Super Dungeon Bros Preview - Bros B4 Foes!
By Mike de Leon
Posted on March 10, 2015
During GDC 2015, I had a chance to hang out with indie publisher Wired Productions and developer React Games while experiencing the newly announced co-op brawler, Super Dungeon Bros. The hands-on multiplayer build showed four different characters, Ozzie (green), Lars (yellow), Freddie (red), and Axl (blue), each with their own personality. These rockin' adventurers are on a quest to rescue legendary rockstars and kill hundreds of monsters in the process.
The GDC 2015 build of Super Dungeon Bros. was limited to only a handful of weapon types: hammer, sword, wand, and crossbow. It was mentioned the combat mechanics were dumbed down, but I was ensured the final build will contain complex weapon trees with multiple subweapons. Each weapon has its own special ability capable of damaging multiple enemies instead of a single target. To remain true to the game's mantra "Bros B4 Foes," when someone activates a super ability, the bros can all join in and do a "bro-formation" attack. I was able to try the hammer, producing an energy wave that blasted enemies all around it.
The game world takes place in dungeons set in the world of Rökhelm, spanning three worlds and fifteen levels. Certain puzzles in the game will be tailored to cooperative gameplay, requiring a "bro-op" dynamic. You can "bro-throw" one of your teammates across a gap, landing safely on the other side so that he can activate a lever, enabling the rest of your team to make it to the other side as well. I also experienced a puzzle where you needed to stack the bros on top of each other to reach the top of an obstacle.
All of the dungeons in the game are procedurally generated, making sure that you'll never experience the same dungeons twice. The loot system shares anything found with all of the players. In the current build, I've smashed objects and on one lucky occasion, found a treasure room full of precious gold. There is a store in game and during the demo it is the place where you can purchase health , speed , and damage upgrades, as well as health refills (more items will be added in time for release).
There will be "bro-tastic" single-player mode available as well as local and online co-op game modes. React Games mentioned you can mix and match players locally and online. The biggest surprise came when it was announced PlayStation 4 and Steam users will be able to play together in the same game session. This came right on the heels of Windows 10 and Xbox One users being able to play together as well. It is unknown at this time if cross-platform players will be able to communicate together. I would think that Xbox One and Windows 10 users could connect seamlessly through Skype, but that is yet to be seen.
Super Dungeon Bros scales the difficulty, and amount of enemies based on how many players are in the game. Expect the rewards for playing the game with a full four person team to be greatly superior to those given when playing alone.
React Games is aiming to release Super Dungeon Bros across all of the announced platforms in Autumn 2015.
