| Brutal Legend Preview
Playing this game backwards reveals messages from the Devil.
April 2, 2009 - Tim Schafer's had some rough luck since leaving LucasArts to start his own company. Double Fine's first game, Psychonauts, was kicked to the curb by Microsoft (likely due to some late night drunken decision by a shady executive with a hate for inventive games). It later found a home at Majesco, was released at a bargain price and got critical acclaim only to receive little attention from consumers. Double Fine's second game, Brutal Legend, was to be published by Sierra with the promise that oodles of marketing money would be put behind the game to make sure the masses were exposed to Schafer's genius. Activision and Blizzard (which includes Sierra Games) merged one night in a Vegas chapel and, once again, Double Fine was tossed on its fanny. But it looks like this story has a happy ending. Brutal Legend has been picked up by EA and it will, in fact, melt your face off.
You play as Eddie Riggs, the greatest roadie of all time. Too bad he's roadie for the worst metal band of all time. Eddie's an old-school metal head who dreams of the days when heavy metal was pure. As you'd expect, Eddie's belt buckle is magical and when a bit of his blood touches its surface he's teleported to another dimension built by the metal gods as a chronicle of all things headbangin'. I know--overused storyline, right? Don't worry, things get crazy so fast you'll forget this is yet another tale of a metalhead brought to a magical dimension to free enslaved humans from a demon overlord and his metal-hating minions.
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No sooner has Eddie awoken in this strange new land than he's being assaulted by a pack of demonic druids. Fortunately, the Separator, an ancient axe, is laying in front of him. With his head-lopping axe in hand and his six-string guitar, Clementine, on his back, Eddie has little problem dealing with the druids. Brutal Legend is, at heart, a hack-and-slash adventure that looks instantly familiar from the first axe-stroke. In fact, at first, it seems like it will be a little too similar to the button-mashing formula we've seen over the past decade. That changes pretty quickly.
The Separator is your primary means for dealing hand-to-hand damage, but Eddie can also quickly switch to Clementine for mystical damage. In the "real world" Clementine is just a normal guitar, but in the world of Brutal Legend playing chords is like casting spells. There are simple implementations of this, such as tapping a button to fire an electrical charge at enemies or holding down a button for a pyrotechnic assault that launches enemies in the air or hitting the axe and guitar buttons at the same time for the Earthshaker, a power chord that knocks down parts of the environment.
There are also guitar solos you can learn to cast more significant spells. Double Fine didn't want to show off the implementation of this (no, it doesn't use a guitar peripheral), but they did reveal the first solo you learn in the game. The Relic Raiser can be played whenever you spot "heavy metal vines." The vines react to the notes you play and rise up, revealing hidden artifacts.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/969/969334/br252tal-legend-20090402042351671-000.jpg)
But let's stick with the Deuce for now. The hot rod is your steed and stays with you the rest of the game. It's the final piece of Eddie's three-pronged arsenal. And you get all of these things within the first half hour, so you can utilize them throughout the rest of Brutal Legend. While riding in the Deuce (also known as the Druid Plow) would be fun alone, a ride like this is always best enjoyed with a babe on your arm. Enter Ophelia.
You meet the smoking hot Ophelia while battling an early batch of druids. She's actually in disguise as a druid, but reveals herself moments before you separate her head from her shoulders.
"I hope I haven't been killing hot chicks this whole time," Eddie offers in one of the dozens of perfectly executed one-liners thrown out during the demo.
Eddie, in case you didn't know, is voiced by Jack Black. The Tenacious D frontman is a perfect fit for both the character and the game. While it's sometimes hard to translate a spoken punchline to the written word, trust me when I say that Brutal Legend will have you laughing out loud.
Ophelia is part of a resistance movement, determined to free the human populace from the evil Doviculus' rule. She's Eddie's first ally, one of some 12-15 that you'll assemble as you work your way across the world. With Ophelia fighting at your side, you can perform team-up moves which do extra damage (and have added flair). Each ally has a different way to team-up with Eddie, adding some strategy into whom you pick for certain missions.
No sooner do you have a sweet ride and a sweet babe at your side then you're facing your first boss battle. It happens in an arena, where a giant snake pops up from the ground. It wants to swallow you, hot rod and all. You'll need to run circles around the snake, using the speed boost to avoid attacks and e-brake turns to take advantage when the snake is vulnerable. And vulnerable it is when its fangs slam into the ground. It's stuck for a moment, giving you a chance to 180 and speed boost into its trapped fangs. A few hits like this and you move to phase two. You're out of the Deuce now, but stuck between the big baddie and a locked gate. Luckily, there's an engine suspended over the gate. Using the Earthshaker, you can free the engine of its chain and crush your enemy.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/969/969334/br252tal-legend-20090402042356343-000.jpg) That's one sexy battle nun.
Brutal Legend is inspired by classic heavy metal and each scene is meant to look as if it could also be a cover from a metal album. And with metal, anything goes. Hot rods, latex, swords, pentagrams, demons, hot babes, bleeding suns, bats and just about anything else is fair game. If it's ever been on a metal cover or part of a metal song, chances are it will be referenced in some way in Brutal Legend.
What does that mean for folks who don't know a lick about heavy metal? Tim Schafer promises that you don't have to know metal to enjoy Brutal Legend in the same way you didn't have to be a pirate to enjoy The Secret of Monkey Island. Still, being a pirate helped me understand some of Monkey Island's in-jokes and, honestly, there are so many metal references in even the first hour of Brutal Legend that true metalheads are going to get a lot more of the humor. After you escape your first encounter with Doviculus' minions, you're brought into a fully open world. This expansive landscape is littered with imagery from metal albums. One of the first things you pass is a massive British iron cross on a hillside. Some folks just won't get why myself and others laughed at the image. Some jokes are just going to fall flat for the uninitiated, but Brutal Legend still looks like a fun time for all.
Double Fine wasn't ready to fully explore the open world (which is roughly 64 square kilometers), but I was told that there's plenty to do there other than main story missions. There are other people to meet and tons of collectibles. The Deuce, for example, can be upgraded with a radio to play the numerous metal songs found throughout the land. If you're wondering, there will be plenty of classic metal songs as well as a smattering of lesser known bands. You'll also want to do some exploration in an effort to earn Lighter Tributes, which are basically lighters from the metal gods. These are earned from completing sidequests or doing a variety of seemingly heroic acts, like pulling off cool jumps in the Deuce.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/969/969334/br252tal-legend-20090402042346078-000.jpg) Every game should come with a skeleton bridge.
From what I saw and was told, I'd liken the world of Brutal Legend to a heavy metal-themed Fable. So, yeah, it's going to be cool.
Rather than spend much time roaming the lands, Double Fine took Eddie straight to his objective -- Bladehenge. This is where we first meet the leader of the resistance, Lars. He's standing stoic atop a 20-story tall stone sword. A mix of Robert Plant and Dave Coverdale, Lars is the obvious leader of the resistance. Eddie takes on his known role as roadie. Your job in Brutal Legend is to gather the troops and equipment necessary so that Lars can win the war against Doviculus.
Of course, there's a ancient tale of a warrior who would one day be brought to this land by the powerful Ormagöden. As Ophelia, Lars and Lars' sister, Lita, recount, this warrior will be brought to either "destroy us" or "deliver us." As Lars notes, "there's some dispute over the translation."
There's not much to Lars' army when you meet him. The female warriors have been taken to the Pleasure Tower and the men to the rock quarry. Sadly, we went to the mines rather than the Pleasure Tower.
Travel around the world is quick and easy enough thanks to your awesome ride. And I should note that it's a cinch to get in and out of the Deuce. The second solo you learn allows you to call the Deuce at any time, because no one likes to walk anywhere. Oddly enough, metal heaven is a lot like L.A.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/969/969334/br252tal-legend-20090402042322375-000.jpg) This is your ride.
The scene at the rock quarry is quite horrific. Hundreds of able-bodied men are banging their heads against the walls. That's because Lionwhyte didn't give them any tools. Lars, proving why he's not the star of Brutal Legend, asks Eddie: "What do you do with a bunch of kids who only know how to bang their heads?"
"You start a revolution," Eddie replies.
And then a choice appears on the screen."Start Revolution Now or Later?" This is how you accept your first mission.
The slaves in the rock quarry aren't chained up or driven by the whip. They just don't know what else to do but submit, bang their heads, and mine rocks. They mindlessly chant, "Rock of Ages" as an orchestral version of Def Leppard's song plays in the background. Statues honoring Lionwhyte can be found all over the mines. Each sings a motivational statement. Lionwhyte is voiced by Judas Priest's Rob Halford. If you don't know Judas Priest, let's just say that Halford is famed for his high-pitched vocals. "Punctualiiiiiiity!!!!" One totem sings out. Another screams, "Teeeeamwooooork!!"
All it takes to convince the headbangers to rise up against their master is for Eddie to play a new solo, one to rally the troops. This is where you get another piece of Eddie's arsenal. With the d-pad, you can give general commands to your troops. You can tell them to follow and attack, defend and protect or send them off to attack a separate enemy or structure. "Kill the nut-s*** over there," Eddie commands. Yes, Jack Black introduces us to the term "Nut-s***." Sainthood assured.
Eddie vows "no headbanger left behind" and proceeds through the mines gathering his metal brethren. Then trouble strikes. There is a second group of metalheads in the quarry. These guys look like they fell off the Rock of Love bus. They're the hair metal faction of Brutal Legend and they don't want to see the world change. They call the guards, which leads to a big fracas. But Eddie now has his own gang and they can be directed to help in the fight.
All of this leads to a confrontation at the Wheel of Pain. The Wheel is manned by dozens of slaves, all of whom will die if it's destroyed. And that's exactly what the leader of the guard (tiny-head, big hands) wants in order to teach the headbangers a lesson. To save the lives of your potential troops, you must defend the three support posts of the Wheel of Pain from the oncoming horde of enemies.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/969/969334/br252tal-legend-20090402042312578-000.jpg) Eddie wants to get "backstage" with Ophelia.
And that's just a taste of what to expect from Brutal Legend. There certainly appears to be a lot more to discover, including a Battle of the Bands multiplayer mode featuring "a bunch of players" fighting online.
Tim Schafer has always delivered imaginative worlds and interesting twists on conventional gameplay. So it's really no surprise that Brutal Legend is looking like one of the better titles of the fall. Especially if you loved metal when you were fourteen. This game will take you back in time. Unless you're twelve. Then it will take you forward in time to when you are old enough to love metal.
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