Brawlhalla

Fighting games can be divided in to their own subgenres—but, among those subgenres, platforming-arena-matches are limited to a select few and that’s why Brawlhalla comes as such a breath of fresh air. In a fighting subgenre dominated by Super Smash Bros and the colorful assortment of video game icons therein, a few games have released over the years to topple the throne. So far none have been able to hold out, but next on the list of would-be usurpers, Brawhalla seeks to recreate that addictive party-gameplay with its own cast of characters and distinctive style.

Bring Your Friends

Brawlhalla is a free-to-play fighting game loaded with characters and modes to keep people coming back for its addictive, and quick-match gameplay. None of the modes are inherently overlong and so they are easy to pick up and play.

Be warned, ranked (like most fighting games) has some really talented players. Additionally, the free-to-play model allows you to invite your friends to join in on a game that is best shared with a group. That being said, the intense microtransaction formula, though of course necessary in this model of game, has some drawbacks.

Quantity Over Quality

When it comes down to gameplay, Brawlhalla is a fun time in small doses. However, playing for too long has you notice some things that really come to lessen its replayability on most solo outings. Where Brawlhalla doesn’t have the same long-standing game history for its characters as its competitors—it does come with a lot of very colorful characters. (Most hidden behind microtransactions) However, when it comes down to gameplay, a lot of the differences between these characters start to feel superficial. Everyone plays mostly the same, barring the range of their specific weapons. So, although characters in the game look different and there are a ton of them, they don’t have a diverse set of abilities you might expect after playing something like Overwatch or Apex: Legend—where each character fundamentally changes how you play.

The Triple Threat Formula

One reason Super Smash Bros has a throne that has yet to be taken by any other of these arena-platforming-fighting games, is its balance of all assets: characters, diverse movesets, and gameplay. There is an inherent excitement to seeing Mario battle Link and Fox McCloud and Solid Snake—attach that to fantastic gameplay with distinct variety of playstyles and you have that winning, triple threat, formula. That being said, the closest competitor it has had was, arguably, Playstation All-Stars. That game had colorful cast of character and diverse movesets—but it was lacking in the gameplay. Every KO was the result of a special, not necessarily skill. And with that in mind, some character’s specials were just better than others. Where Brawhalla falls short, conversely, is in diverse movesets. It has original characters, but their individual abilities change the gameplay about as much as a Fortnite Battle Royale character skin—i.e. not much.

Conclusion

Brawlhalla is an exciting free-to-play game. It doesn’t fundamentally change the genre but it’s a good time with friends. However, with the lack of variety in gameplay, it doesn’t have the longevity of its competition.

Pros

• Tons of characters to unlock
• Lots of exciting modes
• Free-to-play – bring friends!

Cons

• Microtransactions that don’t change the game
• Not very diverse movesets
• Repetitive gameplay