Brink review

Don’t mistake Brink for just another shooter; it’s aiming to be the first game to truly bridge the gap between single and multiplayer gameplay. It’s a shot at it too, being created by Splash Damage, the development team behind the legendary Wolfenstein Enemy Territory Mod.

Brink is a near-future FPS set on the Ark, a floating city being fought over by two warring factions. Originally designed as a utopian paradise, the Ark fell victim to its own success; it’s now overpopulated and teetering on the brink of collapse. The totalitarian Security forces try to maintain order while the guerrilla Resistance faction attempt to escape back to the mainland.

Players pick a side at the beginning of the game, creating an avatar using the extensive character creation tools. A huge selection of unlockable outfits, hairstyles and facial customisation options let you create a unique soldier that will stand out from your teammates, as well as stick in the minds of your enemies. Most of these choices are purely cosmetic, but each of the three body types will have a significant effect on the way you play.

Heavier characters can take more damage and user larger weapons, at the expense of reduced mobility. Choosing a lighter character will limit your choice of gun, but lets you move much faster and make full use of the parkour-style S.M.A.R.T. system. By holding down a single button as you approach a low wall or obstacle, you can vault over it seamlessly without slowing down. This lets you move between choke points and hide behind cover, which will be critical to survival as it takes far fewer shots to put a light character down.

the S.M.A.R.T. system adds new depth to level exploration

Using their newly created characters, players join seven squad mates in a battle for control of each level, either attacking or defending a series of objectives. Teammates must work together to progress, as each objective requires abilities unique to one of the four available character classes. Loners can still help their team by completing secondary objectives, such as opening alternative routes through each map, activating command posts or building sentry guns. Jumping straight into the campaign can be a little overwhelming, as with four character classes, multiple objectives and numerous perks and abilities to unlock, there’s a lot to learn. Thankfully there are several detailed tutorial videos on hand to explain the main game mechanics.

Teamwork is critical to a successful mission

The computer AI controls your squad mates as well as the enemy team when playing the offline campaign. At times it feels like you’re playing against human opponents rather than the computer, as the difficulty curve automatically adjusts to always provide a challenge. When you’re ready to head online, things couldn’t be easier; Brink is completely integrated into Valve’s Steam service, so finding your friends and joining games takes just one or two clicks. Unlike many other new FPS games, online matches should be lag-free thanks to support for dedicated servers. Beyond the main campaign, players can also test their abilities in one of four mission modes, where times are tracked on a global leader board.

Despite being built on the ageing ID Tech 4 engine, Brink looks fantastic. Highly stylised characters and locations give the game a unique visual flair that looks incredibly fluid in motion. Levels are littered with incidental details, but they never get in the way of the core gameplay. It might not be the most graphically impressive game around (that plaudit still goes to Crysis) but it certainly stands up against the current crop of shooters.

One aspect that does stand head and shoulders above all the competition is sound; often something gamers take for granted, Brink’s sound design underwent an unprecedented level of polish and the evidence is clear to hear. Weapons sound noticeably different when shooting from the hip compared to using iron sights, with empty shell casings flying past your head as you fire. Reverb effects and echoes of skirmishes happening throughout the map sound fantastic, either through headphones or a surround sound speaker system.

The choke points in each map can get very hectic

Unfortunately, players hoping for an immersive single player campaign will be left largely disappointed; although the overarching story is very involving and each level can be played in sequence, they are broken up with status reports and opportunities to spend experience points on character upgrades. Frequent trips back and forth between the menu screens make for a fragmented feel. Considering how many customisation options there are for each weapon, it’s also a shame that players can’t modify them on the fly. Instead, they have to wait until the mission is over, so it can take a while to experiment with different setups.

Unique characters let you stand out in multiplayer matches

It’s a shame that the single player experience feels so disjointed, as it may put off anyone that prefers to game alone, because Brink is ultimately a fantastic multiplayer shooter. The varied gameplay and teamwork needed to progress through each mission make for exciting matches, while the extensive customisation options and unlockables provide incentive to keep playing. An excellent alternative to Call of Duty for anyone looking for a little more substance, if you spend more time playing online than off, Brink is a must-buy.