I sometimes worry that I get too hyped up about certain games, and that there is no way they can possibly live up to my expectations. Because of this, it was with a wary excitement that I finally stepped up to play Brütal Legend yesterday, with only an hour left of E3. I had been waiting to play it all week, as well as waiting for the game for almost two years. What if it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be? Well, I never should have doubted Tim Schafer and the team at Double Fine for a second. Simply put, Brütal Legend rocks.

Brütal Legend’s story is well-known by now, but I’ll summarize it anyway. As the player, you take the role of Eddie Riggs, a roadie who finds himself transported to a heavy metal fantasy world. Voiced by Jack Black, Eddie also seems to be reminiscent of a couple of characters in games Tim Schafer previously worked on (like Hoagie from Day of the Tentacle). Eddie immediately finds himself an axe and a guitar, which may seem redundant to some, but I won’t question it. Without a second thought, the roadie starts slashing away at enemies in this other world, and the adventure begins.



Brütal Legend features third person action/adventure gameplay with hack and slash fighting. The axe is used for melee attacks, and the guitar allows you to perform special moves, like striking enemies down with lightning, or summoning an inferno beneath their feet. In addition, I also played some driving levels, in which Eddie basically assembles a metal monster truck to transport him (and Ophelia, a special lady friend who Eddie meets early on) around the heavy metal world. Driving controls are simple, but intuitive, and the addition of some vehicle segments doesn’t feel at all gimmicky; it’s always nice to have variety in gameplay.

Tim Schafer’s games are known for their memorable characters, awesome dialogue, and interesting environments, and of course Brütal Legend is no different. I love the way the game looks. The character design is fantastic, and is aided by amazing facial animations and good voice work (thanks, Jack Black!). Even something as simple as Ophelia raising an eyebrow when Eddie offers to teach her the art of French kissing is just dead-on. We don’t see enough characters like these in video games. The levels are semi-destructible, with Eddie able to chop apart piles of bones and stacks of burning candles, though not every part of the environment is interactive. That said, the attention to detail in regards to locations is also fantastic. It didn’t surprise me, because Double Fine’s Psychonauts also had some of the most unique and interesting levels in recent video game history, but it’s still great to see.



I only played Brütal Legend for about half an hour, and I already can’t wait to play more. The game met my sky-high expectations, and was a fantastic way to finish off my first E3. I played the 360 version, but I can’t imagine the PS3 installment would have any major variations in gameplay. I wish I didn’t have to wait until October Rocktober to play the game in its entirety, but now I know that it will be worth the wait.