Are you a gamer who likes the challenge that old school platformers used to bring? Do you also like to crank some of your favorite songs while gaming? Well, Rush Bros., might just be for you. But lets stress maybe, shall we?
As the story goes, two DJing brothers decide to settle their differences not by ripping up some hot wax but by instead racing to the finish, or more likely to the death. With 41 levels at your disposal, there are plenty of chances for you to one up your bro, friend or even an internet nemesis. Featuring cel shaded characters, with various color options, Digital Tribe’s game offers up three modes: Arcade (solo or online challengers), local multiplayer (split screen: top and bottom) and Steam multiplayer. Each mode comes with a remix ability which adds two new dynamics: Fast Forward speeds things up, while Survival gives you one chance at glory. Careful though, as one wrong move could end the game.
In all three modes the object of the game is simple-be the first one to cross the finish line. It is a racer, after all, but not without its flaws. The controls are not as fluid as one would like to traverse such an obstacle course. In key situations, your character feels like it gets caught on the environments. Some levels require you to move the traditional way, left to right, but in many cases you are required to move up, down, right then left, and occasionally retrace your steps. All fairly straightforward stuff until you factor in power-ups, checkpoints and your custom music.
For Those About To Rock
Run, jump, and slide are the moves your little DJ dude comes equipped with-at least without the help of any power-ups. During these short spastic journeys, you’ll find the occasional double jump and sprint power-ups. Collect them as you find them as some arenas can be downright challenging or, dare I say, cheap. For whatever reason, certain levels feature checkpoints while others do not. When you die in a level that has a checkpoint, it’s not a big deal as you usually respawn pretty close to where you left off; think Supermeat Boy. For some unknown reason, other levels have zero checkpoints. Thus, if you die, you start back at the very beginning. The fun factor on these levels quickly turns to frustration. As soon as you get over one problem area, the game may then take you to another treacherous section without warning. Part of the learning process on platformers is the repetition (muscle memory). If the game offers you no checkpoints and you don’t know what’s coming next, that isn’t learning or fun, that is being difficult just for the sake of busting you know what. It would have made more sense to toggle checkpoints on or off, depending on the difficulty level you selected.
A big selling point for Rush Bros. is the games’ use of custom soundtracks. The game reacts differently depending on the tempo of the music you play. If techno is your thing, then you won’t need to adjust your playlist as the game comes equipped with many in your face beats. For those who do not like European dance clubs, you’ll probably opt for adding in your own tracks. To test this theory out, I played some Slayer on the harder levels. As expected, the saw blades, trap doors and moving spikes all moved at a faster clip. If you enjoy more easy listening music, the games’ pace will move at a slightly slower clip. While the difference is somewhat noticeable, it is not a night and day comparison. Importing tracks into your custom playlist was easy and intuitive. However, you are limited to MP3 and OGG file types.
My What Pretty Eyes You Have
Rush Bros. features a two fold art style. The character and playable levels are sleek, modern cel shaded areas while the backgrounds, as demonstrated below, are more artistic and lush. Everything looks so elegant, you might think that they are trying to disguise the games’ shortcomings with picturesque landscapes.
In the interest of full disclosure, 2old2play.com received the game review code later than some other media outlets. When the publisher first sent out review codes, there were rumblings of frame rate and system resource issues. During the review, I did not encounter any such issues. I would suspect that either they patched those problems or my PC was capable of keeping up with any performance blips.
Final Verdict
Overall, Rush Bros. is a fun little romp with plenty of levels and modes that should, on the surface, keep you entertained for hours. I’m just not sure with the combined control issues, lack of over the top power-ups and cheap game layout if there is enough to keep you coming back for more. They recently added levels that feature the music and likeness of Infected Mushroom. I am not familiar with them so I’m not sure if this is really a plus or minus. As of this review, the games’ price already dropped a few times. Currently, the game is being sold for $9.99 on Steam. Once the price gets closer to $5, I believe this game is a no-brainer but until then you might want to look elsewhere for your platforming fun.
This is a great game. It plays well but minor issues keep it from being a release day purchase. Keep an eye on it and pick it up once the price drops.
