Brutal Legend

Tim Schafer is back and this time he’s brought a satire celebrating the universe of heavy metal: a place where guitars have the ability to unleash fire and electricity, instead of sound.  A place where spikes are the norm, roadies are exalted and they even get the girl. The gods of rock are calling. Are you brave enough to listen?

Brütal Legend opens with Eddie Riggs, the world’s most dedicated roadie, trying to keep the teenage emo band that hired him alive and lamenting the death of the golden age of metal. That is, until a drop of blood lands on his belt buckle and the fire beast Ormagöden transports him to a hellish land of demons, where the enslaved human race needs his help.

Brütal Legend plays like a motley crew of genres, which is somewhat appropriate given Tim Schafer’s genius has always lain in the realm of creating cult classics. While mostly a free world action adventure, there are some light strategy and racing components. The gods of rock condescend to give players a roadworthy vehicle, the Deuce, which not only gets you around the war-torn land, but also can be outfitted with specialty weapons and armor.

As Eddie roams the world looking for a way to put a stop to the plans of the evil Doviculus, he begins to free the enslaved people of the world, all of who are willing to join his cause. This is where the strategy elements pick up. Each group of people becomes a troop that Eddie can train and call for battle. Players can choose from troops of melee Headbangers, gun-toting Razor Girls, elusive Roadies, giant-fisted Bouncers and healing Thunderhogs. Eddie can command them to follow him, station them at a particular point to fortify his defenses or charge headlong into whatever Doviculus throws at him with a simple press on the D-pad.

Brütal Legend’s strength, however, lies not in the actual gameplay, but in the heavy doses of metal-driven humor and the vocal talents of Jack Black. Eddie names his army Iron Heade, “with an extra E so they know we’re serious.” Other notable performers also grace the stage: Tim Curry joins the ride as the evil Doviculus, Rob Halford is General Lionwhyte (who belongs on VH1’s list of worst ’80s metal hair-dos), and even the beloved Ozzy Osbourne makes a guest appearance as the Guardian of Metal. 

If further persuasion is necessary, the soundtrack is made up of fan favorites from Black Sabbath, Dethklok, Dragon Force, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Motley Crue, Slayer and even Tenacious D — and that’s only naming a few.

While the primary missions only clock-in around 20 or so, there’s plenty of other content to keep you busy. Players can wander the world in search of hunting, racing and secondary combat missions; all of which offer more achievements or trophies to feed your gamer scores. There are also more than 100 statues to free from S&M bondage costumes and red ball gags. Doing so pleases the rock gods and will earn the player fire tributes which can be used to upgrade all of the equipment. 

Brütal Legend appeals to anyone with a love of metal, metal humor or even just fans of Jack Black. It’s also one of the few original IPs to be released this year.  I wouldn’t put in on the list for Game of the Year, but if any of the above criteria apply to you, it’s worth giving a few hours of your time. I know I’ll be singing “Dr. Feelgood” for days.