Bravo Team
From the same team that brought you Until Dawn: Rush of Blood and The Inpatient comes Bravo Team on the PlayStation VR. In this latest game by Supermassive Games, you’ll take the role of a two-man squad who must make their way into the capital and rescue the President.
While Bravo Team may not be a polished AAA title like Farpoint, it’s four-hour adventure is well worth your time.
Game Details
Platform(s): PlayStation VR (PS4)
Developer: Supermassive Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment of America
Genre: Action / First Person Shooter
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Intense immersive action
Bravo Team takes place in a fictional country in Eastern Europe that is caught up in turmoil. It’s election time and Bravo Team is escorting the President on her election campaign. Out of nowhere, the convoy is attacked and the President is abducted.
The attack on the convoy has left you and your teammate as the only survivors on the scene. You are now tasked with tracking down the President and getting the hell out of dodge. It wont be easy though, as General Mustavish—the President’s election opponent—won’t give up without a fight.
I have to admit, the story line isn’t the greatest and at points it is a little cheesy. Surprisingly, I found that to be part of the game’s overall appeal. In the end, it took me somewhere in the neighbourhood of about four hours to complete the story with both endings.
Simple yet somewhat restrictive movement
First and foremost, it is important to know that Bravo Team doesn’t allow you to fully control the movement of your characters such as games like Farpoint allow you to. Bravo Team is an on-rails first person shooter. You evade your enemies by hiding behind objects and then shooting when your enemies are out in the open.
You advance by selecting where you want to move next and then game controls your movement to that location. While I was a bit disappointing at first with this control scheme, it quickly became apparent that it was most likely done to limit nausea. It’s easy to see that Bravo Team is similar to some arcade classics such as House of the Dead, Virtua Cop, and Time Crisis. So, if you have played any of those games then you will have a good idea of what to expect.
It’s all about Teamwork
The second most important thing you need to know about Bravo Team is that it’s a team based co-operative game. That means, you always have a teammate with you—either computer controlled or an online friend. On my first play through, I played with the computer AI. Surprisingly, it was pretty decent and the fact that I could give my partner commands helped tremendously.
Although, I must admit, playing with an online friend is a much more satisfying experience. The pace seemed faster and my partner could take down enemies at a much faster rate. There’s even a Score Attack mode that rewards you for shot accuracy and the number of opponents you take down. This is a great way to practice on and improve your accuracy skills.
Three different ways to control the action
Bravo Team can be played with the Aim, Move and DualShock 4 controllers. All three control methods are great but I found the Aim Controller to give the most realistic experience. Not only does it give you the most accurate shot but it also mimics the feeling and stance you would take when holding a weapon.
You can hold the Aim Controller high up and look down the sights to get a better shot at your opponents. The rumble effect when using the Aim Controller is second to none. Using shotguns and sniper rifles gives you a realistic kick back just like in real life.
The Move controllers offer the next best experience. With these controllers, your hands are in the same positions as they are in the game. In turn, this makes aiming and shooting feel natural and is easy to do. Finally, we have the DualShock 4 controller. You can bring it up towards your eyes and aim down the sights. You can then aim the controller left or right, which will move your gun in that direction.
Mixed bag of visuals with fantastic 360-degree sound
Bravo Team offers a variety of environments that range from corridors of a building, roof tops, and the centre of a plaza located in the downtown part of a city—just to name a few. While the visuals might not wow you, they do the job in recreating a modern day Eastern Europe city.
The game’s 360-degree sound is perfectly balanced. You can hear footsteps of enemies that are approaching you and the background sounds of people talking and birds singing. The game’s soundtrack is never overpowering and compliments the on screen action nicely.
Final thoughts
I can honestly say that I had a fun time playing Bravo Team. While it might not be a breakthrough title on the PlayStation VR, it offers a solid four hours of fun. Being a fan of classic arcade on rails shooters, Bravo Team’s cheesy story line and gameplay imperfections struck a chord with me.
I highly recommend playing with the Aim Controller and hope that maybe we see sequel to this game sometime in the future with full movement and enhanced gameplay.
+ Score Attack mode can become addicting
+ Entertaining to play with a friend
+ Fun to play with the Aim Controller
– You can’t fully control your character
– Some may find the game to be too short
– Story is lackluster
OVERALL
Gameplay: 3/5
Graphics: 3/5
Sound: 3.5/5
Lasting Appeal/Replayability: 3.5/5
