Brigador Killers Review – When the Best Tactic Is to Level the Entire City

Some games encourage you to carefully plan every move. Brigador Killers, on the other hand, quickly teaches you that the solution to almost every problem is perfectly acceptable if you simply bring a bigger gun.

The sequel to the cult isometric cyberpunk shooter Brigador once again takes us into a dark and violent sci-fi world, but this time with much more freedom. You are no longer limited to vehicles. You can fight on foot, steal a car, jump into a tank, or take control of a massive mech — and then turn everything around you into rubble. And honestly, the first impression is very good.

The game is currently in Early Access, which is definitely noticeable in certain areas, but its core gameplay already feels strong enough to make Brigador Killers one of the more interesting isometric shooters of the year.

Welcome to Mar Nosso – Where Everyone Wants to Kill Someone

The story takes place on the distant planet of Mar Nosso. Unlike the original Brigador, which focused on the rebellion, Brigador Killers follows a team of mercenaries connected to Solo Nobre who are seeking revenge against the traitors and corporate interests responsible for destroying their home.

From the very beginning, it is clear that this isn't an optimistic story about a brighter future. The world is dark, dirty, and brutal, and the atmosphere constantly reminds you that war and revenge aren't going to be solved with a friendly conversation over coffee.

The story is packed with lore and is clearly designed with fans of the original game in mind, but new players shouldn't feel completely lost either. Missions generally have clear objectives, while the dialogue and world gradually provide enough context to understand why you've decided to destroy someone's multi-million-credit property.

On Foot, Behind the Wheel, or Inside a Mech – As Long as Something Explodes

The biggest change compared to the original is the ability to fight on foot. You can enter a mission as a regular soldier, shoot your way through dangerous urban areas, and move between locations on foot. But when things get serious, you can simply find something bigger.

Cars, tanks, mechs, and other vehicles aren't just decoration. They can completely change the way you approach combat. A vehicle that was a threat to you moments earlier can suddenly become your most powerful weapon.

Combat is relatively easy to learn, but the weapons have enough distinct characteristics to keep encounters from becoming repetitive. Everything is fast, lethal, and often incredibly chaotic.

Sometimes you'll carefully clear a street while looking for the best angle of attack. Other times you'll find a mech and decide that the wall between you and your objective simply doesn't need to exist anymore. The game won't judge you for it.

Destruction Is Basically a Gameplay Mechanic

If there's one thing Brigador Killers does particularly well, it's destruction.

Almost everything can be destroyed. Walls collapse, fences get demolished, vehicles explode, and entire buildings can become collateral damage. This isn't just visual spectacle either — destruction can open new paths, remove cover, or create better lines of fire. And, of course, you can completely destroy someone's entire compound simply because you have enough ammunition.

The best part is that the rubble doesn't magically disappear once you move on. After a serious firefight, locations genuinely look like a small private army has passed through them with some serious anger-management issues.

The isometric camera makes all of this look even better. You can zoom in to follow the details of the fight or pull back and watch the entire situation fall apart.

Loot, Resources, and an Inventory That Needs a Little More Organization

It's not all about shooting and explosions. Brigador Killers also features extraction-lite elements. During missions, you collect resources, manage limited inventory space, and use the materials you find to craft or upgrade your equipment. The idea is good, but this is also where it's easiest to notice that the game is still in Early Access.

The inventory system isn't explained well enough. Some things aren't immediately clear — which items are worth keeping, what can be used as a weapon, which ammunition works with a particular weapon, and how equipment should generally be organized. The UI doesn't help much either. It tries to display a lot of information at once. Text, statistics, and icons are often packed into simple menus, making equipment management more complicated than it needs to be. The character portraits in dialogue also have a different, semi-realistic style that occasionally clashes with the pixel-art aesthetic of the rest of the game. On top of that, the portraits and dialogue boxes can take up too much space on the screen. None of this is a game-breaking problem, but it's definitely an area I'd like to see the developers polish further.

Pixel Art With an Excellent Atmosphere

The game's visual identity is fantastic. The retro pixel-art style fits the dark cyberpunk world perfectly. Explosions look great, destruction is detailed, and the animations give every firefight a real sense of weight. Blood, debris, and destroyed structures make every mission feel like it has left behind a serious mess. There is, however, a small visual inconsistency. The character portraits used during dialogue have a semi-realistic style that sometimes clashes with the pixel-art aesthetic of the rest of the game. The portraits and dialogue boxes also take up a considerable amount of screen space. It's not terrible, but it's something that could definitely be improved.

Music That Gets the Blood Pumping

The audio side of the game is a big positive.

The synthwave soundtrack fits the cyberpunk atmosphere and violent pace perfectly. Brigador Killers has a way of making you feel like you're in the middle of a collapsing city, surrounded by enemies, while the music in the background tells you that you should probably find an even bigger gun.

And yes, you probably will.

Early Access, but Extremely Promising

Brigador Killers isn't a finished product yet, and that's important to keep in mind. The inventory and UI systems need more work, some mechanics aren't explained clearly enough, and the story obviously still has plenty of room to develop. But the most important part is already in a very good place. The combat is fun. The vehicles provide excellent variety. The destruction is fantastic. The atmosphere is dark and convincing, while the pixel art and soundtrack give the game a strong identity. One of the best signs for an Early Access game is when, after several hours, you aren't thinking about what's currently missing, but instead about what you'd like to see added next.

Brigador Killers currently has exactly that effect.

Final Verdict

Brigador Killers is a brutal, loud, and incredibly fun cyberpunk game that knows exactly what it wants to be from the very beginning. The combination of on-foot combat, vehicle hijacking, mechs, and near-total environmental destruction gives it much more freedom than your average isometric shooter.

While the UI and inventory systems are currently the weakest parts of the experience, and it's clear the game still has room to grow, its core gameplay loop already works extremely well.

You enter a mission. Find enemies. Find a vehicle. Destroy half the city. Extract with your loot. If you fail — bring a bigger tank next time.

Score (Early Access): 8/10

Brigador Killers isn't completely ready yet, but its road toward version 1.0 looks extremely promising. And honestly, any game that lets me destroy a building simply because it's blocking my view deserves a little extra respect.

The game was played on: PC.