Brutal Legend: Heavy Metal Comes to the Gaming World
by Michael Mullenix
Thank you Tim Schafer, I didn’t know you cared so much……. Last June at E3, amongst the noise and confusion, I found myself wandering into the EA games section where I stumbled across designer Tim Schafer hanging out by the demo displays of Brutal Legend. I walked up to him, introduced myself as metal editor for Mishmashmagazine.com and editor in chief for our new gaming section, Frag Count, and then proceeded to gush about how excited I was for his upcoming release. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, “I made this game just for you.” After spending hours playing this game, it is clear that this is every Heavy Metal fan’s dream come true (it’s still MY GAME but I’m willing to share). Brutal Legend is a diverse blend of hack-n-slash, beat-em-up, driving and real time strategy that champions the glory of Metal the way no game has done in the past. Only a mind as brilliantly twisted as Tim Schafer’s could deliver such a surreal and well-conceived masterpiece as this. Brutal Legend’s strongest selling point is its story. To be blunt: there just isn’t anything like it. You play as Eddie Riggs, the best roadie in Metal for the worst band ever. During a concert, one of the band members nearly kills himself while messing around on a set piece. Eddie comes to the rescue and is crushed by the set in the process. Blood spews from his wounds and some of it actually lands in the mouth of his mystical belt buckle, awakening an ancient fire-beast named Ormagoden, and transporting him to an alternate Metal world, where the demon overlord Doviculus has enslaved mankind.
Ok, I understand you may need to read this again, but this is the actual premise of the story. Upon landing in this new twisted world, he find the locals to be less than hospitable. Fortunately, he discovers an axe, which he uses to fend off marauding demons, as well as a magical guitar from the concert that protects him by empowering him with the ability to electrocute his enemies. Eddie escapes and is spotted by Ophelia of the human resistance movement who recruits him to lead the human fight against Lord Doviculus and his henchmen. The human leader, Lars Halford, regards Eddie as a makeshift general in his crusade and welcomes his expertise.
Central to the game’s success is designer’s Tim Schafer’s ability to transform the mundane into the extraordinary and in this case, having the fate of humanity lie in the hands of a roadie. Key to the character of Eddie Riggs is his incredible ability to build or fix anything. At the beginning of the game, with nothing more than discarded pieces of scrap metal, he crafts a custom hot-rod he calls the Deuce and uses it to make his escape with Ophelia. These same skills are employed over and over again to build a tour bus, arm his stealth soldiers with amps, and even create a suspension bridge equipped with plenty of pyrotechnics. Of special interest are the stage battles Eddie orchestrates throughout the game because it’s here that the game incorporates aspects of real time strategy games. In an all out war against an opposing faction, Eddie and the crew build intricate stages which serve as a base for all their soldiers. Armies come at a price, and in Brutal Legend fans surfacing from the underworld are the currency. Factions build merch tables that harness fan reserves, allowing armies to grow and stages to be upgraded.
To begin with, special praise should be given to the voice talents of the game, of which there is no short supply. At this point saying: “Jack Black provides the voice of Eddie Riggs,” holds as much news as saying “the Earth revolves around the sun.” I give Mr. Black credit, this is possibly one of the greatest roles he’s done in his career. In and out of the game he exudes energy and enthusiasm. In game, all you have to do is listen to him talk about the power of Rock and Metal, out of game just Youtube his appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show (10/13/09). Jack Black is clearly so passionate about this role it is impossible not to be in awe of the actor’s devotion to his craft.
Just as amazing are the other talents acquired from the metal genre just for the game. Rob Halford (singer of Judas Priest) plays the part of General Lionwhyte, the human sellout to the Tainted Coil. Lita Ford (The Runaways) is an Amazonian that controls fire-breathing beasts with KISS faces. Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead… seriously, how many other Lemmy’s do you know in this genre?) is now the Kill Master, a motorcycle bass player with the power to heal. Lastly, Ozzy Osbourne, aka: Prince Of Darkness, is The Guardian Of Metal who makes his base in the underworld and upgrades Eddie’s equipment. Before you have a chance to scoff or think you’re clever, yes, you can actually understand what he’s saying… at least 95% of the time.
The game play of Brutal Legend is all over the map and keeps the player from doing anything for too long. At the start of the game you are given an axe and taught how to chop demons in half; then you are given a guitar and taught how to burn them alive. Not ten minutes later, Eddie has built a juiced up hot rod and you are now on the road learning how to drive demons into your grill. The surprising success in this game is that it manages to keep the controls so tidy. The two weapons you find throughout the game are given upgrades that boost certain features but always remain constant in the way they handle. In addition, special moves are summoned by playing solos on the guitar. Ultimately though, the game is basic enough to pick up and play, yet rewards players who have bothered to explore combos and different attack strategies. The Brutal Land is incredibly varied and a tribute to the imagery of metal albums throughout the decades. The world map is reminiscent of heavy doses of Zelda Ocarina of Time. It is an open-world with various terrains and locations where you find different missions and side-quests and garage doors that lead to the underworld where you can buy upgrades. Aside from small diversions like unlocking hidden dragon statues, there are really no distractions that will keep you from trekking onto the next mission. The biggest appeal in the world of Brutal Legend is the spectacle of the Metal World itself. Eddie comes across… those quarter-binoculars you see in New York and Mount Rushmore, only these are shaped like skulls. They briefly show a cinematic view of a specific landmark in the world and offer 10 credits to use in the underworld the first time Eddie finds them. Thrilling, I know, but clearly illustrating that the game is focused on displaying the aesthetics of metal re-imagined. The soundtrack is pure dynamite and the way it is used throughout the game is brilliant. The game’s music spans all the way back to the 70’s with songs from Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, and all the way to the new millennium with bands like 3 Inches Of Blood, Cradle Of Filth and Mastodon. Pumping out of the car’s radio and setting the mood as Eddie charges into battle the soundtrack is packed with over a 100 metallic hits from 75 bands such as Slayer, Manowar, Megadeth, Anvil, Dark Tranquility, Kiss, Motley Crue, Dimmu Borgir, Skeletonwitch and Iced Earth. The soundtrack is not unlocked from the beginning and becomes the double edge sword of the game. Having certain tracks unlocked at later times ensures that some songs deliberately highlight the mood of the story. A chase scene set to Dragonforce will emphasize the thrilling tension of one scene while exploring a cemetery to King Diamond enhances the atmosphere in the next. If played in the rotation earlier, it could have possibly taken away from the effect these songs have. However, not every track is unlocked automatically through completing the story mission. In fact, there is an achievement/trophy for unlocking every song on the radio. The only negative is for such a solid soundtrack; there is no reason to withhold a single song by the time the game is over. Beyond the single player campaign a multiplayer feature has been added to pit players against each other in the real time strategy stage battles. Players can compete over the Playstation and Xbox Live networks in death matches of one on one or team variety. Though it is the same game setup, three additional players can join in controlling other characters from the faction and assist in the fight. With only one mode, three factions, and seven maps, the multiplayer can feel a little anemic. It was clearly an after thought meant to prolong the life of the game. As for my two cents, there is no doubt that Brutal Legend has its issues at times, but that does not deter me from saying, “It is one of my favorite games of all time.” I am not joking, nor am I being sarcastic. As far as I can see, whatever criteria you use to judge a game, this one’s complete. The story is rich and imaginative. The aesthetics of the game are packed with references to the genre it pays homage to. The gameplay is varied but intuitive. Lastly, the soundtrack is jam packed with timeless metal classics. There are no bugs, no cheap deaths waiting to pick you off, and the difficulty (on normal) is well conceived and balanced. There is no doubt I love everything about this game, and I would go as far as to say that it is a shinning example of games as an art form. Though designer Tim Schafer has always been exploring the concept of games as an art form since Grim Fandango and Psychonauts, I hold this to be by far his most realized and visionary release yet.