Test Zoo Mayhem Broiler – Nintendo Switch – Endeavor

Since the release of Streets of Rage 4 last year, the Beat ‘Em Up genre has had a small renaissance. In the style of the famous template, Mayhem Brawler is trying to get fans of 90s classic bloggers. Developer Studio from Istanbul relies on the game classic genre formula presented by Studio Hero Concept, but also tries some new approaches. We tested for you whether Comic-Style Beat’m can convince them.

In Mayhem Brawler you assume the role of a special police unit, which ensures law and order in the dark mix of fantasy and superhero comic universe. This scene, comparable to a wolf world among us, brings vampires and other mythical creatures directly into the American-influenced urban setting of the 90s. The three protagonists are sent on different missions of Trouble, Dolphin and Star as part of a plot to unravel the mysterious events in the world of Mayhem Broiler. Almost different to the genre, it adds more value to the gameplay and the stage. Between the personal tasks of the campaign, there are dialogues that are fully set to music visualized in a comic style. In between personal tasks, you occasionally have the opportunity to influence the course of things through your decisions. For example, you may trust an informant and go into hiding or refuse to work with her.

Your decision always has an impact on the next course of conversations, but not necessarily in the places where you fight through enemies. These are integrated in some places and thereby reduce the freedom of choice in the course of the process. It is also annoying when the development team decided to jump on the social media bandwagon and show a screen with imaginary Twitter messages parallel to the events of the game. It doesn’t match the glamor of the 90s that the game really wants to play. As for staging, Mayhem Prowler puts forward some good ideas, however, not well thought out in executing it.

The actual gameplay of the title is excellent. Mayhem Brawler gives you a total of two local game modes, a campaign and an arcade mode that you can play with the other two players. The game does not offer online mode. After completing the campaign, you can access the arcade mode in which you can select the individual tasks of the campaign. The three protagonists of the title basically control each other in the same way and have a regular and a special attack, which varies depending on the character. For example, the problem is that he can attack left and right with his beast claws and injure multiple enemies at once. With the exception of such a partial attack, the special attack of each character can cause as much damage as possible, especially by driving an enemy.

The three characters differ only in nuances. The basic attack methods are the same, only the speed of movement and damage value values ​​depending on the selection. The fights are a lot of fun overall, especially since the enemies act relatively cleverly and attack themselves in particular. For example, vampires can slide on the screen and stab you in the back. In addition, Mayhem Brawler subtly departs from certain types of traditions. For example, you can not only prevent attacks, but also take guns and use them to attack enemies from a distance. Overall, Mayhem Brawler offers a very solid beat, which would have benefited from a playful very different combat battle.

Audiovisually, Mayhem Brawler, as mentioned, looks strongly at the comic universes of the 90s, but at big brother Streets of Rage 4. The maps are less detailed and the animations are not as good as the larger model. Overall, the Hero Concepts title still drops an excellent number and scores with different levels. The English system is also successful. The music leaves a somewhat mixed feel. The soundtrack is solid in places, but overall the titles do not have the power to match the events on the screen.