Brawlhalla
Review

Brawlhalla (2017) is an online fighting game where, like Smash Bros, the goal is to knock opponents off the stage. You do this by using your character's specific attacks to damage them until they can't get back to the platform.

It's quite simple to play with one button for light attacks and one for signature attacks (sigs in the community). The attackers are modified by the joystick direction. As you become proficient at the controls and a particular character you can use more buttons for attacking, performing special moves, picking up or throwing weapons, and dodging. What starts as a simple game soon reveals itself to be a highly skilled challenge that has its own esports leagues and meetings.

There is a wide range of (currently 49) characters available, although some of these you have to pay to access (see below). Each has four stats to define how they perform: Strength, Dexterity, Defence and Speed. Cross-over characters from other franchises are often added to the game as it has become more popular, including Shovel Knight, Rayman, Hellboy, WWE The Rock, and Tomb RaiderLara Croft.

On iOS and Android, you can compete with console and PC players. This enables you to fully customise your touchscreen control schemes and use controllers, letting them achieve precise combos in real-time combat.

Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Brawlhalla 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 8 months ago.