mindless arcade-style games you’ll play this year!
Strange Brigade is an entertaining online experience, seperate from most other games in the genre with such a strong focus on puzzle solving. Its gameplay and level pacing works well and Strange Brigade looks lovely, but it’s a game that becomes overly challenging solo and can feel a bit repetitive in long blasts. Splitscreen co-op is certainly missed, and characters don’t vary too much, yet Strange Brigade remains one of the best online co-op games this year with its witty charm and fun gameplay.
Overall, we'd suggest you give Strange Brigade a try, but make sure you know what you're looking at first to keep your expectations in check.
I’ve had a blast with Strange Brigade in single player. There’s just enough hook to keep you replaying levels for the secrets and puzzles you missed, and while the campaign tends to repeat notes across different scales, the act of killing nasty monsters never gets old. If you’ve pined for more Mercenaries modes these past few years, this will well and truly scratch that itch.