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BRAIN / OUT

BRAIN / OUT is a 2D shooter where players choose their weapon from an extensive arsenal and score frags in one of three game modes. Traverse tight, dystopian maps, shooting from just the right angles to take down your enemies.

Publisher: Desertkun
Playerbase: Low
Type: 2D Shooter
Release Date: February 24, 2017
Pros: +Weapon customization. +Easy to learn, difficult to master. +Responsive controls.
Cons: -Lacks depth. -Bland visual presentation. -No matchmaking.

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Overview

BRAIN / OUT Overview

BRAIN / OUT is a 2D shooter set in a post-Soviet dystopia. Players pick a weapon and score frags in one of three game modes: Domination, Normal, or Deathmatch, where it's ultimately about getting kills. An easy to learn movement scheme, and no fall damage, lets players run and jump across the map easily, while avoiding the pinpoint angles of opponent's shots and returning their own. Every match is different, determined by the skill all players. Earn experience and level up, unlocking additional customization options, such as Flashbangs or increased movement speeds. But choose your perks wisely, you can't equip them all. Don't worry, levels don't mean anything other than how long a players has played. No matter what level you are, you still have to aim with your weapon to score frags.

BRAIN / OUT Key Features:

  • Three Game Modes - take part in one of three game modes: Normal, Deathmatch, or Domination.
  • Weapon Customization - unlock weapon attachments and refine your weapons stats to gain the competitive edge.
  • Line of Sight - enemy players have to be in your line of sight (or hearing) to show up on your map—always check behind you.
  • Containers - unlock containers and pop them open for special cosmetics, attachments, and currency.
  • Even Playing Field - no matter what level a player is, they still have to be able to aim to get a kill. Levels don't mean players are better.

BRAIN / OUT Screenshots

BRAIN / OUT Featured Video

Full Review

BRAIN / OUT Review

By, Baruch Spinoza

BRAIN / OUT is a sleek 2D shooter that plays like Counter-Strike in Flatland. Within the first moments of launching the game I expected fun. It opens with a slick espionage bass-riff, and I thought “Okay, this game can easily sell itself to me.” And then it did. While not the next competitive FPS to rally behind, BRAIN / OUT is an entertaining frag-fest that rekindled my appreciation for 2D shooters.

How It Plays

First thing you do when you jump into a match is pick your gun-flavor. Starting off you’ll only have two options, but as you play and rack up frags you’ll unlock additional guns. Then you’re on the map, and regardless of which game mode you’re in, you’ll have to tally up a body count. BRAIN / OUT is all about angles, and it’ll take a minute or two to get used to the controls: swinging your mouse around to point your gun and press W to jump, plus control to crouch. It ends up being a fast-paced brawl, that feels like a Deathmatch even when the game mode isn’t Deathmatch. It's always satisfying to hear the crunch of a headshot, or fire across the map and get a longshot kill.

You can only see opponents if they're in your field of view, or they kill a teammate; it's easy to sneak up on enemies or be snuck upon—flanking—like crouching behind a ladder squatter and knifing them. And there’s no fall damage. So players can jump off the top of structures, spin, pop a kill, and keep moving. You bounce around the map, constantly looking behind you to avoid an embarrassing blade in the back. Remember pre-firing is an acceptable strategy.

Dystopian Grey

A big issue in any 2D shooter is maps with too much open space, turning matches into long-range kill fests. But BRAIN / OUT’s arenas have enough tiered tunnels, metal boxes to duck behind, and tight corners to prevent across-the-hall bullet spam. Every spot on the map leaves you vulnerable to the guy about to turn the corner, and some corners have glory hole openings that let another player score the kill if you’re in just the right spot.

Maps have a grey dystopian aesthetic, littered by military transports with unhinged doors, bombed out tenements, broken windows—covering everything in the same palette as a run-of-the-mill survival game. For what Brain /Out is, it works. The game describes itself as imbued with a “nostalgic post-Soviet feel,” and that’s a pinpoint description encapsulating everything about its visuals.

But it’s a style that lacks charm. It won’t stand out against quirky rivals. A few years ago—before every game ended up on Steam—and Brain / Out might have been the most played game on a site like Newgrounds, or any other hub. Today, it risks being lost against other, zanier looking 2D arena games.

Get Your Guns Here!

You have a healthy assortment of guns to choose from once you start to unlock them. Each one is equally capable of scoring a kill, though some are more efficient than others. Starting off, you’ll only have a handful of weapons, but racking up bodies quickly unlocks additional weaponry.

After an hour of play I scored eight weapons, and settled on a couple to use. Weapons can be customized to improve their stats, though you’ll have to win the favor of RNG and obtain parts from loot boxes. It’s a surprising level of depth for the 2D shooter.

Leveling On Up

As you play, you’ll earn experience and level up, unlocking additional equipment and character specs. They’re basically perks. Considering I had no issue hitting number two on the leaderboard in every game I played, perks play a minor role towards winning you the match.

There’s a good number of choices. Under the attachments section you find C4, shotgun barrels, flashbangs, etc. While specs include silent footsteps, armor vest, increased movement speed, etc. Only one of each can be equipped at a time, so no stacking, and choose wisely.

Free Loot Boxes

Leveling or completing challenges rewards Containers, or as everyone typically calls them: Loot Boxes. Opening a container reveals three cards which you then flip for special rewards. So exciting. Sometimes you may earn weapon parts which—granted you collect them all—can be combined into a new gun, or currency which can be exchanged for Specs, and cosmetics. This is the only area of the game where a player can spend money, for either Gold Containers or Standard Containers.

Conclusion - Great

BRAIN / OUT is a reminder that 2D shooters can be as entertaining as any FPS. It’s surprising, exciting, and rewarding—maybe mainly because I climbed those leaderboard and was accused of hacking: the best. It may not have depth,but BRAIN / OUT is fun arcade shenanigans. Fans of 2D shooters should look no further than BRAIN / OUT.

Screenshots

BRAIN / OUT Screenshots

Videos

BRAIN / OUT Videos

System Requirements

BRAIN / OUT System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: Windows Xp, Vista, 7, 8/8.1, 10
CPU: 2 GHz Dual Core
Video Card: 128mb Video Memory, capable of Shader Model 2.0+
RAM: 512 MB
Hard Disk Space: 250 MB

Recommended Requirements:

Operating System: Windows 7, 8/8.1, 10
CPU: Dual Core 3.0 Ghz
Video Card: 256mb Video Memory, capable of Shader Model 2.0+
RAM: 1000 MB
Hard Disk Space: 250 MB

Music

BRAIN / OUT Music& Soundtrack

Coming Soon!

Additional Info

BRAIN / OUT Additional Information

Developer: Desertkun
Publisher: Desertkun

Release Date: Spring, 2017

Development History / Background:

BRAIN / OUT is developed and published by Desertkun, a Russian game studio. It's the first game by Deskertkun to be released through Steam. BRAIN / OUT fully released on Steam on February 24, 2017.