In the early months of 2011 a small gaming
company named Splash Damage, and a larger company named Bethesda teamed up to
release a video game called Brink. Set in the massive utopian city known as the
Ark, Brink places the gamer right between two factions fighting for control of
their floating home. The Resistance is made up of the lower end of the Ark's
society; maintenance and dock workers who have begun to question why the rest
of the Ark lives so lavishly, leaving so little for the rest of them. Leading
these rag tag fighters is the man known as Joseph Chen, he helped design and
build the Ark and feels as though the higher society is oppressing "his
people". On the flip side of the coin we have the Security, the elite
trained task force used by the Ark to keep order. Lead by the ruthless Captain
Mokoena, the Security is fighting to stomp out the growing fire of
resistance.
The game allows players to choose which
side to fight for, with or against the revolution, and has a unique style of
character customization as well as a very interesting art style. A large part
of Brink revolves around a type of movement called parkour, or extreme running.
The concept of parkour is very simple, to get from one destination to the next
in the most effective way possible using only your body and the environment.
This can include running, jumping, swinging, or climbing over obstacles. To better
adapt this style of movement into the game, Brink gives characters access to
three different body arch-types. The heavy body type is high in muscle mass and
low in mobility, allowing for little to no parkour abilities however giving
access to powerful heavy weapons. The light body type offers very little in the
way of muscle yet allows the character to move through the map at increased
speeds and climb most objects to gain an advantage over the opposing players.
The third body type lies in the middle of both, allowing for a balance between
weapons and free running abilities. With these three arch-types Brink offers
players a chance to experiment with different ways to fight and either save or
destroy the floating city.
Looking beyond the free running aspect,
the background of this game offers a valid question for characters to ponder,
which side is the "good" side. Both sides have a reason to fight and
a goal they strive for, but whose is correct? Those fighting to bring stability
and order, or those fighting to save what little they have left?
