BRAWL

Critic reviews

• Way Too Many Games

  Leo Faria · Feb 04, 2018

  6.0

  If you remove the unnecessarily edgy and (im)mature setting, there’s very little that differs Brawl from any other Bomberman game released over the last couple of decades. It plays decently and it can provide a bit of fun due to its simple gameplay, but it never manages to surpass its source of inspiration in terms of fun and charm. Super Bomberman R is still more expensive than Brawl, but it’s also a better title. Plus, you can play as Silent Hill‘s Pyramid Head in that game, in case you’re desperate for some horror elements in a game like this.

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• Nintendo Insider

  Dan Lipscombe · Feb 03, 2018

  5.0

  Aside from the story, there are local multiplayer and challenge modes. The latter does offer some really interesting game types like a horde mode, a boss challenge and a type that asks you to protect a flock of sheep. But, for me at least, I didn’t find any urge to pick up my Switch and play Brawl. This could have been a great game, but it tries to sell players something that we’ve already seen done much better and a style that just doesn’t merge all that well with the idea.

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• Pure Nintendo

  Jemma Casson · Feb 02, 2018

  5.0

  When you blatantly copy another game’s style, you have to offer something new and different, or at the very least imitate well enough to evade being put aside by comparison. Unfortunately, Brawl just isn’t as good as its source material, nor is it as fun. Horror movie fans may find some appeal in the creepy visuals and characters, but if you’re after multiplayer fun, try elsewhere.

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• Nintendo World Report

  Justin Nation · Feb 02, 2018

  6.0

  In the end Brawl isn’t necessarily a bad game, it’s just a hodge podge of ideas that individually may work but somehow when they’re mashed together it doesn’t seem to congeal. There’s obviously been effort to inject some personality into things but at the same time, what makes each character distinct ends up detracting a bit from the ease of handing someone a controller and having some fun. With the voice work, it’s also obvious that the single-player story mode had some investment but the glorified tutorials with somewhat bland play and wonky AI failed to leave a very positive impression.

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• COGconnected

  Alex Everatt · Jan 22, 2018

  7.0

  While this game is a pretty blatant Bomberman rip-off, the horror-style approach does a great job of making it stand out. If you’re looking for a fun local multiplayer game or you’re a fan of those classic Bomberman games you should really check out Brawl.

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• ZTGD

  Dave Payerle · May 14, 2015

  4.0

  Brawl wants to be a dark take on party games, and while the aesthetic somewhat holds up its end of the bargain the actual game part leaves a lot to be desired. The tutorial sabotages the game right from the start, and the challenge spike 10 minutes in may be the most evil part of the whole package. If you purchased the developer’s 2014 game Basement Crawl you can download Brawl for free, but other than that it should be avoided.

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