Broforce is a blast, an epic introduction to the world of late 80's to early 90's cinematic machismo courtesy of indie developer Free Lives. It began humbly enough as an entry in the Ludum Dare #23 Game Jam in April of last year, and has since expanded into what the team describes as an "action platformer...masquerading as a run 'n gun in the vein of Metal Slug...featuring ridiculous violence, pixel art graphics and a fully destructible Vietnam setting."
Think Contra on steroids and a thirty-rack of Natty Ice.
Platformers and ultra violence are a tried and true genre of video gaming, but what makes Broforce stand apart is its roster, thus far consisting of 13 "bros" inspired by some of cinema's biggest alpha males, fueled by red meat, madness and mayhem.
Players start off as the M60 wielding "Rambro," inspired by Sly Stallone's stroke mouthed, red headbanded Vietnam vet, but they're only a few rescues away from unlocking "Brommando," "Bro Dredd," "Brobocop," "Brochete," and eight other characters taking cues from Hollywood heavyweights that just refuse to fade away.
13 bros is certainly an excellent selection for a game still in the early stages of development, especially when you consider that each bro has his (and in one case, her) own selection of firearms and special attacks. But as a connoseiur of 80's and 90's action cheese, I feel as though the roster is lacking, and there's a lot more characters that Free Lives should consider adding to Broforce to complete the very best of "bromanity:"
* "Deebro" - Tommy "Tiny" Lister, the cock-eyed bully of "Friday" and mountain of a man also had a short stint in the WWF as "Zeus," a role he reprised in film several times over. While he may not be as well-known as other Broforce characters, suggesting a character named "Deebro" was just too good an opportunity to pass up. His time as President Lindberg from "Fifth Element" also clears the way to feature the movie's over the top The ZF-1 pod weapon, the swiss army knife equivalant of a rifle containing a machine gun, rocket launcher, poison arrow launcher, net launcher, flamethrower, and "ice cube system" freeze ray.
* Hulk Brogan - Hulkamania ran wild through the 80's and into the 90's brother, and while Hogan never quite made the big screen transition, this "Suburban Commando" still did a helluva number on pop culture. Like Lister, Hulk wasn't as much about the gunplay, but he sure as schnitzel gave Rocky a run for his money as Thunderlips.
* Muscles from "Brossels" - Looking through Broforce's roster, I was disappointed to find that it was sorely lacking in Jean-Claude, which is a Van Damme shame. Again, not one for gun blastin', this Belgian bro did more than his share of 90's action movies to warrant inclusion. And after his stint as Street Fighter's Guile, Jean needs another chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the video game community. It'd only work provided Chuck Zito never features as a boss.
* Ivan Dragbro - While there's at least one great game dedicated to the great Dolph Lundgren, Justice Enforcer isn't enough, and I can think of no better place for Sgt. Andrew Scott to again don his necklace of human ears, and again run amok in the crown jewel of southeast asia.
* The Bromega Man - Granted, Charlton "From my cold dead hands" Heston is no more, but when has something as simple as death stopped video game appearances? Heston as the titular Moses or Ben Hur may not have been the most "bro" of roles ("broles?), but telling a planet full of damn dirty apes to get their stinkin' paws offa him? Ordering around Schwarzenegger in "True Lies?" Uncovering a sci-fi conspiracy over Soylent manufactured foodstuffs? All very Heston, and all very bro.
* "Clint Browood" - Free Lives had the chance to go cowboy with Norris, but they opted not to, because even Walker Texas Ranger is a pale imitation of the man with no name. Eastwood and Heston run neck and neck for the Hollywood's most grizzled and surly old man, and while Heston earns a tip of the hat, the former N.R.A. prez never made "get off my lawn" sound so damn cool.
* Jack Broton - True, Kurt's already on the list as Snake Broskin, but if Arnie can get three characters, then there shouldn't be a limit for anyone else either. Master and commander of "Big Trouble in Little China's" porkchop express, Burton's misadventures in San Francisco is the common man's response when a reasonable guy experiences some very unreasonable things. A six-demon bag helps the trucker come out on top against Chinese black magic, and a Carpenter creation responsible for the design of Mortal Kombat's Raiden. Because when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake, Jack Broton just looks that big ol' storm right square in the eye and he says, "Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it."
* "Bronidas" - Madness? This is BRO-TA! Don't even try to sit there and tell me that Gerard Butler as Leonidas in "300" isn't one of the most brosome bros to have ever broed out. Blade may already have the sword in Broforce, but Bronidas could show the half-breed how to use it.
* "Antonio Broderas" - the guitarist from Robert Rodriguez's "Mariachi" series culminating in "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," Broderas is the only hermanbro on the list, if only for the fact that his character "El" plays a mean guitar. Which happens to double throughout the trilogy as a MAC-10, rocket launcher, flamethrower, remote control car explosive, machine gun, and pump-action grenade launcher.
There are many more bros that arguably should be included, but this is just a small collection of bros I'd like to see in Free Lives hands. Whether they decided to include them is up to the developer, but I can dream, can't I? Feel free to add in your own bros in the comment section below.
