The best sign of a multiplayer game is when you find yourself wanting to jump back into the queue after a match is over. At the very least, Brazen Blaze has a strong grasp on the basics of PvP fighting games, making it easy to get lost in MyDearest’s latest title. However, it’s just as easy to be disappointed by the lack of launch content.
Brazen Blaze – Facts
Overview: A 3v3 arena shooter and brawler designed for VR.
Platform: Quest, PC VR (reviewed on Quest 3)
Release date: Now on sale
Developed By: MyDearest
Price: $14.99
In a nutshell, Brazen Blaze is a mix of Overwatch, arena shooter and the likes of Super Smash Bros and PlayStation All-Stars. Players control one of seven characters and battle their way through a destructible city. Aim either hand and pull the trigger on the controller, and that arm will launch in the direction you’re facing. Hold the grip button and punch forward to deliver a fistful of pain to your opponent. You can also grab ranged weapons from your shoulder or hip to take down opponents from afar.
Each character has their own unique skill set. Some characters, like Skybolt and Velvet, are more focused on long-range combat. They can be a real threat if you keep your distance with shoulder-mounted weapons. Others, like Legacy and Sunshine, excel at close-range combat. They use shields to protect against long-range weapons and grenades that explode on impact but have a short flight distance. While all characters rely primarily on punches, Brazen Blaze does a good job of making each fighter feel different while forcing players to really think about how they approach combat with each type of character.
For example, Legacy’s shoulder-mounted weapon is a riot shield, which makes it much easier to rush into close range. Characters who focus on long-range combat may have a hard time finding an opening to attack him. On the other hand, Legacy players may have a hard time dealing with Velvet. Her sword’s long-range attacks have light homing, making her an easy target if she hides behind a shield. In addition, there are floating chests throughout the map, which contain items that enhance the character’s actions. There are a variety of items, such as umbrellas that protect against projectiles, rockets that provide a one-time boost dash, and baseball bats that can knock opponents off the stage if used correctly. These are fun distractions and really remind me of something like Super Smash Bros. Of course, you can turn off item spawns in custom matches if you want to.
The gameplay is good and feels like it strikes a good balance of “easy to learn, hard to master” from the get-go. Strictly from a gameplay perspective, it would be very easy to recommend Brazen Blaze, but some fundamental issues hold it back. The amount of launch content is a bit disappointing, and what’s there isn’t as differentiated as I expected. While each playable character feels different from the others, the same can’t be said for the maps currently included. This has in part to do with landmarks slowly disappearing as the match progresses, since everything is destructible, but it’s not the only one. Item box spawns are the same regardless of map, and aside from visual differences, playing on any map isn’t meaningfully different from any other.
In a match, players team up for a 3-on-3 brawl on three different maps (two of which are technically variations of the same city). It’s either a round-based elimination bout, or a race to reduce the opposing team’s life the fastest. There’s also the option to create a custom match, choosing a one-on-one duel or setting rules for how many rounds need to be won before a winning team is crowned. Though limited in scope, players can ditch the multiplayer action and take part in target challenges for each character to hone their skills. I wish there were more modes available at launch, but I suspect the modest number has more to do with managing queue times. There are definitely multiplayer bots in the game, and I don’t know the exact number of human opponents I played against, except for one time when someone used voice chat.
That last point is of particular concern in a multiplayer title. Brazen Blaze’s lack of content raises the question of how long players will stick around for, further exacerbating my main issue: monetization. The game includes seven playable characters at launch, but only five of them are available right from the start. Levin and Chillout are both included in the initial list, but require players to progress through the “Runner Path” to unlock them. This is where it gets a bit tricky.
Brazen Blaze is being touted as a multiplayer games-as-a-service title, so it’s no surprise that it comes with a Battle Pass, and that it offers a premium track that players can optionally purchase. Players can complete dailies and weekly missions to earn experience points and level up their Battle Pass to unlock various currencies, cosmetics, and emotes. However, each character outside of the original five also has their own “Runner Pass” that they level up separately from the main Battle Pass, and requires direct input from the player to do so.
Specifically, while the main Battle Pass always levels up automatically, the same points put into the main pass are passively accumulated and can then be used manually to level up the Runner Pass of your choice. Each level requires 100 points, with a maximum of 700 points accumulated each week. In other words, it is impossible to unlock either of the two additional Runners by simply completing the Daily and Weekly without spending more than a week. Despite this limitation, I have seen others online using these characters. They may be bots, but players can purchase additional currency to level up either of the game’s Battle Passes in addition to the free alternative.
There’s no denying the fact that Brazen Blaze, by its very nature, is a challenging game in terms of VR comfort. Players can choose snap and smooth camera rotation, but there’s no teleport movement. There’s an option to set whether or not to activate the tunnel, and you can adjust the strength of the effect.
How much this bothers you is subjective, but I think locking these characters to a timed grind and then forcing players to pay to access them immediately makes a multiplayer game’s launch look bad. It would be fine if players also earned a certain amount of XP with each match that could be used outside of the daily and weekly caps, and could unlock the characters by continuing to play the game without waiting. But completely locking these characters until next week and then giving them instant access for $8 just leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth.
This is before you even consider the cost of upgrading both the main Battle Pass and both Runner Passes, or the fact that Brazen Blaze is already a premium release and not a free-to-play title. Again, how much this will affect your enjoyment is subjective, but with so little content at launch, this is too noticeable. It would be remiss not to voice these concerns, though not enough to discount the good things about the game. On the bright side, the game’s roadmap currently targets two new maps and two new characters by the end of October.
I have no complaints about the game’s visuals or performance on the Quest 3. Sure, the resolution could be a bit higher and the textures could be a bit sharper, especially from a distance, but the game itself looks and runs great. I also tried the PC version before release rather than on Virtual Desktop, but I highly recommend Quest users stick with the native version (at least on the Quest 3).
Brazen Blaze review in progress – final verdict now
Despite the lack of launch content and frustrating monetization, Brazen Blaze is a game worth playing. It’s a testament to the work MyDearest has done to make the core concept so impactful. After completing the dailies, there’s almost nothing left to do, but I can’t help but play at least a few more matches. I’m not sure how long the game will hold my interest, but one thing is for sure – Brazen Blaze has the basics down really well and I’ll definitely be returning to it soon.
UploadVR employs a 5-star rating system for game reviews. A breakdown of each star rating can be found in our Review Guidelines. As this game is under review, it is currently unscored to reflect our comprehensive approach to post-launch updates. We will revisit this review once the current roadmap for Brazen Blaze has been implemented.
