“Are you ready for this? Because what I hold in my hand…is not just going to blow your mind…it’s gonna blow your soul.” These are the words Jack Black deadpans before unveiling an LP or “Brutal Legend,” a rare item of forbidden metal hidden in the back of a record store. The record and its case house the main menu for the new video game “Brutal Legend,” released on both the XBox 360 and Playstation 3. This game finds itself more successful in the creation of its world and characters than the actual playing of the game, without detracting too much from the experience.
The story follows the character of Eddie Riggs, voiced by Jack Black. In the real world Eddie was a roadie for a preppy “heavy metal” band that is proud of its large tween demographic. Then an accident on stage summons the mighty beast Ormagöden, a creature of metal and fire, and Eddie is transported to “Brutal Legend’s” alternate reality. The story deals with Eddie’s battle to help save the enslaved followers of metal, and is genuinely funny and well written.
The world Eddie falls into is a hellish place that mirrors themes raised through decades of heavy metal album covers. Landmarks throughout the world include Mount Rockmore and statues of devil horns thrown up at its faces, along with the screaming wall, a giant wall constructed out of speakers and amps constantly exploding sound distortions across the nearby mountains. Eddie’s enemies include leather bound, bile spewing demons and porcupines with needles of steel. His allies include head bangers, with rippling neck muscles and rock groupies, wielding rifles ripped out of the corpses of motorcycle boars. There are two main parts to the actual playing of the game. The first is the exploration of the world and the hacking and the slashing, the second is taken up by the stage battles. The stage battles put you, and your army against an opponents army, and the result of this combination of action and strategy is awkward. These stage battles compromise the multi-player, allowing you to challenge your friends over Live or the Playstation network.
All of this makes for an odd sort of game, a strange combination of ideas that are usually not seen in the same place. That said, if you’re a fan of metal then this game is a must. If not, I still suggest trying out “Brutal Legend”, as it provides a unique visual experience unlike any other.