The update offers new playable characters, missions and “freedoms,” but what that entails remains to be seen. Broforce launched in October 2015 for PC and served as a parody of 1980s American action films. It starred spoofs of characters like John Rambo, John McClane from Die Hard, Arnold Schwarzenegger from Commando, and many more.

It would receive new expansions after launch, including The Expendabros (meant to promote The Expendables 3) and Alien Infestation. After releasing on PS4 in 2016, it would eventually arrive on Nintendo Switch in 2018. Critical reception has been generally positive for the title – check out our review here for more details, and stay tuned for more updates on the Broforce Forever update.

In Broforce, you control a squad of Hollywood-inspired “Bros” that have to “liberate” a bunch of hotspots teeming with “terrorists”. Political incorrectness aside, the game seems much more focused on appealing to the bravado and out-and-out violence that characterized early action movies starring the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and so on. Throughout Broforce, you’ll be rescuing hostages and gaining access to a number of Bro-monikered icons like the Commando, Agent K, Rambo, and so on (for instance, MacGyver is actually MacBrover and Blade is Brade. Yes, seriously. Just go with it).

"Complimenting the insane action is the eclectic selection of Bros. Each Bro has his own special attacks and explosives. Bro Dredd, for instance, has bullets which can bounce back and forth from objects while his explosive is a Smart Bomb that can be remotely piloted."

You’ll be commanded to head to different hotspots inspired by countries like Vietnam to cleanse all of it of the bad fellows. Levels are simple at first, simply tasking you to eliminate hostiles while reaching an outpost, executing the satanic leader (and by satanic, we mean Satan in a black suit literally) and extracting from the location as it’s carpet bombed to the tune of guitar riffs. Moving along, there will be more complex areas which task you with climbing and destroying the walls with your weaponry to gain the advantage on foes.

One cool little feature is the ability to shoot some explosives so they travel upwards and into enemies. It’s also easy to destroy the floor under your foes and watch them fall to their hapless deaths. Certain areas will be laced with mines that you have to quickly jump away from and enemy spawns will throw heavy gunners, foot soldiers and suicide bombers your way. There will even be devil bosses in some cases that range from an attack chopper to a large, terrorist-launching cannon.

Complimenting the insane action is the eclectic selection of Bros. Each Bro has his own special attacks and explosives. Bro Dredd, for instance, has bullets which can bounce back and forth from objects while his explosive is a Smart Bomb that can be remotely piloted. Bro in Black can use his Neuralyzer to confound foes for a set period of time while his Noisy Cricket fires piercing, explosive lasers that threaten to knock him back with each trigger pull. There’s a certain appeal to acquiring new Bros, especially when trying to recognize them. However, not every Bro is made equal. Some are fairly useful in every situation like Snake Broskin with his machine gun and Molotov cocktail. MacBrover, on the other hand, feels limited by the throwing range of his TNT explosives (though his explosive turkey can be devastating if thrown in the right place). Similarly, Brodell Walker’s limited range with the shotgun doesn’t hold a candle to the range and devastation of Brommando, Rambro and Brominator.

"There’s also the fact for all of its retro 80’s action movie pandering and graphics, Broforce can be very repetitive. After a while, you’ll tire off the numerous explosions and simply shooting enemies until they’re mincemeat."

Each Bro offers an intriguing new experience but the biggest issue is the automatic switching between Bros every time you rescue a hostage. Tearing things up with the Brominator? The game may decide to transform you into the melee-centric Brade when you rescue your next hostage. Enjoying the intriguing navigation mechanics of Cherry Broling? You may find yourself as Bro Dredd next and dealing with the clunky, slower firing hand cannon. It doesn’t help that you have no choice in the Bros selected but you’re also pushed to rescue hostages every single time in a level. If you don’t, you won’t have enough lives and in such a chaotic environment where enemies can one-shot you, those extra lives will be necessary.

Broforce walks an intriguing line between challenging and frustrating. Blowing up your environments and setting off a chain of explosions while too close can result in a shocking demise more often than not. Being unable to properly kill enemies from a distance because your select Bro doesn’t have a high fire rate is just plain annoying. Going through a level can oftentimes alternate between bum rushing everything and reaching the finale quickly or banging your head against the stupid deaths you incur. And sadly enough, the number of lives you gain from rescuing hostages does not carry over into other missions.

There’s also the fact that for all of its retro 80’s action movie pandering and graphics, Broforce can be very repetitive. After a while, you’ll tire off the numerous explosions and simply shooting enemies until they’re mincemeat. This isn’t even akin to marathoning all the famous action films in a row and becoming numb from the violence. It’s simply that when it comes to gameplay, there’s not a whole lot of variety in Broforce even as each character tries to innovate the act of violence in some way or another. One can really only shoot so many terrorists for so long.

"At the end of the day, Broforce is best enjoyed in small bursts. It’s come a long way since Rambros in 2012 and the action is certainly manic enough to get you coming back. "

That being said, Broforce does try to think outside of the box. The online co-op can be pretty fun at times though you’ll obviously enjoy the rip-roaring nature of the action with close friends. Explosion Run is a cool little mode that challenges you navigate through auto-scrolling levels filled with explosives without dying. Arcade Mode is just a simple run through the game’s levels while World Story Campaign lets you choose which hotspots to batter into oblivion. There’s even a Level Editor in case you want to craft your own little carnage-filled stages.

At the end of the day, Broforce is best enjoyed in small bursts. It’s come a long way since Rambros in 2012 and the action is certainly manic enough to get you coming back. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s ultimately shallow, doesn’t have much direction to it, can frustrate you much like the harder levels of Contra (even without automatically switching characters in between) and gets repetitive after a while, much like your run-of-the-mill 80s action film. Play it for the nostalgia rush and the comedic callbacks to famous action stars but don’t go expecting a ton of brains from these Bros.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

Broforce is one of the most intriguing indie titles of the year so in order to know more we got in touch with Programmer Richard Pieterse and Creative Director Evan Greenwood to ask them a few questions about the game. Check out their response below.

Rashid Sayed: To begin with, can you please introduce yourself and tell us how you got into the games business?

We’re Free Lives! Our constituents include enumerable humans, at least 8, and one miniature Greyhound named Leeroy Jenkins. Evan Greenwood is our fearless leader, creative director, and dreamweaver. Everyone else are just flesh cogs in the Broforce making machine! We got into the business the same way everyone does, we just started making games. Terrible, terrible games. After while some of them started to get less terrible.

Rashid Sayed: What was the inspiration behind developing a hypermasculine action hero-style commando video game?

Hypermasculine action hero-style films of course! Pulpy action classics are really special. Wherever you go all over the world you can walk into a bar and find someone who remembers how cool it was watch rambo or Robocop as a kid! It’s a universal bond. The films were silly and fun. The bad guys were simply bad and the only way to stop them was through muscles , bullets and explosions. A better question is why have Bro Hard and Brommando never teamed up before?!

"Yeah, definitely. Bro is certainly a loaded term , and one that means different things to different people. When the project began I think bro was sort of meant in a bit of a derogatory way, referring to steroid pounding meat heads. "

Rashid Sayed: Broforce is a really cool name for a video game. But don’t you think using that kind of a name you are only appealing towards a specific market?

Yeah, definitely. Bro is certainly a loaded term , and one that means different things to different people. When the project began I think bro was sort of meant in a bit of a derogatory way, referring to steroid pounding meat heads. Over time, as we’ve developed the game, our relationships to the characters have changed. I think, to me at least, a Bro in the context of broforce is someone who has got your back.

The bro’s all have each others back and stand united against terror. The name Broforce will definitely turn away the audience that turn their nose up at bro culture, but the bro jokes are so deeply entwined in the game and it’s origin that it couldn’t exist without them. As you say, it’s a cool name and I think that at the end of the day it turns as many people onto the game as it may turn away.

Rashid Sayed: The game was in early access earlier this year. What are your thoughts on early access and do you think paid early success is justified since one is essentially taking the community’s help and time to develop a quality product.

I do think early access is justified. The funding it takes to develop a game is significant and not simply magicked out of the air. The company was in significant debt before the game went on early access. Financial uncertainty puts a lot of stress on the team (especially the idiot who invested all his money) and has negative effects on the development of the game and the interpersonal relationships of the team. Since early access we have been able to live comfortably and just focus on making stupid jokes and building the game.

We very much subscribe to open development. Ever since the initial prototype there has always been a build for people to play and give feedback on. However,it is a fine line to tread. Early access can easily be abused, and often not even intentionally. As you say, the community is helping us work on our dream project, giving us both their money and investing their time in providing really thoughtful feedback. Thats a pretty special relationship, there’s a lot of trust exchanged, which should be acknowledged and appreciated. It’s easy in the madness of development to take the community for granted.

"In truth, terrain destruction was never meant to produce any extra strategic depth. Terrain destruction was implemented entirely because it feels badass and that suited the theme, that having destructible terrain produced emergent strategies to defeating enemies, or nasty surprises for the players themselves, was a wonderful side effect."

Rashid Sayed: What are your thoughts on the lack of early access on PS4? [Xbox One has limited early access but only from EA]

Early access on consoles at all is news to me. I think there’s a couple problems with early access on consoles. Firstly console users are a bit further removed from the developers of their games, there aren’t easy ways for console users to communicate with developers. I don’t think console users tend to browse forums and post feedback on their consoles, so early access there may be less about collaborating with users on the game. And secondly, it’s harder for console users to find out about games before they buy them, so users might be more likely to get burned by misleading storefronts.

Rashid Sayed: Why is Broforce not coming on the Xbox One?

Mostly because Sony reached out to us with a deal we couldn’t reasonably refuse, and as far as I know Microsoft has an clause in their contract where they won’t accept an indie game if it launches on XBox after Playstation.

Rashid Sayed: One of the notable features of Broforce is the destructible environments. Can you tell us how that will play into intelligent gameplay mechanics?

I hope that that the destructible terrain in Broforce never produces intelligent gameplay. I worry that that gameplay might become self aware, spread to other computers, and doom the human race.

In truth, terrain destruction was never meant to produce any extra strategic depth. Terrain destruction was implemented entirely because it feels badass and that suited the theme, that having destructible terrain produced emergent strategies to defeating enemies, or nasty surprises for the players themselves, was a wonderful side effect. I think what caused this effect to be so pronounced was our focus on chain reactions. It’s actually really hard to destroy just one block of terrain in Broforce, and we try to build levels that are poised to self destruct, and that encourages players to think about pulling the trigger.

Rashid Sayed: In my opinion, the game is an instant throwback to retro gaming. It reminds me of the good old Contra. Is it safe to say that Broforce will replace the legendary series and will result into a number of sequels?

Thank you! That’s pretty intensely flattering! I think it’s safe to say that it won’t, but how amazing would it be if people grow up talk about the glory days of playing Broforce on the couch with there best friend or their dad?! We have no plans regarding a sequel. Working at Free Lives is so awesome that we keep pushing ourselves to explore and make games in different genres. It keeps it challenging and rewarding. Though who knows, the release money will only support so much cocaine and jetskiing, after that all bets are off!

"The game is designed to be played on the couch with your best friend, so I really like the idea of players hanging back and configuring a plan together then executing it ruthlessly!"

Rashid Sayed: The game is obviously a run and gun but are there going to be moments where player needs to lay it back a bit and think about the situation ahead?

Definitely, the game difficulty is pretty interesting in that regard. Although it can be rather punishing at times, enemies almost never approach you. At any time you can hang back and try figure out the ultimate infiltration strategy. The game is designed to be played on the couch with your best friend, so I really like the idea of players hanging back and configuring a plan together then executing it ruthlessly!

That said, people can play it however they want, and make it as difficult for themselves as they like. What’s surprising is that while caution is nearly always an easier approach, players don’t tend to be cautious. There seems to be a tension between reliving one’s murderous action hero fantasies and not being killed oneself.

Rashid Sayed: We already know what weapons and skills the protagonists will have, but what about the enemies? How skilled are they?

The mooks are pretty incompetent, though I believe Satan is doing his utmost to arm them with the most unpatriotic weapons he can get his hooves on. So far the Bros’s have had it pretty easy, but they’re going to be facing other worldy forces that they may not be prepared for in the next update.

Rashid Sayed: How was Sony’s approach in letting you understand the PS4’s API?

We’re actually not porting the game in house. Abstraction Games are handling the port. They’re the real C++ Cowboys. They’ve done a great job so far.

Rashid Sayed: Is this game going to support cross buy and cross save across PS4 and PS Vita?

We should probably know what these things are. I’m going to say yes?

Rashid Sayed: Is there anything else you want to tell us before we let you go?

Forgehouse Films made an awesome Broforce fan film! You should go watch it! Mr. T is amazing!

Update: Microsoft’s ID@Xbox Director Chris Charla has revealed that the developers of Broforce did not approached them for a potential Xbox One version. He also stated that he would like to see Broforce on the Xbox One. As mentioned in the original article below, Microsoft can allow certain games to launch on their platform even though they are already available on other consoles. So it will be interesting to see if Broforce lands on the Xbox One sometime in the future. However we have made no changes to the original article and the headline since ID@Xbox’s parity clause and the deal with Sony are the reasons why the game won’t be launching on the Xbox One.

Original Article:

Free Lives Games’ Broforce is a side scrolling indie game that features hypermasculine hero that fights against the bad guys and helps rescue his teammates and other prisoners of war. The game will be releasing on the PlayStation 4 and PC platform but not on Microsoft’s current gen console, the Xbox One.

They revealed that they have a deal from Sony that they were not able to refuse. “Mostly because Sony reached out to us with a deal we couldn’t reasonably refuse,” Creative Director Evan Greenwood said to GamingBolt. But even if they want to launch on the Xbox One, they can’t due to the parity clause. “As far as I know Microsoft has a clause in their contract where they won’t accept an indie game if it launches on Xbox after Playstation.”

Microsoft’s parity clause is a controversial topic amongst indie developers which has resulted into a number of developers launching their games on the PlayStation 4 and not on the Xbox One. However at times there have been exceptions to this clause. Outlast is one such example that launched on the Xbox One after it was already available on the PlayStation 4. But the lack of Broforce on the Xbox One is baffling. The game seems to be pretty popular if views on Youtube are anything to go by and I think it’s a game that may be a perfect fit for the Xbox One’s audience.

We are not sure whether Broforce will eventually hit the Xbox One in the future but for now it seems that it will remain a PS4 console exclusive. Microsoft needs to reconsider their parity clause and perhaps make it more open so that more games can launch on the its platform. Independent developers work with limited resources and budgets, so ideally they would want to launch their games on as many platforms they can but the parity clause is apparently making harder for some developers.

What are your thoughts on Microsoft’s parity clause for indies? Does Microsoft need to get rid of it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Steam Early Access is a way for independent developers to get their games out to people as soon as possible so that the community and the developer can work together to make game better. There is a lot of debate in the industry regarding this model, however that is beyond the scope of this article. The big question is, will early access work on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One?

Electronic Arts have their own early access program on the Xbox One but is limited when one compares it to Steam Early Access. So will a proper early access model work for the PS4 and Xbox One or is such a model possible in the first place? In a recent interview, GamingBolt raised the same question to Free Lives Games’ Richard Pieterse and Evan Greenwood.

“Early access on consoles at all is news to me. I think there’s a couple problems with early access on consoles. Firstly console users are a bit further removed from the developers of their games, there aren’t easy ways for console users to communicate with developers.”

“I don’t think console users tend to browse forums and post feedback on their consoles, so early access there may be less about collaborating with users on the game. And secondly, it’s harder for console users to find out about games before they buy them, so users might be more likely to get burned by misleading storefronts.”

The developers definitely make a valid point. The consoles have a very closed eco-system and it will be difficult to have such a system on PS4 and Xbox One. Will this change in the future? Only time will tell but for now it’s looking extremely unlikely.

But what are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think Sony and Microsoft should start thinking about an early access model for their games? Sound off in the comments section below.

Free Lives Games are currently working on Broforce, a hypermasculine action hero-style commando game due for the PS4, Vita, Windows and MAC sometime this year.