Precise-but-speedy platforming seems to be a thing now in games lately. With successes like the N series or Super Meat Boy, many others have tried to achieve something with their own games. To some degree, Rush Bros. seems to have grasped the concept fairly well adding in its own unique gameplay elements and some pretty visuals to the mix. With all the right ingredients, it sounds like a recipe for success, right? Maybe, though not entirely.
What’s interesting about Rush Bros. is how your music affects how the stage works. From the moving spikes and shifting platforms, depending on how fast or slow your song is moving, that’s the speed those elements will be moving too. While subtle, this does play a small factor in speed running this game. If you’re dissatisfied with the game’s three included dubstep tracks, you can use your own music instead. The game only recognizes .mp3 and .ogg files, though, so anything from iTunes is incompatible.
Visually, the game is very nice. The neon accents and the rather impressive-looking backgrounds fit the theme very well. Oddly enough, the only thing that seems to throw me off graphically are the brothers themselves. Against the surroundings, the two seem mysteriously out of place.
Staying true to the Bros. part in the name, the game has a large emphasis on its multiplayer. Racing someone gives a certain kind of thrill to the game and reminds me heavily of the days I used to race against Boo in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. However, unlike our favorite Italian plumber, Rush Bros. tosses power ups into the mix, like blacking out your opponent’s map to hide platforms and obstacles, or reverse controls and switching how gravity works. While the single player stays a little stale for being solely a time trial, the multiplayer saves it from falling into the depths of being a forgotten platformer.
The game is currently on Steam Greenlight, but hasn’t been approved, and until it is, you may have trouble finding online opponents. As it is, you’re practically limited to local multiplayer.
While Rush Bros. delivers a number of levels that grow immensely in difficulty as you advance, it suffers from being incredibly short and lacks any replay value as a single-player game due to the lack of a leaderboard system. Hopefully it does eventually make its way onto Steam; the game has an incredibly-fun multiplayer mode, but it needs the audience and platform to make the game complete. In its current state, it’s hard to recommend.
Pros: Fun multiplayer mode, solid difficulty growth through levels, ability to upload your own music
Cons: Lack of online competition, incredibly short single-player campaign
