PAX Australia 2017 — Brief Battles impressions
Butt-on bashing fun!
Whoever dared to suggest that the fun of running around in your underpants while fighting your friends should be left buried in your childhood can finally eat their words. Adelaide-based developer Juicy Cupcake has introduced Brief Battles to the indie scene; a 2D action platformer that combines underpants-fueled mayhem with a variety of fun game modes that make for perfect boredom crushers, not to mention a hilarious way to entertain a small group of friends.
Despite only being in an alpha state, and therefore limited in terms of available content, the Brief Battles build that I experienced at PAX Australia 2017 has already proved to be a memorable title. Up to four players are able to take on one-another using hero characters that are enhanced through super-powered underpants, which grant the wearers absurd, yet highly useful powers. I distinctly remember navigating my way around each stage’s climbable structures (including all walls and ceilings) and getting excited every time I got the chance to slap on a pair of Flaming Hot Pants, literally labeled with “HOT STUFF” on the back, and begin lobbing fireballs across the arena. When things got a little too hot to handle, I’d find myself a pair of Buns of Steel to canonball my way through opponents, or even some Underpants of Protection to shield myself from damage while simultaneously stunning enemies upon impact. No matter the situation, Brief Battles lends players everything that they need to achieve victory, or simply cause as much chaos as “briefly” as possible.
Not only were the mechanics as simple as you’d hope for, but they openly encouraged players to dive headfirst into the action. Combining basic dash and slam attacks with powerful underpants was they key to victory in the Classic Battle game mode, and they held more strategic purposes when struggling to hold onto the golden underpants in Hold the Gold, or when grabbing as many underpants as possible in Underpants Collector. With additional solo and cooperative modes presently available and even more on the way, there’s simply no telling just how crazy things might get; in any case, the potential for hours upon hours of fun is unmistakably there.
While it’s evident that Brief Battles is designed to be a fantastic couch co-operative experience, it is also being developed clearly with online multiplayer in mind, which lends itself to allow almost any group of friends to get involved. Getting the game into the online community, as well as on PlayStation 4, totally depends on a successful Kickstarter campaign, so anyone interested should strongly consider becoming a backer. The game’s Itch.io demo should serve as a strong representation of just how fun and whacky the game truly is, and will hopefully convince you to give the game’s development some support.
Brief Battles has an upcoming closed beta program that is scheduled for late December on Windows, and is currently being developed on both Windows and Xbox One. The game is scheduled for a full release in 2018.
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