Black One Blood Brothers Review: When One Dev Dreams Bigger Than AAA
Ever wondered what would happen if someone looked at ARMA 3, Rainbow Six, and Ghost Recon, then said "I can make that by myself"? Well, Black One Blood Brothers is your answer, and it's either the most ambitious one-man project in gaming or the most beautiful train wreck you'll ever witness. Possibly both.
Tactical Barbie: Ultimate Edition
Let's start with the good stuff: the customization is deeper than your average philosophy major's Twitter feed. You can modify everything from your operators' hairstyles to their weapon attachments, right down to the exact position of that tactical flashlight you'll never use. It's like someone took weapon customization from Escape from Tarkov and decided it needed more options.
The level of detail here would make a military cosplayer weep tears of joy. Want your CQB specialist to hold their gun at a slightly different angle? Done. Want to customize individual sight reticles? Why not! The game treats gun customization like some people treat their dating app profiles – with obsessive attention to detail that borders on concerning.
AI: Artificial Incompetence
Now for the elephant in the room: the AI. Oh boy, the AI. Your squadmates have the situational awareness of a drunk penguin wearing a blindfold. Sometimes they're Navy SEAL level operators who could outshoot John Wick; other times they get confused by doorways like a cat seeing a cucumber.
Pathfinding is about as reliable as a chocolate teapot. Your highly trained operators will occasionally decide that the best tactical position is facing a wall, or that the shortest path between two points involves moonwalking into furniture. It's like watching a military documentary directed by The Three Stooges.
Gameplay: Complex Like Nuclear Physics
The game throws more systems at you than a CompSci textbook. You've got tactical planning that would make Tom Clancy himself need a tutorial, real-time commanding that requires octopus-level multitasking, and enough control options to make a flight simulator blush.
When it works, it's brilliant – you feel like the mastermind behind a perfectly executed military operation. When it doesn't, which is... often, you're basically herding armed cats through a maze while everyone involved questions their life choices.
Customization Gone Wild
The game's difficulty settings have more options than a Starbucks menu. Want enemies that can smell fear? Done. Prefer them to shoot like Imperial Stormtroopers? You got it. The customization extends to literally every aspect of the game, to the point where you could probably set up a mission where everyone's wearing tutus and fighting with pool noodles if you really wanted to.
Visual Presentation: It's... Present
Graphically, it looks like what would happen if 2010 and 2024 had a baby but couldn't agree on custody. Some parts are surprisingly detailed, while others make you wonder if your graphics card is having an existential crisis. The menus look like they were designed by someone who just discovered UI design and decided to include every idea they've ever had.
Bugs: Features in Disguise
Let's be real: this game has more bugs than a summer picnic. But here's the thing – they're almost charming in their jankiness. Your gun might occasionally decide to phase through your hand, or the inventory might stick around like that friend who doesn't understand when the party's over. It's not broken; it's just... enthusiastically unpredictable.
Conclusion: A Beautiful Mess
Black One Blood Brothers is like that friend who's trying to cook a Michelin-star meal without any formal training – the ambition is admirable, even if the execution is sometimes questionable. It's simultaneously the most impressive and most janky tactical shooter I've played this year.
The fact that one developer made all this is mind-blowing. Sure, it's rougher than sandpaper underwear, but there's something genuinely special here. It's like watching a kid build a rocket ship out of cardboard boxes – it might not fly, but damn if you don't want to see them try.
Score: 7/10 -
We at NLM received a key for this game for free, this however didn't impact our review in any way. Our squad's pathfinding abilities, on the other hand, may never recover.