Brawlout (Switch) Review - Does the quirky 'brawler' know how to fill the gap on the Nintendo Switch

When Angry Mob Games' Brawlout was first unveiled to the public, it was virtually everyone compared to the Super Smash Bros. series and it is easy to see why that is. Now the game has appeared on the Nintendo Switch and we have played it extensively at home.

Let's first quote the obvious point: the game is indeed very similar to the style of Super Smash Bros. Be it the percentage bar at the bottom of the screen that determines how far away you fly at every hit; the sideways action with a series of fighter bosses; or the arenas that overflow with colors; to the edges where you can fall for an early death. Brawlout is simply a spiritual sequel to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U... at least until it actually gets a successor on the Switch.

But, why not? Smash Bros. is not popular for nothing and if Nintendo does not give the fans what they ask for, Brawlout will do its utmost to fill that gap. The problem, however, is that much of the appeal of Smash Bros. comes from the iconic characters like Mario, Jigglypuff, Marth, and so on. Without this, Brawlout seems to be busy from the beginning with a lost battle, since there is no rush in choosing a classic hero from an iconic package.

On the one hand, however, it is unfair to judge Brawlout for what it is not, as there is still a plethora of characters to choose from. Chief Feathers for example is a very effective and fast fighter blessed with flying ability; while Juan Aguacate (from Guacamelee !) is a more powerful fighter with excellent grapples and short-range attacks; it is in contrast with the chain that King Apu swings around himself. However, they do not all feel balanced, as Chief Feather's flying ability is extremely useful to avoid and to keep yourself alive and some others, such as Apu and Paco, feel much more powerful than The Drifter, for example.

If you want to unlock more of these characters, you have to 'grind'... and much. There are two types of currencies in the game - diamonds and coins - but there is a catch: diamonds are harder to get hold of and require that you complete challenges and play online jars, as opposed to simple offline jars like in Arcade mode, which yields a lot of coins. To unlock more things you have to invest in a piñata (which can be compared to a 'lootbox'). Brawler Piñatas require diamonds to get characters; Fiesta Piñatas need coins for 'skins', 'stages' and KO effects; and Stylisch Piñata's give 'taunt' icons, avatar icons and 'trail-effects' to 'knockbacks', in exchange for coins.

This is all nice and nice, but you do not quickly collect coins or diamonds and with only one object per piñata, finding the one you want is often a difficult road. Arcade Mode (where you fight fighters in levels that become increasingly difficult), for example, yields between 300 and 900 coins, while a single Fiesta Piñata costs 3,500 coins. It is possible to get piñatas by means of prizes and goals that you get in-game, such as gaining level 2 with a certain character, which is a nice addition that you try to try out different playing styles, especially because these goals regularly update to become.

Earning diamonds by playing online is made a lot of trouble because almost every game that we started suffering from connection problems and lag. This changes the 'brawl' into a slow motion fight that moves frame-by-frame instead of the intense fast battles against human battles we hoped for. This happened in all the pots we played, which is very sad, since the game is the best against human opponents.

The most ideal option for human interaction is therefore the local multiplayer. As with all other Nintendo Switch games that support local multiplayer, the Joy-Cons can easily be disconnected and used directly to fight. Since the controls are simple (a button to attack, one for a special attack, one to jump, dodge with the shoulder buttons) it is easy to pick up... but difficult to master completely. It should feel very familiar to Super Smash fans, especially assigning little details such as jumping to the up button on the four-point push button, and it is easy to fully engage in an exciting fight within seconds.

In short, Brawlout is certainly a competitor for Super Smash Bros. Express by style and the chosen format. However, without the same variety of content and quality, it only succeeds to be in the shadow of Nintendo's giant. It may be nice for Smash fans who want to bridge some time while waiting for a new part, but once it appears on the stage at the Switch, Brawlout can start collecting dust.

➕ Colorful internships; interesting designs of the fighters; accessible control; nice local multiplayer.

➖ Characters not as balanced as they should; lots of grind for extra content; online multiplayer has connection problems.

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