Brut@l

Critic reviews

• CCOGconnected

  Ramin Ostad · Feb 23, 2017

  6.5

  Brut@l is a visually unique game that initially feels fun and frantic, but quickly falls prey to a kind of frustration and tedium that will only appeal to a small subset of an already niche fan base. There is a ton of potential for greatness here, but that potential is ultimately squandered in the name of creating a dutiful tribute to a bygone era.

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• GGameSpace.com

  Suzie Ford · Feb 12, 2017

  7.5

  Combat is fluid and visceral and a ton of fun. I loved having my Amazon fling her shield at range, then go in with fists flying to devastate enemies. But I also had to think, a rarity these days. I needed fire to permanently eliminate zombies, for instance. I had to make sure to dodge certain attacks. Things like that make combat in Brut@l a step ahead.

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• DDestructoid

  Peter Glagowski · Aug 11, 2016

  5.0

  I want to love Brut@l, but the combat mechanics and harsh punishments leave me sour. I can dig The Binding of Isaac because each failure unlocks something new. Even Spelunky allows you to skip ahead if you fulfill some obscure requirements in each realm. Brut@l asks for a fairly hefty amount of your time and then rips away your experience through a faulty camera or fidgety button press.

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• GGameSpew

  Matt Eakins · Aug 10, 2016

  7.0

  Brut@l is a fantastic honouring of the classic ASCII dungeon crawlers of old, and to the genre on a whole. It is rendered beautifully and has great sound and music to back up the atmosphere it creates. While the content department isn’t overflowing, the game doesn’t lack allure. It is sharp, clean, and a great bit of fun with a friend.

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• HGHardcore Gamer

  Jordan Helm · Aug 08, 2016

  8.0

  An experience housing enough content to validate repeated play-throughs, Brut@l — despite its stripped approach to crafting and indeed to leveling-up — manages enough in its generative structure to add a distinct level of spice to make even the most minimal-looking of scenarios feel both exciting and enticing. And all of this, with one of the year’s most unique art directions, makes Brut@l one of the better examples of that most contemporary of branded identities that is “procedurally generated”.

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• GIGame Informer

  Javy Gwaltney · Aug 02, 2016

  7.0

  That doesn’t stop these things from being enjoyable and the meaty combat and the reliable but occasionally unpredictable structure of each game session are enough to prop up this rogue-like even after the sheen on those gimmicks has faded. However, it’s hard not feeling like Brutal could have had a more impressive showing given the size of its bag of tricks.

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