Review: City of Brass (PlayStation 4)

Become a daring thief in the City of Brass, a first-person action adventure from senior BioShock developers. Armed with scimitar and a versatile whip, you’ll lash and slash, bait and trap your way to the heart of an opulent, Arabian Nights-themed metropolis – or face certain death as time runs out.

Pros:

• Smooth detailed graphics.
• 16 trophies.
• Opening tutorial.
• 4.01GB Download size.
• First person roguelike game.
• Blessing and Burdens. Here you activate modifiers like less health or stronger hits. This makes loot and the game itself harder or easier.
• Can get very addictive.
• Different enemy types.
• Weapons- You have a melee weapon and a whip.
• The whip can stun enemies depending on where you hit them, Hang and swing off hooks hanging in the levels. You can also use it to collect high up loot.
• Traps are everywhere and are varied from trapdoors to fire to things dropping or enemies popping out.
• The cool Arabian themed atmosphere.
• Find new weapons that change your stats/damage.
• Collect loot to buy things from the many Genies around the world.
• Genies- Different versions but some are good and some are bad, Some need to be killed in order to harness them whilst others are helpful and sell powerful buffs to the game.
• Find and open shortcuts.
• Big boss fights.
• Hidden loot and rooms everywhere.
• RNG.
• Levels randomize every game.
• Day/night.
• Fun to play.
• Environmental hazards everywhere from traps to exploding jars and oil wells.
• Simple button layout to enable fast reflexes.
• Earn EXP from your game and use it to buy permanent unlocks and buffs.
• Some really clever level design.
• Timer which is always counting down. You earn bonuses for completing levels in a speed run fashion.
• You have a dodge button which opens up the combat even more.
• Satisfying combat. Every hit feels good.

Cons:

• Takes a while to get used to the mechanics and the combat.
• A lot of Genie shops can be within a trap or clipping through walls making it hard or impossible to use them.
• Doesn’t explain itself very well or set up the whole story.
• Some dubious AI.
• RNG.
• Boss fights ramp up quickly and you have little guidance or clue on what needs to be done.
• EXP is dished out so slowly in small parts.
• No Platinum trophy.
• A lot to take in initially.