an epic tale from the ancient kindom of metal > brütal legend review

Beneath the thin veil of rational behavior, all civilized people have a more primal side. You could call it the ID, or you could call it the lizard brain, but whatever it is draws you to crave the wild side. And from that common calling, the kingdom of metal was born...an ancient land of rock, hot rods, and scantily clad ladies where towering statues of guitars and neolithic architecture dominate the landscape. An ancient land ruled by evil demons, enslaving mankind to mines where they aren't given tools, but bang the rock with their bare heads. But even the kingdom of metal would have a hero rise up and lead his people to freedom. And in Tim Shafer's newest game, Brütal Legend, you will free humanity with the power of rock.

Jack Black plays roadie Eddie Riggs, who is transported back to this ancient land of metal, and rallies mankind by putting his roadie skills to use. You see, in the world of brütal legend, rock is power. Electric guitars are used to summon great power from the rock gods. Sometimes for attack, but also for command. Contrary to the perception that the game is a hack & slash, like God of War, Brütal Legend is surprisingly a very basic Real Time Strategy game at heart. One where you can take part in the battles yourself, or command your troops using the power of rock. Your base is literally a stage, and the currency are fans, which you much harvest to power your forces.

In truth, the gameplay is much harder to describe than simply calling it an RTS. It's also an open-world action-adventure game with vehicles. This hodge-podge of gameplay styles works pretty well together, even if it sounds a bit gawky. None of these styles is done particularly great, but the whole feels pretty good, as it is fun to play. You could say that the power of rock is the glue that holds it all together, because what Brütal Legend does have going for it is a very consistent and very cool aesthetic that recalls heavy metal album covers from the 70s. Huge ancient landmarks are scattered about the world, giving the game a great sense of scale, and creating some pretty stunning, albeit heavily stylized, vistas to boot.

But by far the best part of Brütal Legend is story. Tim Shafer, who has built a reputation as one of the greatest comedic storytellers in the industry, delivers again in a big way. The story, as mentioned before, is a messianic tale of rebellion and freedom. But viewed through the lens of Shafer, it sparkles with wit and energy, never feeling as trite as it would through any other storyteller. Jack Black puts on a perfect performance as Riggs, but is supported by the otherworldly Tim Curry, and a who's who of rock legends like Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford, Lita Ford, and Lemmy Kilmister. The humor does diminish a bit as you get deeper into the game and the story gets a little more serious, but as a whole, the story is a blast from start to finish. Hard to recommend if you absolutely detest Real Time Strategy games, but there is enough other stuff going on that this is a game that would appeal to just about anyone with a love of rock and an itchy funnybone. The metal lives on.