Super Dungeon Bros was recently announced with the release date of November the 4th for the PlayStation 4. There is plenty to be excited about as the game is unlike most games of its genre. As a brawler, players will fight their way through dungeons, defeated hordes of enemies hell-bent to end them. However, there are quite a few tricks that Super Dungeon Bros is capable of doing. Having played the game first-hand, I can safely say that this is a brawler to play, all in time for the grand feast of Thanksgiving.
Super Dungeon Bros has you as one of four super bro knights, on par with the comradery of the teenage mutant ninja turtles. It was a typical day of laying around, playing video games, eating pizza, until suddenly, you are thrust onto a quest from the Gods of Rock. The legends of rock are scattered across mystic realms, and it is up to you, as well as your bros, to fight evil in the name of Rock! The game will feature offline and online co-op of up to four players, which is quite necessary for this quest.
I had the opportunity to play the game with WIRED Productions at Pax West 2016. As we booted the game up, The Dev began to elaborate on many of the details that went into the development of Super Dungeon Bros. In creating the game, the team really wanted to create something, fun, fluid, unique, and quite deep. They took their love and passion for classic brawlers and manifested it into a new game.
Some of those brawlers include hallmark classics such as Anthropomorphic Force, The X: Men Arcade, the Simpsons arcade, as well as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. The games above, as well as many arcade brawlers, rode on the sensation of being pure, constant fighting action, especially when shared with friends. It was different from simply using a gun, such as in Contra or Raiden, and shooting something. With the brawler genre, there was the satisfying sensation of using fists, legs, and occasionally melee weapons, to beat your enemy in physical combat. It is from this past that Super Dungeon Bros has come to be.
After selecting my bro, I was given the basics. The bros can dodge, block, and use their primary weapons to attack the villainous hordes. Each level is procedurally generated and takes place within specific realms. Each realm has their own distinct look, feel, and enemies. For this particular demo, we were in Cryptheim, a land of the undead and great evil.
My particular bro had the special ability to create a whirlwind attack. This devastating attack could take enemies in and destroy them with great ease. It was great for using in large crowds of enemies. The Wired Productions Dev had a similar bro in hand, with his own attacks and capabilities. Unfortunately, even though The Dev had played the game relentlessly to unlock new weapons, a save reset and he was unable to show me more of the game’s armory. However, this was but a minor setback, as the rest of my experience with Super Dungeon Bros was amazing and action-packed!
We started out simply enough, attacking small enemies of the undead with our hack attacks, as well as getting a feel for the controls. The controls felt very responsive and fluid. I never had trouble with using the character or maneuvering. There was a sense of weight that I was able to pick up on the more I played.
Super Dungeon Bros features procedurally generated levels. Each dungeon that players venture into will be completely randomized, and different, with a set of obstacles to overcome. Some of these obstacles actually will involve picking up and throwing your fellow bro. This may seem like a jerk move to make in the heat of battle, but it does have tactical advantages. You can use throws to hit enemies and navigate enemies.
One of the most intriguing elements is the ability to combine special attacks. My bro could initiate a whirlwind attack, which transforms my bro into a ferocious tornado/ It can be used for a short time to eliminate groups of enemies. Should this attack be initiated, another bro can jump into that whirlwind to create a more damaging tornado attack. The feeling is quite satisfactory.
For six whole levels, The Dev and me marched our ways across levels, defeating spiders, vikings, knights, and other fouls creature. We hacked and slashed our way through six entire levels of deadly obstacles, dangerous enemies, and even boss fights. A note to make on the difficulty of the game is that the difficulty magnifies the longer players spend in the level. The difficulty meter will continuously rise, sending in more waves of deadly foes. In particular, there were shielded wizards, which were quite a handful to take down. Other times, we simply ran to bypass the enemies and make it to the goal. Some enemies were incredibly challenging, and as they fell, I found that they were actually mini-bosses. At the end of each level, there is a small gift shop to acquire new powers, weapons, and even buy health.
At the end of the 6th level, almost an hour later, my demo concluded with Super Dungeon Bros. I found other details as well, including the addition of cross-platform online co-op play, 4-player couch co-op, and a rousing soundtrack. Due to the noise of the Pax West floor, I was unable to hear any of it. This was further compounded by WIRED Productions other game, We Sing, which was playing big pop classics. Of course, this was entirely understandable.
Super Dungeon Bros plunges into battle on November 4th, 2016 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam.