It’s very clear to most people that this year has certainly been the year of Nintendo, who initially started off on a rough end due to the lackluster performance of its Wii U hardware. Nintendo continued to strive for more and to create something innovative, and that they did with the Nintendo Switch. Since its triumphant launch back in March of this year, the Switch has had enormous support from not only AAA developers like EA and Rockstar, but where it shines brightly is in its indie platform now famously known as ‘Nindies’. One title that made its debut on PC, Brawlout, a party fighting game from Developer Angry Mob Games, had a shaky beginning much like Nintendo did but fought through its struggles to create a polished and very fun game to play. We actually did an early access review of Brawlout earlier this year and it’s very clear that the team has worked extremely hard since then, with the differences being night and day. Anyone who fancies a fun and action packed party fighter similar to Brawlhalla and the beloved Smash Bros. franchise will unquestionably love Brawlout, that performs fluidly on the Switch whether it be in handheld or TV mode.

Fighting games, as of late, have seemed to garner a lot of attention, all thanks to the popularity of other more prominent titles like Street Fighter, Smash Bros. Melee and Guilty Gear. For years, the fighting scene had struggled to find itself and dealt with a lot setbacks, trying to fit itself snuggly into the mass market to grab the eyes of spectators. With eSports now reaching an all time high in terms of popularity and games like Street Fighter V paving the way for fighting games to be considered an eSport, it’ll cool to see new contestants come into the ring to show everyone just how great their product is. Brawlout is just that product that could find itself growing in the competitive scene for the Switch since it’s one of the major titles to hit the hybrid console in all of 2017. Since there’s no Smash Bros. title on the Switch at the moment, Brawlout most definitely fills that gap as it appeals to a wide audience with its guest character appearances and over the top action that keeps you coming back for more. With local and online multiplayer options along with a plethora of other incentives like in-game collectables via Pinatas, Brawlout is the quintessential fighting game for anyone who loves a little competition.

One precious thing that makes fighting games as celebrated as they currently are in the industry, is that it brings people together. It's not that often that games can generate a massive following which then permeates into a flourishing community, but for decades now, the Fighting Game Community, or FGC for short, has seen substantial growth ever since its initial start up in the early 90’s. Fast forward to today and you see a boatload of titles that everyone can choose from, and turn them into something enjoyable whether you’re a seasoned veteran or someone who just enjoys a casual bout. Brawlout isn’t trying to impersonate or replicate anything. In fact, we think it’s carving out its own path and allowing new players to enjoy a fresh experience overall. Of course, many would be quick to pass judgement and say that it’s a mirror image of Smash Bros., but in truth, while there are similarities, there are also a lot of unique features that you’ll only get in Brawlout. One of which and perhaps the most important are the characters that you get to play with.

The character roster in Brawlout features no Nintendo mascots whatsoever, and most of the characters with the exception of guest characters, which we’ll get into soon, are all fresh and bring a new gameplay experience to the forefront. Each character feels truly unique and requires a great deal of practice to really be good with them. One example is the latest addition to the game, The Drifter, the main protagonist who stems from the incredibly popular indie title Hyper Light Drifter. While many who perhaps grew up playing Smash could easily point fingers and say it’s a Marth mockup, the differences are once again like night and day. The way the Drifter plays in this game is unlike any other character we’ve played in any platform fighter, because his attacks are directly taken from his own game. That means that when you jump into a battle with The Drifter, you’re using a completely fresh and fine tuned character that can tear apart any opponent with his incredible reach, swift movements and supreme combo potential. Another guest character is Juan, the main protagonist from the super popular and highly addicting Guacamelee series. The way these two characters perform on stage are awesome to witness since The Drifter is all about swift swordplay and rapid movement, while Juan is about mixing opponents up with his throw setups and powerful melee attacks. The original cast as well are a fun bunch to play with, such as Chief Feathers along with the mix up heavy King Apu, who once again, create a unique experience for anyone looking for something new.

Brawlout has made significant upgrades to its UI and on the Switch, everything looks spot-on. From the gorgeous main menu to the shop where you can see all the items to collect via in-game battles and daily objectives, Brawlout on the Switch performs leaps and bounds better than its PC counterpart and truly feels like a complete package. The game encourages you to really grind your way through matches to accumulate enough gold to purchase Pinatas to unlock character skins, new stages among other things, and that’s a great thing. You’re not just encouraged to play single player modes but to also test your skills online against other opponents, since some objectives require you to try out different characters win a set number of matches. For that reason, Brawlout gets plus points in our book because unlike other fighters that lack a single player experience, there’s a nice mixture that allows both casuals and experienced fighters alike enjoy the experience without feeling overwhelmed.

Speaking of online, this is perhaps one area that seems to require some fine tuning since the Switch currently doesn’t support a wired/LAN connection. This led us to having some really bad matches online despite our opponents living in the same country. The lag was very noticeable to the point of us having to just run off stage because the game was just unplayable at all. It should be noted that since the Switch runs off a Wi-Fi connection, you’ll need to have a strong connection to have a smooth experience. When we could find an opponent with a smooth connection, that game performed flawlessly and the animations each character portrayed in game were fluid and beautiful to watch. One thing we did notice though, and perhaps this may be added in later, is being able to choose regions for online matchmaking. Maybe it’s just a PC thing since it’s easier to implement, but it would definitely make the online experience more fulfilling if we have a chance to choose what region we’d like to fight in to eliminate any lag issues.

Another little minus is that we wish the music selection was more selective and provided a more upbeat experience. Much of the soundtrack was what we had already heard on the PC version and so that kind of made things feel dry. It would’ve been cool if every menu had a new soundtrack playing in the background, or that there was an option to randomize the music via the sounds tab. That’s where Brawlout seems to falter and requires some upgrading to keep the auditory experience appealing. If the team can throw in something cool like giving each character their own unique music and allowing us to mix things up in game, that would be awesome.

Overall, Brawlout is one fighter that you don’t want to miss out on if you own a Switch. This will satisfy your cravings for a while until perhaps another prominent fighter makes its appearance on the hybrid console. It’s by no means a perfect game, but it provides a cornucopia of fun, excitement, and is oozing with potential once some of the main issues are ironed out. Until then, be sure to keep it locked here on Honey’s Anime for more gaming related news by following us on Twitter, and of course by following us on Twitch! You may catch us playing some Brawlout and other titles so don’t miss out!

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