Pixel Sundays: Brotato – A Chaotic Roguelike-Survivor Masterpiece

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By Gaming News
22 December 2024 no comments

The game Brotato is an indie game that not everyone might know about. But after this article, you will know everything about it, and you might even grow to like it.

Summary

This week in our Pixel Sundays article, we are covering something very different from usual. Often, we feature large franchises with many games, but today, it’s about an indie game that was released just a few years ago. This game deserves such an article as well. Let’s dive in.

The Origin of Brotato

Brotato was developed by the indie studio Blobfish. But it’s not a big studio—if we’re being precise, it consists of just one person. This person is Thomas Gervraud, from Lyon, France. Before Brotato, he had already developed two other games: Lost Potato and Space Gladiators. Both of these games also featured roguelike elements. The character and style in these games revolved around a potato as the main character, which Gervraud carried forward into Brotato.


Blobfish’s games always focused on fast and entertaining gameplay. Brotato was created based on this concept as well. Inspirations came from classic games, with modern trends also incorporated. This allowed Gervraud to create a game that stands out with its humorous design and strategic depth.

Brotato and the Roguelike-Survivor Wave

Brotato drew a lot of inspiration from the game Vampire Survivors, which was released in 2022 and became a hit with many players. The gameplay was simple: waves of enemies come at you, and you have to defeat them. However, you couldn’t attack directly; you could acquire and upgrade weapons through leveling up and killing enemies. These weapons then fought automatically for you, creating various synergies. Your primary job was to dodge and stay close enough to the enemies to hit them.


This gameplay was very popular among streamers, YouTubers, and players. As a result, Vampire Survivors had more than 77,000 concurrent players on Steam in February 2022. The genre of survivor-likes was born. The game was also very affordable, priced at just €2.99 initially and later €4.99, making it accessible to everyone.

Many developers, including Blobfish (Thomas Gervraud), followed this hype. This led to games like Brotato and others like 20 Minutes Till Dawn. Today, however, our focus is on Brotato. Like Vampire Survivors, Brotato features wave-based battles, but the game puts much more emphasis on different character classes. More on that shortly. Brotato is also less pixelated than Vampire Survivors, making it more approachable for new players and the perfect entry point into the survivor-like genre.


Additionally, Brotato is more humorous than many roguelikes, offering a contrast to the often dark tone of such games. The game includes plenty of jokes and easter eggs, which many players find make it even better. It also offers great tactical variety, so there’s something for everyone. Let’s explore that now.

Gameplay and Mechanics

Now, let’s talk about the gameplay of Brotato. The core gameplay is similar to Vampire Survivors. You don’t need to fight actively; you just move your character, who then automatically attacks nearby enemies. After each wave, there is a shop where you can spend earned money to buy new weapons and power-ups. You can equip up to 6 weapons simultaneously, and all of them can be upgraded to higher levels, increasing their damage. You can either have duplicates of the same weapon or six different ones—it’s up to you.


Before each run, you can choose which character to play. There are a total of 62 playable characters, all of which are unlocked simply by playing the game. There are no microtransactions, except for the DLC, which adds even more content. Each character has unique traits. For example, one might only fight with fists, another might have only one life but great dodging abilities, and another might not fight at all.

The main goal is to survive all 20 waves, or, in Endless Mode, to last as many waves as possible. Many players set personal goals, such as completing all 20 waves on difficulty 5 (the hardest) with every character. This encourages replayability and requires a bit of luck with items in the shop. Each character has its own limitations, so gameplay constantly changes.


With 47 weapons ranging from rocket launchers to axes and fists, and 177 different items, you can discover countless combinations that make you incredibly powerful. Especially if you haven’t watched many videos about the game, you might stumble upon something extremely strong by chance, which is always a great feeling in such games. A tip: don’t get careless, even if you’re strong—death can come faster than expected, especially in boss fights.

There are stronger elite enemies that appear in waves and have more health and deal more damage. There are also boss waves, where defeating the boss rewards you with a free item. But that’s not the only way to get free items. Trees can appear, and with some luck, they might drop items. You can increase this chance and improve shop items through your Luck stat.


Of course, there’s more than just a Luck stat. You can also improve melee damage, ranged damage, general damage, health, attack speed, lifesteal, and much more. Through items and level upgrades, these stats increase over time, making you stronger as you progress. This is crucial because your enemies also grow stronger with each wave.

Brotato DLC with Co-op Mode

A few months ago, on October 25, 2024, the Abyssal Terrors DLC for Brotato was released. It costs slightly less than the base game and adds a lot of new optional content. This includes a new map with 20 waves filled with new enemies featuring unique attacks and abilities. Additionally, 14 new potatoes (characters) were introduced, bringing fresh gameplay.


There are also 16 new weapons and two new weapon categories: Naval and Musical weapons. Moreover, 30 new items are available, allowing for even more customization to defeat the new and stronger enemies. A new mechanic called Curse and Charm was introduced. The Curse stat increases the likelihood of cursed enemies, making them stronger and faster, but rewards you with 33% more materials when defeated. You’ll need to decide if it’s worth it or if you should avoid items with the Curse stat.

The new Charm ability lets enemies temporarily fight on your side. Often, you need to reduce their health before they can be charmed. This is a great skill that opens up new gameplay possibilities. Additionally, the DLC introduced new music and achievements for completionists.


Alongside the DLC, a free update was released, allowing you to play the game with others, either in local co-op or online via Steam Remote Play Together. You can team up with up to 4 players to battle enemies. Naturally, the enemies become stronger to keep things balanced.

Graphics and Sound Design

The game’s graphics are simple yet expressive, featuring a soft cartoon style. This style perfectly reflects the hectic action of the game, with weapon explosions and more. It’s not overwhelming, ensuring that players can still keep track of everything—a crucial aspect in games where dodging enemy projectiles is key. The enemies are exaggerated and humorous, adding charm.


Thanks to the tactical use of colors and animations, it’s easy to maintain an overview. For example, enemy attacks are the only red elements on the screen, making it clear what to dodge.

As for the sound, each weapon has its own effects, enhancing the experience of using different weapons. The precise sound effects complement the intense gameplay, while the music is energetic, matching the game’s fast-paced nature.

The Community and Brotato’s Impact

Brotato achieved its success largely thanks to streamers and YouTubers who played it. The short game sessions are perfect for inserting between other games or for tackling funny or challenging tasks, such as using only one weapon. This brought more players to the game.


The developer, Thomas Gervraud, even noticed this and integrated a group of German-speaking YouTubers/streamers, PietSmiet, into the game. As a thank-you, Blobfish added the character Streamer, who earns money by standing still. This character features the PietSmiet controller (their trademark).

Brotato also has a thriving modding scene. Modders have added new classes and other content, with some even creating entirely new game modes. Fanart and memes about the game are regularly shared on social media.


Thomas Gervraud listens closely to player feedback, regularly releasing updates to balance the game and keep players happy. This demonstrates how much he values his game and its community.

Conclusion: Why Brotato is an Indie Masterpiece

Brotato combines everything that makes a great modern indie game. It’s creative, shows passion, and is accessible to everyone due to its low price. The game offers countless hours of fun, thanks to its many characters and possibilities, ensuring you never get bored. Each character brings unique strengths, requiring players to adapt each time.


It’s also worth remembering that Blobfish, aka Thomas Gervraud, created all of this alone and on a limited budget. He managed to craft a game with so much depth, from item synergies to various mechanics. Additionally, he demonstrates the importance of engaging with the community, which contributed to the game’s success.

If you enjoy roguelikes or want to try something new, Brotato is the perfect game for you. It’s available on almost every platform and is very affordable. To find the best price for the game, you can compare prices easily with AllKeyShop and save more in the future. Have fun playing, and here’s a tip: don’t get hit.

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Hey, I’m Kilian, but online you’ll probably know me as “Tux1243.” I've been part of the team for almost two years now, always trying to keep you in the loop with the latest and coolest gaming news. I also have a huge passion for doing deep dives and detailed analyses of entire game series and franchises. I love getting to the bottom of things and exploring the little details and backstories that make game worlds so fascinating.

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