This is a really cute and charming game. Its also a frustrating and tedious mess. For every hour of loveable charm this game offers there is another of monotony, with the odd helping of bullshit permeating it. I’d say the charm is worth the frustration, but this is as much a test of patience as skill. I played it on easy mode and I'd still consider it one of the more challenging games I've played. Throughout most of the game one on one enemy encounters feel like a coin toss more than a fair fight. The average fight goes like this:
Does my bullet miss? Ok what move are they doing? Right I'm dead.
Everything kills you quickly in this game, but thankfully virtually everything can be killed in a matter of seconds. This is a great way of making the gameworld feel dangerous while at the same time realistic. You really feel like every enemy has set stats and inventory uses like yourself, which further immerses the player in Brigand’s lo-fi, old school aesthetic.
If unpredictable and arguably unfair combat will stop you from playing this, there’s no shame. It’s hard to recommend this, especially considering that I had to message the developer to fix bugs during my playthrough. That said there’s a lot of freedom of choice considering the small ensemble of cast members and factions, a lot of different builds to play around with, the loveable characters one dimensional to the point of parody, the dated visuals cohesive in their incohesiveness. And the soundtrack is full of songs straight out of Machinimas from the early 2010s. Fans of Deus Ex, System Shock, E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and the early Fallout titles will find something to love here.
If you’re reading this Brian, thanks you, this is a game I won’t soon forget.