Brink Review

Our setting is The Ark. A man made floating city, that is to become the stage for humanities last, great war. The Earth’s water has begun to rise, and her inhabitants have come in droves now to The Arkv, as refugees of crisis. Now the two factions, the aristocracy native to The Ark, and the refugees who have come to it in hopes of their very survival, are locked in ruthless conflict – both sides vying for control of The Ark and its resources, and indeed – for their very lives.

In Brink, the fastest man is the one who stays alive. On The Ark, mastery of fluid game controls, fast paced movement skills, parkour moves, and intuitive aiming and cover is what will set you apart from the rest. The mechanics of Brink are simply spectacular. It is exceedingly rare that while fighting on The Ark, you will encounter any situation that can not be handled by some clever moves, a spot of cover, and some well aimed shots. In this game, more so than so many others, knowledge of the mechanics, and the ability to perform the actions you deem necessary at any given time are what you will need to come out on top.

When fighting on The Ark, Brink delivers only a few gameplay options, which at first, can be a bit discouraging. But fear not, because out of the couple of modes that are offered, there are hours upon hours of great gaming to be had. While the games are all objective based, there are a good enough number of well placed choke points, points of interest, and strategic locations to keep every match unique and entertaining, no matter how many times you’ve seen the scenery set about you before. One major qualm to be had with the game mode options presented to players by Splash Damage, is the fact that there is no team deathmatch. While this by no means is cause to write Brink off, it sure would be nice to take a break from hacking objectives for a while and just shoot some baddies in the face.

One area where Brink really shines is in its player customization options. In Brink, your character is really your own. That is to say, with the dozens of skill paths, class and weapon options, and gun attachments, it would be highly unlikely that you would come up against an enemy who is built in exactly the same way that you are. This is a breath of fresh air in a genre where homogenous character builds and weapon sets are the norm. The issue with classes though, as in any game of this nature, is in the balance. In Brink, it is painfully obvious that some classes are easier – and certainly more effective – to play than others. This can lead to a very imbalanced gameplay experience at times, as well as to a lot of potential frustration.

Brink is a good game. There is no arguing the fact, it just is. That being said, what kills it today in 2018, is a combination of factors that are, unfortunately, seemingly insurmountable. From the poorly written AI, to the nearly empty servers, getting into Splash Damages Brink today would be something of a chore. Hopefully in the future, we might see an update to the game that revitalizes its once thriving community, but that seems, truth be told, all too unlikely.