We are Pilgrims, come to bear Witness...
Fresh from a run through the filthy boroughs of Mar Nosso, I can say that I am quite happy with my purchase of the game - but it still needs work to get up to the level of sheer carnage possible in the demo. I know some will not be happy by this (hence my 4-star score instead of a 5) but I think that the game will pan out into something that can do the setting of Brigador justice once again.
Briagdor Killers takes place several years after the events of Brigador - an event known as 'The Long Night.' Despite their best efforts the NEP (Novo Exercito de Povo; the New People's Army) never stood a chance against the efforts of the SNC (Solo Novo Concern) and the Brigadors that actively sabotaged the army of the city-state of Solo Nobre. The survivors, both NEP and Corvid, have come to Mar Nosso, the home of the SNC, to find the Brigadors that burned their world and enslaved their people to the corporations. If, somehow, they could take revenge on the corporations too, well, that would be just swell...
Stellar Jockeys haven't touched the audio or visuals - all the better in my opinion. Brigador made it's footprint in having retro graphics drenched in a cyberpunk / dieselpunk style (after all, a walker using an advanced gyro and neural interface that still uses CRT monitors and 105mm cannons straight out of the '70s is both forwards- and backwards thinking). Brigador Killers keeps the visual style but brings the scale way, way closer to ground level; aside from a scattered mission here or there most missions are performed on-foot. Even the Varlet, one of the smallest vehicles available in Brigador, is now a medium-sized car! The perspective change brings extra detail on the world - and in a unique bit of lore-through-setting, it seems as though Mar Nosso might somehow be WORSE than Novo Solo despite their access to the best technology mankind has to offer. Garbage is almost everywhere, the police are hopelessly out-manned and out-gunned by the Corvid insurgents and buildings on the outskirts are left to crumble where they fell.
The music is once again done by Makeup and Vanity Set and have done a superb job. The soundtrack of the original told a story of revolution in the streets, of rising up against oppression - a perfect compliment to the audiobook and game. This soundtrack, however, shirks that for a nail-biting, pulse pounding affair that evokes feelings of fear, desperation and rage which is just the kind of emotional state a presumed terrorist (or freedom fighter, take your pick) would be in.
The gameplay takes elements from the original and adds on new mechanics to adjust for infantry tactics and abilities. Looting the dead for weapons, ammo, food and aid is now a required tactic to stay alive - Salvage missions are intended to collect resources and bring them back to the hideout for later. A crafting system is in place, though for the moment it is rudimentary. The player can, and probably should, crouch to improve their aim and avoid incoming fire...mostly. A sprint mechanic is also in place, though some kind of indicator would be nice (perhaps a change in the character portrait to indicate levels of fatigue...) A first for Brigador, and was a bit of shock to me when playing, is a roguelite system: if you die in the mission, everything you brought with you is gone. This makes salvaging missions all the more necessary, as is the idea of risk vs reward: should I bring my rare Bonesaw on this mission to assault the police checkpoint, or do I bring my less powerful, but far easier to obtain, Rhino Stopper? Should I bring a lot of cash in case I come across a weapon vendor or should I go in broke in case I lose it all? How much ammo should each gun have? Do I bring enough to ensure that I don't need to loot anyone and get out fast or do I stay light in case I come across a new weapon with some exotic ammo type?
All of this plays well enough but, there are some rough edges - many of the weapons and some items feature little more than MS Paint portraits and the crafting system, the lore for almost all of the weapons is missing or incomplete and, as of writing, has next to no vehicle creation - to say nothing of manufacturing mechs. (This is Early Access so this was to be expected - I'm sure updates will address this as I can't see this game NOT having mech combat of some kind.)
As it stands right now, Brigador Killers is an amazing proof of concept - a gritty, dirty game where you play as someone who is...well, unforgivable to most. (Just like Brigador, then). The setting reflects the gameplay - gritty, dark, high energy, and unfinished. Stellar Jockeys have impressed me well enough to earn my dollar - I simply hope that they can carry the development through to the end and deliver a quality product.
(On an aside, I said in my Dreamlist request that I would buy this the day that it dropped, and I did. The audiobook is, like the first, a must-listen. It introduces new faces and some returns from both the first audiobook and the game itself. Without spoiling it, let me say that it gets dark - as in, Kinney in his Mog is just a warmup in this novel.)
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