By chance, out of sheer boredom, I stumbled upon one of the games I had snagged for free on PS Plus and decided to give it a try. My friend and I happened to be looking for a multiplayer game we could play together from the couch. You know, like in the good old days. That game, of course, was Broforce, and it was the beginning of a true romance 😉

Bro’s Assemble!

South African studio Free Lives is responsible for Broforce, a pixel art run-and-gun video game that you can compare a bit to Metal Slug and Contra, but more extreme and humorous. While playing, you move through a 2D environment from left to right, with the goal of wiping out all the enemies. You do this with characters based on the biggest heroes from pop culture… with a twist. Think of Brobocop, Bronan the Barbarian, Rambro, and you get a sense of the direction it’s going.

Defenders of Freedom

Broforce takes a wild ride with Western pop culture and adds a nice Military Industrial Complex twist. In this universe, America, or rather the United States, is the sole guarantor of peace and security in the world. Just like in real life (but not really). This leads to some hilarious situations; my friend and I couldn’t stop laughing at times. And since the game is fast-paced and you die quickly, you can blast through a few levels in no time. Perfect!

Relaxing and Addictive

After a while, we finally completed the game because it gets pretty tough towards the end. But I just couldn’t get enough of this game. I played it on PlayStation 4, but I’ve since bought it for the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck, and I’m playing through it again on those platforms. Broforce has something ultimately relaxing yet addictive about it. Plus, the game never really gets old due to the bizarre situations that unfold on screen. Thanks, PS Plus, for introducing me to Broforce!

Check out this article for more awesome local multiplayer video games!