Preview: Brawlout (2017)

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NB. This is an early preview and so does not warrant a review score. A full review will be available once the final game is released.
Brawlout is a competitive platform fighting game developed by Angry Mob Games. With its fast and furious combat, online and couch play features, it is a refreshing PvP game which lets you compete competitively or simply to have a laugh with mates. Obviously it is very similar to the Smash Bros. series, but it looks like Brawlout will be a worthy rival for the genre on PC.
Platform fighting games are pretty self-explanatory. It’s you against other players, fighting on levels to be the last person standing. Using the environment of the levels and the combinations of fighting abilities you seek to knock the other players off the edge of the playable area. In the game there are currently five stages to choose from and you have six characters to use in fights. Each character has its own special abilities and fighting styles which result in epic battles.
The gameplay itself is fast, intense and frantic. Easy controls help you to grasp the basic moves of each character quite quickly, but the move combinations are tough and require some practice. I’m amazed at how good some people are already, considering it only began the beta access a couple of weeks ago. Each character has basic attacks, dodge and special attacks. These special attacks vary and whilst challenging to master, provide interesting and dynamic gameplay. None of the characters are boring but a couple are tough to get the hang of.
As well as these moves you also have a rage meter. This fills the more damage you take or dish out and is useful at turning a fight. This makes dodging particularly important, as one hit whilst using this can mean game over. The levels, not being the largest, make this hilarious as you try to either get a knock-out blow or avoid one – essentially jumping frantically about the maps, which also look great.
As the game is in early access there are limited features. A single player story, challenge and survival modes will be available with the full release of the game along with new characters. Angry Mob Games are looking to have up to eight player brawls which will certainly make it more fun and chaotic. The game is already impressive graphically and has cool animations and music, creating an exciting experience which can only get better.
Brawlout is also trying to appeal to the growing eSports trend and players can compete in tournaments to win prizes. Whilst you wait for online games you can use the game’s practice tool, or watch BrawloutTV, which is essentially any live games going on at the time or even replays of recent games that have been played.
Overall Brawlout looks like it will be a great game in its own right. If you’re a fan of Smash Bros. but don’t want to buy a Nintendo console just for the sole purpose of it, or even if you are looking for a fun multiplayer PvP game, I’d recommend keeping an eye on this one. It’s currently available as an early release on Steam, with planned releases for PS4 and Xbox One later this year.
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