Game Review: BROK: The Brawl Bar (Xbox Series X)

Released in 2022 (I would play and review it in 2023) BROK the InvestiGator is one of those games that you want to tell everyone about. A game that came from independent French studio COWCAT, combining old-school point and click and beat ‘em up gameplay elements.

An initially baffling combination, thanks to a deep story, clever puzzles, great characters, wonderful voice acting, and so much more, BROK the InvestiGator proved itself to be a uniquely special game. I loved it, and you can read my review of it here.

BROK: The Brawl Bar also proves to be a special game, albeit somewhat less unique as the focus of this game is on the combat side of gameplay.

Do you remember what BROK was before he became a detective? He was a boxer, of course, and even though he is long-retired, he misses the fights. Alas, in this damaged world, the fighting pits have long been closed by the authorities, so anyone looking to have some competitive fights will be left wanting. That is until BROK comes across an underground bar hidden deep in the Slums. A bar where an ex-boxer can let off some steam and prove to himself that he’s still got it.

It’s The Brawl Bar and it’s controlled by a host of interesting characters who know how important competition is. The goal for the player is complete all the challenges (solo or co-op), some of which require brains over brawn. However, this being a BROK the InvestiGator game, there’s a story here and it’s one with a bit more depth then first expected.

Come for the fights, stay for the story, and then get into even more fights. BROK: The Brawl Bar isn’t a complex game, but it is an enjoyable one. A game that can be played standalone, although I would argue that you might not ‘get’ the world and its wacky characters without playing the original. For me, that was the draw. A new game set in the world of BROK the InvestiGator and even though I wasn’t initially wowed by the concept, I found myself thoroughly addicted to completing it.

There are 60 challenges, and they are varied and challenging, so expect to be working through them for a few hours. Once completed, you can then tackle them again with different characters and on harder difficulties. Though that’s not all. The actual bar has plenty to do as well. Not only are there a ton of characters to talk to, ads to find, jukebox songs to unlock, an old school shoot-em-up arcade machine to play (unlocked after completing all the challenges), a toilet to get into, and items to buy, but there are daily challenges, survival modes, and the option to create your own fights/arenas, as well as play community created ones. COWCAT has not short-changed the player here at all.

It might only take a couple of hours to initially complete, but it’s likely that most players will get many more afterwards.

Sure, there are some challenges that are downright annoying to beat, but there’s almost always something in the shop that can help. As far as bugs go, I only ran into one and it came right at the end of the story.

I lost to the final boss, the last challenge, and in an attempt to make it easier, I wanted to buy an item from the shop. I needed a few more C-tokens to afford it, so jumped into a bonus challenge to earn some more. After beating it, BROK emerged from the VR machine, and the story continued as though I had beaten the boss. Even though that challenge was still outstanding. After the dialogue and scenes, I still had to beat the challenge to progress to the extra secret challenge. Nothing major, but initially confusing.

I can live with that. Especially as I consider this to be a thoroughly rewarding experience that expands on the BROK the InvestiGator world in simple, straight-forward fashion. As a old-school gamer, it warms my Guardian Heroes loving heart too. What’s next? Considering a conversation that is had with the final boss, I can’t help but think a genuine sequel is on the cards. Or maybe that’s me being hopeful. Regardless, completing BROK: The Brawl Bar fully will keep me, and you, busy for a while yet.