Brawlout by Angry Mob Games is a recently released arena-style fighting game that sees players go into an all-out brawl in a similar fashion to that of PlayStation All-Stars and Super Smash Bros. However, does it work or is the game just a mere clone of said familiar titles? Let’s find out.
Pros:
+Beautiful character models and level designs that are marred by the overall Smash Bros. appeal
+Online matchmaking is fun but can take a bit to find a match
+Unique character designs
Cons:
-Almost a carbon copy of Super Smash Bros. from Nintendo
Have you ever been put in an awkward position but you have to be completely honest with the other person? You don’t know how to start things off but you just have to go straight in and hope for the best. Well to all the Smash Brothers fans out there, if you were to ever play that game and then play Brawlout, you’d know exactly what I’m going through right now.
As much as I would like to say Brawlout is better in every way, I can’t. I would consider this a thriller seeker for those who are stuck on what to do, or gamers who need just the right amount of kick until December 7th.
The character choices and the move combos are very similar in every way, some moves are even mimicked from characters on Smash Bros. A few basic kicks are punches favor one another as well. Even down to the stage layouts, they are very similar, if they are not one in the same.
Now if I was on the design stage over at, Angry Mob Games, this game wouldn’t have hit the shelves because of how similar it is. It’s like everyone over there at HQ doesn’t even know that Nintendo made this game first. But if I was on the design team, I would have made things more interesting. For example, I would have made it to where if you kicked the person off the board, you have the ability to do your special move to take them to a different board, you can go down four, maybe five times and once you reach the very bottom, you can finally deliver the final blow finishing the match.
They could have gone a dark route and used monster-type characters and made it like a tag-team like Tekken but the game with the concept of Smash Bros. It’s so many ways you could have made this game very different from Nintendo’s hit game. But they didn’t. I would also recommend this game for my little brother.
I want to say it’s a watered-down version of Smash Bros, but it’s not. Someone ages 7-13 would love to play this game, the same goes for Smash Bros, but that game has history and some of the adults have been waiting for this new version to release on the Switch coming up soon.
Once you finally get into an online brawl, it’s all fun and you go from a backyard rumble to the main event in prime time. But it takes forever to start a match and if its only 2 people then that match takes forever to end because on the bottom of the screen is the characters featured in the fight and they have a special move meter, that’s how you threw your teammate off the board and keep him from jumping back on. But it takes forever to fill that meter up.
It breaks my heart to ever grade something so low but unfortunately, this game is not something good because I know and have played the Super Smash Bros games. It’s like they wanted to make a kiddy version but in doing so, they just changed the name, the characters, and the board layout.
If this game was to get a sequel of some kind, I would definitely ask you guys to shy away from this storyline and just create your very own. Sit around the table and just start spitballing ideas. Once you guys come up with a solid concept then based on that concept, recreate your characters and from there develop what your characters move would be.
For Example, for a character like the Hulk, you wouldn’t have him shooting arrows, you would have him smashing and destroying things. Each character has their own special move, so let’s work on this and then lets come out with a sequel that better than the original. But sure, it looks great, it sounds great, it even plays great; I can’t deny that, but this… This almost carbon copy of something I already know and love made it hard to enjoy the title I’ve been playing for this review.
Brawlout
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Platform Reviewed: PlayStation 4
Developer: Angry Mob Games
Publisher:Angry Mob Games
Release Date: Now Available | Switch – Dec 19, 2017
Cost: $19.99
But for now, this is just a pass, it’s not a game I can recommend to anyone due to its design that seems almost purposely ripped right from that if the Super Smash Bros. games
Our review is based on a retail version that was provided to us by the publisher of the game. For information about our ethics policy please click here.
Final Score: 4 out of 10
About the Writer:
Tyvon J. Hunter is the latest member of the crew. He brings to the table a unique take on video games and sports. He brings an unparalleled sense of inspiration through his sheer excitement to the team as well as those around him. Also, he likes to build theme parks and a lot of them in his spare time.