This is a strange review for me to write. I have never had the pleasure of seeing any of the Expendables films (this game is based on the 3rd installment that’s coming soon) and haven’t had much hands on time with Broforce, the game engine that this game is based upon.
Broforce is a game that channels the movie heroes that we grew up with during the heyday of action movies in the 1980s. So, when the team behind Broforce teamed up with the Expendables 3 film it was a pairing made in heaven. Heck, many of the cast of the Expendables series already exist (in non copyright infringing form) within Broforce.
But just how does The Expendabros hold up as a standalone game? Well, it’s safe to call this title one of the best uses for a movie licence in the medium of video games. What I’m trying to say is that its good; damn good. I’ve always wondered why studios don’t do this kind of thing more often with their properties. Hire a game development house that has a well received game and just slap on a new skin instead of making some broken atrocity.
Like in the original Broforce you play as a hero on a quest to kill an evil boss in this case Mel Gibson A.K.A…. Mel Gibson. I have no idea what he’s called in the upcoming film and have no interest in adding Mel Gibson IMDB to my list of search terms. You can save other members of the Expendables team along the games few stages and each of them has a unique fighting style and special ability.
While most of the games cast is easily identifiable, their guns are more often than not a liability during gameplay. The more powerful your standard attack the greater negative recoil or recovery time you will have to deal with. I found that if I wasn’t playing with the knife throwing guy (Jason Statham?) I wasn’t having as much fun (any character without a distance projectile is at a disadvantage). That’s not to say other players won’t gravitate towards these other characters though as they offer a different gaming experience that just didn’t suit me.
The graphics in The Expendabros is both a charming throwback to retro pixel based shooters of the late ’80s early ’90s and is just as violent and visceral as many modern “Bro” shooters on the market. Each of the games stages is quite short and the entire game won’t trouble a decent player very much aside from the final boss battle. I ended up clocking in just over two hours playing the game solo, but I have every intention on having some local multiplayer fun anytime a friend or three comes by.
When it comes right down to it I’d much rather have a really short game that never loses stream or gets boring with monotonous repitition than having to slog through a shoddy throwaway title created only to make a quick dollar before the studio responsible closes out of shame. Another reason that the game get high marks even with its short play time is that it’s completely free to download and play on Steam. Not a single penny needs to be shed on a game that I’d gladly pay a few bucks for.
I have a really nice Expendables poster sitting in the trunk that I picked up at Comic-Con and couple that with The Expendabros game I really am impressed by the marketing strategy the film is employing. While the game isn’t going to win any awards it’s still far and above 90% of the licence trash that movie games are known for.
All I know is that after playing The Expendabros I plan on picking up Broforce and catching up on the Expendables films in time to go see part three. So, in the end the game has served it purpose and made two sales from me and has earned an easy recommendation to everyone reading. You can check out some additional screens from the game below as well as a link to the download.
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