Brawlhalla Review – A Rival Of Super Smash Bros

Brawlhalla stands out as an exceptional free-to-play platform fighter, boasting an extensive roster of both original and licensed characters. With seamless cross-play functionality spanning PC, consoles, and mobile devices, it has successfully emerged as a formidable contender to Super Smash Bros, offering an equally engaging experience without any platform limitation.

When it comes to 2D platform fighting genre games, Brawlhalla is indeed at the top of my list, and its constant updates make it even more enjoyable as the devs are always providing new content for players.

Story And Setting

Starting with the story, let me clarify that Brawlhalla is not a story-rich platform fighting game. In fact, there is no story at all. While there isn’t anything big going on in terms of story, it does feature a cool assembly of fighters that Norse Mythology heavily inspires.

Brawlhalla is set in Valhalla, the immortal hall of warriors in Norse mythology, where the strongest combatants from all kingdoms and ages compete for glory, honor, and fun. It includes over 100 legends, each with their own personality, weapons, and powers.

Brawlhalla is set in Valhalla, the immortal hall of warriors in Norse mythology, where the strongest combatants from all kingdoms and ages compete for glory, honor, and fun

Combinations of original creations such as Bodvar, combined with licensed properties such as Eivor from Assassin’s Creed, Rayman from Rayman Legends, and the Rock from WWE, make for a fresh and engaging cast of characters, which may not reach the highs of Super Smash Bros, but is a still good enough for a free to play fighter.

In my opinion, introducing new characters makes the game more engaging and fun, as players might get bored using the same old characters again and again. However, the devs need to be more creative with the weapons they introduce with each character, as they seem to be repetitive.

Brawlhalla Seasonal Events

One of the ways that the Brawlhalla developers keep the players engaged and entertained is by hosting seasonal events that celebrate special occasions in the real world. These events typically last for 3-4 weeks, during which players can find exclusive items in the store and seasonal decorations on some maps.

Currently, Brawlhalla features eight different events each year. These events start from Valhallentine’s Event in February and end at the Brawlhallidas Event, lasting from the end of December to the Beginning of January.

While being a player for quite some time now, I think the seasonal events introduced by devs add more fun and variety to the game, as well as reward the players for their loyalty and participation. They also showcase the creativity and diversity of the game’s developers and community as a result giving it an edge over Super Smash Bros.

Gameplay

Brawlhalla’s gameplay is easy to understand yet difficult to master. What I mean by hard to master is that the game requires players to be creative and make use of whatever is available on the battle stage. Hence, players will require better cognitive ability, if they want to survive in the arena.

Apart from that, it features four fundamental actions: light assault, heavy attack, dodge, and throw. Each legend has two weapons that they can use during the duel, with each having a unique move set for light and heavy assaults.

Bombs, mines, and spike balls are among the things available in the game to add variety to the fight. The goal of each match is to eliminate your opponents by increasing their damage and tossing them off-stage. Brawlhalla has a damage indicator that displays how much damage each player has suffered, as well as a force indication that shows how far each strike will send them flying.

Brawlhalla’s gameplay is easy to understand yet difficult to master because players have to keep track of their opponents constantly while upscaling their own gameplay.

The gameplay is fast-paced and chaotic, with plenty of action and variation. It has a high skill ceiling, including sophisticated techniques like combos, strings, reads, and edge guarding that necessitate practice and accuracy. Even after spending more than a hundred hours, I still have a long way to go when it comes to mastering Brawlhalla combat.

Brawlhalla’s gameplay is enjoyable and addictive, with plenty of replay value and material. It also includes a gravity component, which influences the movement and trajectory of the characters and items. Even though I am not a seasonal player of such games, Brawalhalla managed to keep me hooked with its gameplay loop despite its shortcomings.

Game Modes

One of the ways that Brawlhalla caters to different preferences and playstyles is by offering two main modes: casual and ranked. These modes can be accessed from the main menu of the game, and they have different rules and settings. 

Even though I am not a seasonal player of such games, Brawalhalla managed me keep me hooked with its gameplay loop despite its shortcomings.

Casual mode is the mode for players who want to have fun and relax without worrying about their rating or ranking. However, the ranked mode is completely different and is made for players who want to challenge themselves and compete with other players, with the goal of improving their rating and ranking.

Lastly, the Tournament mode gives players the opportunity to get their hands on Legends they might have missed previously by competing with other players. I strongly recommend going though this mod, as I belive it offers the strongest incentive out of all the mods to keep playing this game.

Visuals And Performance

Brawlhalla’s visuals are bright and cartoonish, with a 2D art style and a hand-drawn look. It prioritizes the clarity of visuals, with smooth movements, brilliant colors, and expressive designs, making the gameplay feel sublime. 

It prioritizes the clarity of visuals, with smooth movements, brilliant colors, and expressive designs, making the gameplay feel sublime.

By prioritizing distinct art styles, Brawahlla offers little to no issues on the performance ends.  It runs smoothly and consistently even on low-end devices, providing a good frame rate and low latency. Even though the framerate is capped at 60 FPS which may disappoint some, I personally don’t believe it would benefit from a higher framerate.

Brawlhalla’s performance is designed for many platforms and devices, with customizable settings and choices. Its performance is likewise consistent, with few errors or glitches, but the overall performance is amazing, especially given the number of players and action on screen. When it comes to platform supportability and performance, I think Super Smash Bros comes nowhere near Brawlhalla.

Verdict

Brawlhalla emerges as an excellent platform fighter, delivering abundant enjoyment and value at no cost. With a diverse and captivating character lineup, the game offers a straightforward combat system set against a vibrant and whimsical backdrop. The experience is bolstered by its smooth and stable performance, accompanied by a wealth of content and regular updates.

Despite minor issues like balance problems and repetitive gameplay, Brawlhalla remains an enjoyable experience suitable for fans of platform fighters, casual gamers, and hardcore competitors alike. It’s a game worth trying, and one that will undoubtedly keep you coming back for more

This wraps up my Brawlhalla Review. While you are here make sure to read our reviews on other games as well:

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