Review: ‘Brink’s’ mission mostly successful

Every shooter has a multiplayer mode these days — it seems required by law — but not all are done well. Often they feel tacked on to the single-player campaign or they’re uninspired, aping features from dozens of other games. They interest me for a few matches before I stop playing.

It’s rare that a multiplayer mode captures my attention, but despite its flaws, “Brink” manages to do just that. For the uninitiated, it’s best described as “Team Fortress 2” on steroids. Set in a future affected by climate change, players choose from two opposing sides, Rebels or Security, living on an artificial island city called the Ark.

Both sides have a different philosophy about survival. The rebels want to leave the isolated structure and search for help in the outside world. The security forces want to preserve the Ark, which could be humanity’s last chance for survival in this deluged world.

Once they pick sides, players choose from four roles — soldier, medic, engineer and operative — and embark on missions with story-driven goals. Sometimes, they’ll have to escort a VIP across the map. Other scenarios have them defending a point from hacking or explosions. There are even a few transport missions, where they’ll have to carry a suitcase of computer codes to unlock a door.

Each mission has a combination of these objectives, and depending on whether players complete them within a time limit, they can either advance or experience a setback until one side reaches victory. With eight campaign missions on each side, “Brink” is rather short. Add in a story that’s not particularly well told and boring characters, and that puts a lot of pressure on the level design and gameplay to carry it.

The levels are good, with a few unimaginative maps. “Brink’s” stages excel when they give players plenty of routes to exploit and objectives that take advantage of that. It gives the missions a back-and-forth flow, and lets players experience urban warfare that relies on controlling choke points, holding ground and using teamwork.

That emphasis on squad-based cooperation is where “Brink” shines. The developer, Splash Damage, gives players four viable roles that dovetail into interdependent play styles. Those who like going on the offensive will pick the soldier who has body armor and the responsibility to dole out ammo. Medics keep teams together by healing and reviving allies. An engineer can help a comrade do more damage while erecting turrets for added firepower. Lastly, operatives can hack systems and disguise themselves as the opposing force.

A good team has a mixture of these classes. No one role is more important than another, and in the course of a match, effective players will switch hats. What’s interesting is how Splash Damage organizes this potential chaos with an interface that lets players instantly know the objective or lets them choose their priorities.

The developer also adds another wrinkle to the team-based multiplayer by adding customizations and a leveling system. “Brink” lets players dress their avatar, unlocking clothes and trinkets as they level up. They’ll also get credits to level up their character’s abilities, a move that rewards longtime players. But the most compelling change players can make to their avatars is altering their size. Lighter bodies are faster and can access other areas; heavy ones plod down hallways but have more health. It creates interesting combinations and extends the experience.

But are these features enough? Almost. Smarter AI would have been helpful. It’s frustrating to play the game with computer-controlled allies. More maps would have been ideal because “Brink’s” campaigns recycle scenarios, letting fans play the same from both sides. They tell differing narratives, though. For example, a rebel mission has players protecting a vaccine while the security side calls the medicine a bioweapon.

The dueling perspectives is a smart way to convey the plot, but unfortunately, Splash Damage doesn’t integrate the narrative well and the storytelling makes me not care. Instead, I preferred to make my own adventures in “Brink,” chatting with friends while trying to overcome ridiculous odds. The organic stories coming out of multiplayer ended up being more interesting, and it’s probably the best reason to visit the Ark with friends.

Contact Gieson Cacho at 510-735-7076 or gcacho@bayareanews group.com. Read his blog at http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei.