Blast Brigade vs. the Evil Legion of Dr. Cread | Xbox Review

Each year, there’s always at least one game that surprises me. It’s almost always one that I had never heard of prior to its release. But often it winds up being one of my favorites of the year. This time around, I discovered one much earlier than usual, but it’s already my hidden gem of the year. Blast Brigade vs. the Evil Legion of Dr. Cread maybe could have used a much shorter title. It probably could have used a much less cringeworthy trailer as well. But don’t let either of those aspects keep you from playing this severely underrated gear-gated adventure from Allods Team Arcade.

‘Murica

I’ve played a lot of Metroidvanias in my day. I mean, I literally grew up playing the original games that coined the phrase my co-host despises so much. It takes a lot to live up to the classics I’ve adored over the years, but Blast Brigade scratched the itch better than most from recent memory.

You start playing as a character named Jeff Jefferson, who I’m convinced would wear an American flag as a cape if he were allowed. He’s very much an “act first” type of character, yet very likable. Jeff and his team are on their way to a remote island inhabited by the nefarious Dr. Cread and minions. They’re immediately shot down and forced to make a base camp before proceeding further. Jeff is sent alone to infiltrate the base and figure out the best method of stopping the enemy.

Although the story is very straightforward, its tongue-in-cheek 80s sensibilities make it very charming. A good portion of the dialogue is voice acted, and it’s done superbly. I even caught myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. By the time I wrapped up the story, I was ready for more silly antics with these characters. And that’s saying something for a game as lengthy as this one, which is a tad longer than most in the genre.

Choose Your Hero

The best way to describe the opening sections of Blast Brigade is if someone took the gameplay from Metal Slug and turned it into a Metroidvania. The shooting, platforming, and even enemy reactions to attacks all feel very reminiscent of that game. Jefferson even has grenades at his disposal that are very familiar.

You’ll spend a couple hours or more working your way through areas before acquiring a second character, Shura. Your new partner offers a grappling hook that (as you guessed it) gives access to newer areas. Along the eighteen to twenty hours of this title, you’ll eventually recruit two more characters, each with their own abilities allowing further progression. Galahad has a magnetized arm, giving him the ability to ride certain rails located throughout the island. And Vortex, a native of the island, can use her chakrams to teleport herself to new locations. You can swap out each character on the fly, a trick you’ll actually need to master, sometimes while mid-air.

What works so well here is the design of the island that lends itself to satisfying progression. Although I spent a good deal of time backtracking, I never felt like I wasn’t moving forward. This is a huge feather in its cap, as it’s something often missed by other developers.

Choose Your Weapon

I found the control scheme in Blast Brigade to be solid, even if it did take some time to get used to. Since your weapon’s aim is tied to your right stick, fights often feel like twin stick shooter fare with platforming peppered within. Each enemy has predictable patterns that force you to adapt as you reach new areas.

Boy, are the weapons fun to use. Although you won’t find a huge arsenal by any stretch of the imagination, each upgrade feels impactful in a way that avoids numbered stats or annoying skills trees. There’s even a unique upgrade system attached to the characters’ PDA. Effects here might increase the damage of your weapon/grenades, allow fast travel, or even draw gold to you like a magnet when dropped by enemies. Of course you’ll have to find these modules first, and even then you’re only allowed to activate a certain number of them. It gives player agency based on their play style, which is a much better option than a boring skill tree.

Getting from A to B isn’t too difficult, except for one area towards the beginning. The true challenge comes in the awesome boss fights, which reminded me of the ones I fought back in the SNES days. They require the player to memorize patterns and recognize tells. For many of these encounters, I perished on my first attempt, only to find success on my second go. Still, the fights felt so much more difficult than exploring the island. More often than not, I wished the boss’s HP bar was about 2/3 the size it was. And that’s not me being a sissy. I worry that many players might be turned off by this difficulty and miss out on an otherwise fantastic game.

Blast Brigade Final Verdict

I haven’t had a game this difficult to put down in quite a while. It was an absolute joy working through this impressively-sized map scouring for upgrades, solving puzzles, and upgrading my gear. The humor is also very welcome, as it never goes over the top like I expected it to.

It’s not perfect. I would have liked to see a few more save points and maybe access to fast travel a lot sooner. Like I mentioned above, the difficulty of the boss battles will also turn off many players. But those like me who grew up with this familiar formula will feel right at home with Blast Brigade. It’s my best surprise of the year for me, and is already near the top of my favorites of the year despite the fact we haven’t even hit the halfway mark yet. Please play this game, as I’m definitely craving more, especially after the cliffhanger ending. It has some kinks to work out, but I feel confident a sequel would iron many of those issues out.

To hear me talk more about Blast Brigade vs. the Evil Legion of Dr. Cread, be sure to listen to Episode 393 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 34:52 time stamp.

This review is based on an Xbox copy of Blast Brigade vs. the Evil Legion of Dr. Cread provided by Zac Gunnell for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, and MY.GAMES Store.