History VideoGame / BrutalLegend

''Brütal Legend'' is a heavy metal-themed HackAndSlash[=/=]RealTimeStrategy with light elements of driving and {{Rhythm Game}}s, developed by Creator/DoubleFine and published by Creator/ElectronicArts on [[{{Pun}} Rocktober]] 16, 2009 for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and UsefulNotes/XBox360 consoles, Windows on February 2013, and Mac/Linux on May 2013.

* MsFanService: Um... Every female lead?

[[quoteright:256:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/24b97828cc278bc4f4586aab8aa93458.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:256:''[[Music/BlackSabbath Close the city and tell the people that something's coming to call! Death and darkness are rushing forward to take a bite from the wall!]]'']]

* {{Cameo}}: The game features numerous appearances from major figures in metal:

** The douche who "plays" guitar for Kabbage Boy (the one with the zip-up red shirt with the band's name on it) in the opening is voiced by Creator/RichardStevenHorvitz, who was previously [[VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}} Raz]].
*** He also plays the guy who operates the Death Rack, later on, who sports a [[ActorAllusion familiar pair]] of [[GogglesDoNothing red-tinted goggles]].

** See the IntercontinuityCrossOver entry below.
* CameraLockOn: A button allows you to do this. Sadly, there is no graphical indicator to let you know who's being targeted... Other than Eddie simply looking at the enemy for the entire duration of the lock-on.
* CarFu: Your default attack for the Deuce is to ram people with it. [[spoiler: Is also the only way to defeat the penultimate boss.]]
* CastOfSnowflakes: Exaggerated. This is an action/RTS hybrid, and ''every single type unit is wildly different than every other.'' Check the character sheet!
* CastingGag: The Kabbage Boy guitarist is shown doing Raz's victory dance from ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}''. Creator/RichardStevenHorvitz voiced both the guitarist and Raz.

* IntercontinuityCrossOver: With ''{{WesternAnimation/Metalocalypse}}'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLTz56PJJT0 appropriately.]]

Compare ''{{WesternAnimation/Metalocalypse}}'', another AffectionateParody of all things '''METAL''' (and yeah, Dethklok ''is'' in the soundtrack of this one. They even had a short crossover).

* SticksToTheBack: Eddie's axe and guitar. Lita's BladeOnAStick also sticks to her back when not in use, and Ophelia's swords stick to her hips. The only one with a proper scabbard for his weapon is Lars.

* CameraScrew:
** The camera in the first boss battle automatically adjusts to give an excellent view of the boss and its attacks, at the cost of twisting your control plane around at odd angles.
** When passing by side missions, the camera insists on showing them to you.
** Also happens in the cannoneer side missions when the cannon is fired. The game wants to make sure you see every badass explosion.

* CameraScrew: The camera in the first boss battle automatically adjusts to give an excellent view of the boss and its attacks, at the cost of twisting your control plane around at odd angles.

* DeathByChidbirth: Edward’s mother [[spoiler: Succoria]] died after his birth.

* EnormousEngine: The Deuce is upgraded with progressively larger engines as the game goes on (because "more powerful" equals "bigger" in this setting), to the point where you start to wonder how Eddie manages to see the road behind the hulking motor.

* GuideDangIt: Many frustrated players didn't know the game's true manual is the in-game Tour Book.

* HoldTheLine: The first Stage Battle, set to "One Shot at Glory", by Music/JudasPriest, and it's awesome.

* ImpossibleHourglassFigure: Every woman, human or otherwise.
** Special Mention to the [[NaughtyNuns Battle Nuns]], whose torso basically consists of large breasts, large hips and a sliver of something in between.

* IntercourseWithYou: "Still of the Night" by Music/{{Whitesnake}}.

* {{Leitmotif}}: One would think there would be many, but only [[spoiler: Ophelia]] has one: Betrayal by Lita Ford.

* {{Nerf}}: For multiplayer, the three Nuke Solos became available only at Tier 2.

* NuMetal: The band Eddie works for in the opening. He's depressed by them.
** Doesn't stop industrial/nu metal band Static-X from appearing in the soundtrack, though. You can unlock the very song Eddie was disgusted by, too.

* [[InkSuitActor Polygon Suit Actor]]:
** Eddie was intended to look like a cross between Jack Black and Glenn Danzig (although he behaves a lot more like the former than the latter).
*** Tim Schafer recounts that originally he merely was basing the character off Jack Black. Sierra however chose to just get Jack Black to do the role.

--> '''Lemmy Kilmister''': [[http://www.brutallegend.com/media/videocelebtrailer-20091015094909316 "I'm playing Kill Master. Typecasting, y'know."]]

* ThePowerOfFriendship: The Double Teams are the most powerful attacks in the game. WordOfGod often tells players they don't Double Team enough.
** In contrast, the game was specifically designed to punish players who try to act like [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]] or [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Dante]]. Getting killed gives your opponent a free 50 Fans. A common mistake by players is to fly into a group of enemies and start slashing.

* SceneryPorn / SceneryGorn: The art design of the world is truly breathtaking; no matter where you are in the world it's virtually guaranteed that there is something cool to look at. And to make sure you don't miss any of it, the game includes mounted tourist binoculars of the best vistas and gives experience points and an achievement for viewing them all.

* ShoutOut: Besides the many, ''many'' shout outs to heavy metal bands and songs, occasionally Eddie will shout, "[[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Super effective!]]" while attacking, and after playing the "Call of the Wild" solo, he'll scream, "''[[Literature/TheCallOfTheWild Call of the Wild]]'' was my favorite book!"

-->'''Eddie:''' Bingo! I mean, [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Jackpot!]]

-->'''[=GamePro=]''': ''Were there any other reasons for the lack of contemporary metal?''
-->'''Creator/TimSchafer''': ''You mean besides it sucking?''

* TitleDrop: Brütal Legend is an vinyl album that Creator/JackBlack is inviting you to look at, which serves as the title menu. The physical album actually exists as a prop. As you navigate the menu, Jack Black uses his hands to open, fold, and reveal different parts of the elaborate album and record inside. How it was designed can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK_ldZ6op1w here.]]
** Players who pre-ordered the game from Best Buy actually got a Brutal Legend vinyl jacket just like the one used for the title screen as a free gift.
* TitleScream: Well, the ''developer'' 's name is screamed instead. DOUBLE FIIIIIIIINE!
** For bonus points, every time you boot the game, one of the different musicians who participated in the game (including Jack Black; remember he's half of ''Music/TenaciousD'') will scream it. One of the best ones has to be Ozzy Osbourne's, which he follows with a "Crazy Train"-style laugh.
* ThirtyMinutesOrItsFree: In one side quest you have two minutes to deliver kegs of beer to a party on the beach while they're still cold. This task is made more difficult by the fact that if you bump your car around too much the kegs will rupture, resulting in automatic failure.

* TwentyBearAsses: There is a set of secondary missions in which [[Creator/BrianPosehn The Hunter]] boasts that he'd managed to kill X of a certain type of wild animal, prompting Eddie to go and kill X+1 in the name of one-upsmanship.

* WhatMeasureIsAMook: Defied. Every kind of unit is unique, without much overlap between factions even.
** Played straight by Doviculus, can throw Soul Kissers, making them commit suicide and severely damage units.

* TheBigDamnKiss: [[spoiler:Happens at the end of the chapter "Pilgrimmage of Screams".]]

* AmbiguousSituation: Throughout the game, it is assumed that the [[HeavyMithril Brutal World]] that Eddie lands in is somehow [[TheTimeOfMyths the distance past]] to the real world, [[spoiler:Succoria losing her will to live when she travels to "the present" and finds that humanity has taken over with no demon-presence in sight]]. With this in mind, it is never stated how [[ThePowerOfRock rocking's literal magical power]] went to [[TheMagicGoesAway just being noise]] in the "present", what became of the more metal-esq fauna, how Eddie's car radio can play 20th-century music, etc.

The story is pretty simple. Eddie Riggs, an average roadie for an average Second Wave of American Tween Melodic Rap Metalcore band is transported to [[MedievalStasis the Land of Metal]], where he must teach its people the ways of true metal to free them from enslavement by the demons of the Tainted Coil. For literally all intents and purposes, it's a story that is neoclassical metal wish fulfillment, backed up by one hell of a soundtrack that encompasses pretty much all forms of metal.

* AnAxeToGrind: The Separator, Eddie's main melee weapon, which can be treated to add special combat effects and/or just look cooler.
** AbsurdlySharpBlade: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Razor's Edge]]
** KillItWithFire: Eternal Fire, which sets enemies on fire.
** EvolvingWeapon: Bloodlust, which increases in attack power as you kill enemies, and goes back to normal over time.
** ChainLightning: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Chain Lightning]]
** LifeDrain: Soul Sucking
** DamageReduction: Black Tear, which instead of decreasing the damage you ''take'', [[StatusEffects decreases the damage the people you hit do.]]
** LudicrousGibs / BloodyHilarious: [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon Steel-Quilled]], [[RuleOfCool which has a]] [[AwesomeButImpractical high chance of making the target explode when you kill them but does no extra damage.]] Awarded after [[BraggingRightsReward defeating all of the]] [[TwentyBearAsses Overkill Challenges]]
** ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: The Blade of Ormagöden, an axe treatment added by the Tears Of The Hextadon DLC, makes the Separator look cooler, but doesn't change the stats.

** Special Mention to the [[NaughtyNuns Battle Nuns]], whose torso basically consists of [[BuxomIsBetter large breasts]], [[HartmanHips large hips]] and a sliver of something in between.

** BattleCry can [[UpToEleven BUFF THE ROCKCRUSHER]]. Which in itself [[SerialEscalation buffs other units]].

* ToughSpikesAndStuds: Practically every character, to varying degrees. Heck, [[UpToEleven even some of the wildlife and landscapes]].

* CoolHat: In team multiplayer, the avatars are distinguished by their stylish hats.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'':

* DarkReprise: The romantic rock ballad [[Music/{{Scorpions}} "Holiday"]] plays over a dream sequence of Eddie and Ophelia [[MeadowRun frolicking on a beach]] [[OffhandBackhand stabbing druids]], then as Eddie wakes up it brilliantly and eerily segues into the haunting and depressing "So Frail", by Mirrorthrone, [[spoiler: as Ironheade launches their final attack on her.]]

* MeadowRun: [[spoiler:Eddie's dream pre-Drowned Ophelia fight, in which he and Normal Ophelia have one of these all the while being chased by demons.]], set to "Holiday" by Music/{{Scorpions}}. Even cute loves scenes can be metal.

The story is pretty simple. Eddie Riggs, an average roadie for an average [[NeoClassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly Second Wave of American Tween Melodic Rap Metalcore]] band is transported to [[MedievalStasis the Land of Metal]], where he must teach its people the ways of true metal to free them from enslavement by the demons of the Tainted Coil. For literally all intents and purposes, it's a story that is neoclassical metal wish fulfillment, backed up by one hell of a soundtrack that encompasses pretty much all forms of metal.

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: The "genre" in which the Kabbage Boy played ("second Wave of American Tween Melodic Rap Metalcore").
** The overcategorization of songs in the Mouth of Metal borders on this: Racer X's "Technical Difficulties" and "YRO" are listed under "Progressive Shred Metal", while Music/{{Skeletonwitch}}'s "Soul Thrashing Black Sorcery" is placed under the header "[[BlackMetal Blackened]] [[DeathMetal Deathly]] ThrashMetal".

* TheRoadie: Eddie Riggs is a roadie [[spoiler:literally]] BornInTheWrongCentury, famous in the biz for his roadie skills and love of classic HeavyMetal, forced to work under the [[{{Jerkass}} disrespectful]] [[NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly Second Wave of American Tween Melodic Rap Metalcore]] band "Kabbage Boy." After [[spoiler:dying on stage and accidentally summoning Ormagoden in the process]], Eddie ends up in a HeavyMithril world where his [[AccidentalPun rocking and roadie]] skills help him lead the [[HumansAreWarriors human]] [[LaResistance resistance]] army [[HeavyMetal Ironheade]] against the [[HairMetal Hair Metal Militia]], the [[DeathMetal Drowning Doom]] and the [[IndustrialMetal Tainted Coil]]. Once he helps save the world, [[spoiler: Eddie leaves and allows the other heroes to take credit for any of his accomplishments.]]

* AnAxeToGrind: The Separator, Eddie's main melee weapon, which can be treated to add special combat effects and/or just look cooler.
** AbsurdlySharpBlade: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Razor's Edge]]
** KillItWithFire: Eternal Fire, which sets enemies on fire.
** EvolvingWeapon: Bloodlust, which increases in attack power as you kill enemies, and goes back to normal over time.
** ChainLightning: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Chain Lightning]]
** LifeDrain: Soul Sucking
** DamageReduction: Black Tear, which instead of decreasing the damage you ''take'', [[StatusEffects decreases the damage the people you hit do.]]
** LudicrousGibs / BloodyHilarious: [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon Steel-Quilled]], [[RuleOfCool which has a]] [[AwesomeButImpractical high chance of making the target explode when you kill them but does no extra damage.]] Awarded after [[BraggingRightsReward defeating all of the]] [[TwentyBearAsses Overkill Challenges]]
** ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: The Blade of Ormagöden, an axe treatment added by the Tears Of The Hextadon DLC, makes the Separator look cooler, but doesn't change the stats.