In Space We Brawl attempts to bring back the good old days of competitive local multiplayer but does it succeed?
Back in theday a group of friends and I would huddle around a TV screen joypads in hand and blast the crap out of each other while laughing like maniacs. These days online only multiplayer games are everywhere and local multiplayer seemed to be dying out but the last twelve months have seen a resurgence in its popularity. In Space We Brawl is the latest game to offer local multiplayer only, but I wish to God it didn't. As twin stick shooters go this is bland.
It doesn't get much simpler than shooting at your friends until they explode with the highest point scorer winning the match. There is a twist to the gameplay though. You can also score points by collecting pickups, laying waste to the environment, destroying AI piloted enemy ships or just not getting blown up. You can even place a bounty on your opponent's which adds some fun to the proceedings. It's good to see a bit of thought added to an already over saturated genre. Unfortunately that's where my positive points end.
There really isn't a lot on offer for your money here either. There are three different modes but the difference between each one in minimal. Gladiator mode pits you against three other ships which can be human or AI controlled where you have to be last man standing. Tournament mode and Championship mode are pretty much the same as each other. You play round after round and at the end the player with the highest score wins or until a certain score is achieved. And that's all there is. How long do you think that will hold your interest for? There are a tonne of ships to choose from and you won't be surprised to read that they are all as generic as the last set of ships someone used in a game like this. One is fast and weak, another is slow but powerful and another ship can heal itself. So no matter which ship you choose to pilot you will have already piloted it years ago in a different game.
The maps you play on do little to enhance the game. There are so many things going on at once it seems impossible to negotiate your way around them without slamming into something and it's a constant problem. It's as if the developers thought that the more things there are on screen the more fun the game will be but in this case less would definitely be more. I have never seen a screen so chock full things you have to avoid. Each ship has a limited supply of energy which you must use for your shields, boost and lasers. I'm all for a challenge that involves you balancing out how and when you use your energy supply but here it's just ridiculous. You burn through energy so fast that before you know it it's depleted. Using our shield means you won't have any energy left to power your weapons. Using your weapons leaves you completely vulnerable to attack because you have no energy left to power your shields and boosting is completely pointless because all that achieves is to slam you face first into one of the countless objects strewn about the screen.
If you're looking for a local multiplayer only game there are plenty of them out there through Microsoft's ID@XBOX programme. I suggest you look there first before wasting your money on In Space We Brawl.
In Space We Brawl: Full Arsenal Edition is available now for £6.39
Review code supplied by XCN.