Splash Damage and Bethesda have teamed up to create a multiplayer title which can seamlessly transform into Singleplayer and vise versa. Brink takes place on an arc which serves as one of the last resorts on the planet; it was designed to hold several thousand occupants but was overwhelmed with massive crowds seeking refuge. Naturally a setup like that can lead to some unrest. The arc is in chaos and security forces are in constant battle with the uprising rebel group.
Players will control either the security or rebel factions and need to complete objectives which are specialized to each class. Examples of this are the spy who has to hack security panels or deliver pass codes and the medic who in turn is in charge of healing and escorting a person of interest. Each player and each class in this dynamic multiplayer game has to do their part in order to achieve their objectives and ultimately the main objective to win the mission.
Playing Brink is a satisfying experience as the game has good shooting controls, smooth movements and intuitive objectives. Brink also utilizes a new movement system called SMART which stands for ‘Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain’. SMART allows players to navigate the environments smoothly with the ease of holding down the right trigger on the PS3 or 360 controller. The character will slide under and over obstacles as those come up during gameplay. The system worked well in the build I played and felt very natural. Think Mirrors Edge. The gunplay itself was a mix between your standard COD and Killzone-esque controls.
As I said before, players will complete different objectives based on their class and what is needed in order to move ahead in the mission. Players can switch their class with the push of a button. I played both as the spy and the medic. Character models will remain the same, I was using the skinny body style which moves faster and has less armor. The heavy types are reversed. There is tons of customization in Brink. Players will be able to uniquely change their character’s body style, clothing, tattoos, hair and the weapons they use.
The unique thing about Brink is the way the story mode works. Each player can jump into a Singleplayer game and play it all the way through against Bot AI but at the same time can go Multiplayer. There is no distinction between either game mode and if you choose to switch to Multiplayer other ‘real life’ players will join your game while progressing in their own ‘Singleplayer’ campaign. This seamless switch between game modes makes Brink a very interesting and unique experience, it also has solid controls and a fluid movement system which makes Brink one of my more anticipated titles.
Brink is set to release on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC in May.
