Reviewed: September 12, 2009
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
SouthPeak Games
Evolved Games

Developer
Collision Studios

Released: August 11, 2009
Genre: Platform
Players: 1

4
5
3
3
4.2

Supported Features:

Brave is the quintessential “little injun that could” story that is played out as a campfire story told by a village elder to a young boy and his friends who hangs on grandpa’s every word. It’s an insufferably cute concept that younger kids will relish and older kids will dismiss without a second thought. Parents will enjoy the bloodless violence, which consists of Brave beating down a giant bumblebee with a stick or swatting ravens with a torch. There is an inherent appreciation for nature and wildlife buried into the story and gameplay that is also refreshing.

The game is simple and straightforward and kids from 7-12 will find a modest amount of amusement. The puzzles aren’t terribly difficult so parental supervision isn’t mandatory or even required. By design, Brave is a platform game with plenty of running and jumping and climbing. You can use a variety of weapons, starting with a stick and upgrading to a tomahawk and bow and arrow.

There is a fair amount of mysticism in the game fueled by cave drawings that you can find to bestow magical powers upon our young hero. One of the more amusing traits is the ability to mimic animal noises and even possess some of those animals to gain access to otherwise unattainable areas.

The levels are large but the paths are linear so you seldom get lost, and if you do the mini-map always shows your next destination. Combat is easy, devolving into a button masher at times, and with infinite lives and a generous auto-save, you won’t replay much of the game if and when you do die. Death is usually related to world navigation, usually a platform or ledge jumping segment and almost always tied directly into the odd physics that creates unrealistic momentum for Brave or the horrible camera system.

In addition to exploring, fighting, and collecting you get to do some traditional Indian things like fishing and canoeing, and some not-so-traditional things like flying on the back of a giant eagle or climbing sheer vertical surfaces of rock and ice. While all of these things sound exciting, they suffer due to poor controls, poor physics, and uninspired design.

I’m used to all sorts of 3D platform games but I’m not used to being forced into a director-style camera view in this genre. The only time you can look where you want when you want requires you to invoke the first-person head camera and then your feet are locked in place. I understand the need for certain camera controls, like the reverse angle chase sequences for the giant bear, but having to race your skunk through glowing gates on a twisting course through the woods with sudden camera swings requires lots of unnecessary replays and memorization.

What’s more disappointing is that all of these problems were present on the PS2 version, albeit more tolerable since it was last generation, but there is no reason why this game couldn’t have received more polish to presentation and gameplay. As it is, we get a very minor facelift to higher-res graphics and textures, a slightly improved framerate that is still poor by 360 standards, a rather flat soundtrack, awkward voice acting, and some assorted easy-to-earn achievements.

The game is short, even by kid standards but even more surprising was once I got to the final boss (or what I thought was the final boss since he was on the PS2) the battle is suddenly interrupted and I am forced to go on all these random side quests to collect stuff. I don’t mind extending the gameplay or adding in missing scenes or levels, but at least integrate them into the game. Don’t ruin the story just to pad your game length.

I love the concepts, story, and gameplay ideas behind Brave but they just aren’t executed in a fashion that is remotely playable or enjoyable, especially if you have played anything better. I’d like to say this is an ideal game to introduce kids to videogames and platforming concepts, but there are so many other better and far less frustrating titles out there for kids like Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. I fear anyone who plays Brave: A Warrior’s Tale will find it way too primitive and glitchy to enjoy, and impressionable new gamers could be turned off gaming entirely.