"BrawlOut"

"BrawlOut"

Reviewed by: Carless Yen

Platforms Xbox One and Switch

Developer: Angry Mob Games

I wanted to love Brawlout everything looks and sounds good on paper. A Smash Bros clone could play elsewhere besides Nintendo with some characters from other games like Juan from Guacamelee, Drifter from Hyper Light Drifter, and Yooka-Laylee they all fit really well into the main starting 9 lineup. There are also a total of 15 other character variants to unlock, but it all really seems like a chore. Even more so when the online play is so unreliable. Matches are just coming to a early end constantly. There is a Brawlout tv to watch other people play, and it is as unreliable as the games them self. It may run better on the Switch, but i highly doubt that. The couch co-op and single player run really smooth though. So if you wanted to play this at home with friends would really be your best option right now.

The combat is fun, but can be annoying as sometimes it is near impossible to stop a chain attack at times, but there is a rage meter that combats this pretty well. When meter is full, and you engage it your harder to knock back, and your knock backs are stronger. This really comes in handy especially in situations when battling characters likeJuan that can really be a hassle. The game looks amazing though.The thirteen different levels are so bright and colorful, and they all are really unique compared to the others. Its certainly one of the bright spots of the game how the characters and stages look so nice. They did a really nice job with the development as far as look, and sounds. The sounds fit perfectly as does the soundtrack. Even your sitting there looking at Brawlout it looks like it is going to be amazing. The only downfall is the actual play. You can tell Angry Mob has high hopes though, they plan to add tons of additions to this game. I'm hoping some are more Indie game characters like maybe Super Lucky or Gianna Sisters. They also plan weekly tournaments so so hopeful they get the connection issues worked out. This game could be a huge hit if they iron all this out, and draw some people in. Brawlout has all the potential in the world, and I'm really cheering for it. I will certainly revisit it soon to see how the progress is going.

Everything about brawlout shows it is going to be around awhile from tourneys, BrawlTv, unlockables, etc just the unreliability and combat make me feel different. We will revisit this one I promise, but as of right now the game barely surpasses mediocrity. let's keep our fingers crossed, and hope Brawlout pulls it together with updates and becomes what we think it can.

Pros: Beautiful Levels and Character design.

Tons of unlockables, and replayability

Loaded with potential for future greatness

Music and sounds are great

Couch Coop and single player runs smooth

Cons: Unreliable online play

Combat can be frustrating

Overall: 6.8 Brawlout has tons of potential to be a Smash bros inspired clone that hits the mark, and stays around awhile. Unfortunately it misses the mark early, and needs a lot of work.