Primotech Exclusive: New Brütal Legend Details
Editor’s Note (2.18.09)– EA chose not to speak to the “innaccuracies” it claimed this article contained. Thus, we are restoring this entry to its original form.
Editor’s Note (2.12.09)– At the polite behest of EA and Tim Schafer, we’ve removed the text of this entry. EA claimed it contained “major inaccuracies.” Just look at the pretty pictures for now.
Original Story– A source with intimate knowledge of the game revealed exclusively to Primotech several new gameplay, storyline, and development details about Double Fine’s Brütal Legend.
According to our source, the game appears incredibly polished, save for some UI elements, and is running smoothly on the Xbox 360. He claimed to be surprised by how in-game visuals are nearly indistinguishable from pre-rendered cut-scenes. In fact, he wanted us to know that the images on this page, which we captured from the debut trailer, are real-time and in-engine, and not pre-rendered.
He described the game as the consummate Tim Schafer title and said it looks like a mix of “Full Throttle, Red Dead Revolver, and Psychonauts.”
In one mission, Legend’s protagonist Eddie Riggs (Jack Black) is accompanied by Judas Priest’s Rob Halford as the duo rescues a group of head bangers mining for “solid rock.” Riggs plays a battle cry anthem on his Flying V guitar that rallies the miners to his side.
Our source described the guitar gameplay component as similar to Ocarina of Time; players must hold the right trigger and tap the ‘letter buttons’ in succession to chain together “riffs” that can be used to attract followers or solve puzzles or raise giant monoliths out of the ground. Pressing the letter buttons alone will have Riggs strumming single notes, which can smite enemies with forked lightning or raging fire. For melee combat, Riggs uses a giant battle axe to cut down his foes.
There’s also a unit control feature, with which Riggs can send his army of head bangers into battle by throwing the devil horns or back into a defense position by raising his battle axe (controlled by the d-pad). Head bangers attack not with weapons or magic, but with the awesome, brutal force of their own swinging heads, which they use to beat enemies into a bloody pulp.
Details on the game’s multiplayer component were scant, but our source did confirm that deathmatch and capture-the-flag modes will be offered. Knowing Schafer and the fine folks at Double Fine, expect some quirky twists on the usual formula to keep things fresh and unique.
Finally, a heavy metal action brawler couldn’t be complete without The Prince of Darkness himself: Ozzy Osbourne lends his voice and face to the game, along with his wife Sharon and his children.
Brütal Legend is scheduled to arrive on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this fall. Our source estimates that the game will be ready by September or October.
