The developers of the Sniper Elite series were on familiar grounds when looking to create a game that delivered hordes of undead enemies tasked with taking you and your team out.
After all, they released the Zombie Army trilogy as a stand-alone after the success of the mode in Sniper Elite V2.
After playing through some levels and trying out the three game-modes we got a real feel for the game.
Here’s what we learned:
Interactive levels
The levels we played through were very different.
One level was Egyptian themed and featured hordes of mummified enemies, the odd giant scorpion and a sword-wielding pharaoh.
Then in another, we faced down an undead pirate captain with a sarcastic attitude, who’d set up camp in an expansive subterranean cave system with boobie traps and pirate cronies.
The levels are all totally unique, utilising different traps and environmental weaponry to keep the puzzles and fights fresh.
Never having had the patience to get a 100% achievement score in a game, I failed to find all of the hidden relics or solve all of the puzzles.
However, for those interested in ‘extra features’ whilst running from undead baddies, you can find these scattered around every single level.
Enemies galore
Zombies are not a thing in Strange Brigade. Instead, you’ll have to deal with mummified monsters.
This comes thanks to the awakening of the 4000-year-old Egyptian warrior queen Seteki, who has unleashed her minions to hinder your character’s mission.
Giant scorpions, pirates, minotaurs, armoured undead and a few bosses were all characters we had to face.
Enemy movement is unpredictable with some of the faster characters getting behind you. This means you had to often use the roll function to get into open space.
Aiming and shooting didn’t feel completely natural at first, but as I adapted, shooting seemed less clunky and random.
The third-person perspective, on the other hand, felt pretty smooth with the shooting feeling reminiscent of Gears of War 3 (not Fortnite like I was used to).
Fans of the Gears or Sniper Elite series will feel right at home playing this game.
What makes the game so special?
Weapons and the co-op functionality really turn this game into something original and unique.
We managed to try out some of the best guns in the game.
- Shotguns – ridiculously useful, however, can be a pain when reloading and lots of bad guys are around
- Semi-auto rifles – accurate and deadly, will need a quick secondary pistol to handle large hordes though
- Submachine gun – lots of recoil on this one, but very deadly up close
- Secondary pistols – fairly standard but useful in a bind
As you progress through levels you can collect gems that can be added to your weapons to buff them up.
With around ten different augmentations and up to four gem-slots per gun, you can adopt a weapon to suit your character’s strengths and your style of play.
Finding yourself with too much gold? You can spend it on powerful weapons around the map to hold off hordes and finish off bosses.
We tried out the flamethrower, blunderbuss, freezing SMG and grenade launcher – all of which pack plenty of stopping power.
Power up
Finally, another great gameplay mechanic was your character’s specialist ability.
By choosing one of four amulets you collect ‘souls’ and power up a special ability that either attacks multiple enemies for less damage or one single target for massive damage.
Overall Strange Brigade is looking like a well-rounded and fun cooperative game.
Rebellion has also promised for tonnes of post-launch content to come along with the season pass, including new characters, levels, maps and more.
You can pick the game up the game now on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.