Old FPS games put you straight into the action, giving you a weapon and setting hordes of enemies upon you. BRUTAL JOHN 2 sticks to those roots by giving you a crazy premise before dropping you straight into the action. A crypto-mining space invader wants to use Earth for more mining, and you must stop them. With convenient bases that let you reach the boss, you start a crazy journey with a small team to reclaim Earth.
Everything about BRUTAL JOHN 2 is similar to past FPS games. You feel the retro atmosphere as you fire your weapons and step into new areas. Combat is also fast-paced while drawing on some improvements from modern titles. The old-school feeling is taken too far in some places, like voice acting. The game is currently a good homage to old-school FPS games, and if that interests you, it’s worth seeing what comes next.
“Everything is perfectly set up to give you the same experience as in the good old days.”
There are three big draws to the game: the retro environment, combat, and secrets. If you like fast-paced combat in pixelated environments while searching the map from top to bottom, this game is fantastic. Playing the first few levels of BRUTAL JOHN 2 reminded me of shooters that were all about the action. Searching for secrets was frustrating, as it was in the past when guides were scarce. Everything is perfectly set up to give you the same experience as in the good old days.
I found it slightly easier to get through the game by enabling cheats, another blast from the past. It’s nice to have the cheats accessible from the start to let you modify your experience. While I liked the combat, it got frustrating when I was attacked while looking for secrets. Cheats helped remove that factor, or at least the element of surprise. I haven’t found every secret in the game, but it reminded me of the fun and frustration of searching every pixel and location.
The voice acting was a surprise because it sounded monotone, almost like it was out of place. I thought it was odd since even voice acting in old FPS games did convey some emotion. That made the characters feel robotic and missed any chance of characterisation. The main characters are a man and his dog, but with the voice acting, it doesn’t matter who’s in charge. I felt like it tried too hard to be old-school and went a bit too far.
The game has solid fundamentals when it comes to nailing the retro FPS appearance. The graphics retain their pixels, enemies explode in ludicrous gibs, and there’s plenty of resources for combat. You still need solid skills to succeed, and look past the voice acting for now. But if you want a solid throwback to the old-school FPS era, BRUTAL JOHN 2 does a fantastic job so far, and it’s worth a look.
BRUTAL JOHN 2 is out now in Early Access on Steam.
About the Author
Victor Tan
He/Him
Victor spends his time trying to help players out of tricky situations and give them the guidance they need to succeed. Outside of the video game world, you can find him training at the gym or doing simple improv activities.
