Game of the Week – PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist

Multi-millionaire YouTube gaming LetsPlay creator, PewDiePie, is annoying, but incredibly good at what he does and has obviously struck a chord with a very specific demographic.

And through a series of fortunate events, Montreal-based studio Outerminds ended up developing a game based on PewDiePie’s online empire. While the game is full of obscure inside jokes and references only PewDiePie faithful, or “Bros” as he affectionately calls them, will understand, underneath the insanity is a solid mobile platformer with responsive touch controls and impressive pixel art graphics.

To put PewDiePie’s fame – whose real name is Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg – in perspective, a video of him playing a game based on his online persona, also in his trademark obnoxious style, has amassed an astounding 2.5 million views. He also has nearly 40 million YouTube subscribers.

You might be surprised to hear this, but Legend of the Brofist is probably one of the best Android/iOS platformers I’ve ever played. The game features retro throwback platforming gameplay requiring precise jumps and movement, but is still very accessible with a touchscreen. In fact, PewDiePie’s core gameplay is very reminiscent of the recent DuckTales remake, or Shovel Knight. Players are also able to make the game as hard or as easy as they want thanks to its varying difficulty levels.

But perhaps what’s most impressive about PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist is how its virtual joystick is responsive and feels incredibly accurate, which is something I’ve never been able to say about a mobile platformer before. The same can be said about the game’s other on-screen buttons. I’ve played many platformers on mobile, especially via emulators, and Legend of the Brofirst is the first title I’ve ever played that translates traditional gamepad controls to a touch screen in a way that makes sense and feels accurate.

While I wasn’t able to grasp any of the game’s inside references, such as why PewDiePie is being attacked by barrels or why there are a huge number of ducks and exploding cows present in every level, I still had a great time with Legend of the Brofist, although I’m sure hardcore fans of the YouTube content creator will likely be able to get more out of the experience.

With this said, PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist is still entertaining, even if you aren’t a fan of the man himself’s work.

To the surprise of those not aware of PewDiePie’s immense online clout, Legend of the Brofist has shot to the top of both the iOS App Store and Google’s Play Store, despite its hefty $6.75 price tag on Android and $5.79 cost on the iOS App Store.

In other ridiculous PewDiePie related news, the YouTuber recently made an appearance on Late Night with Steven Colbert. Yes, you read that correctly.

Related link: Montreal studio developing game based on PewDiePie’s online community