Iron Brigade (0)

First release date

2011-06-22

Platform

Xbox 360 Games Store PC

Developer

Double Fine Productions, Inc.

Publisher

Microsoft Studios Double Fine Productions, Inc.

Aliases

Trenched

Overview

Iron Brigade ( Trenched) is a co-operative third-person shooter/ hybrid developed by and published by for the (via ) on June 22, 2011.

Built on Double Fine's , the game puts up to four players in powerful, hulking, customizable (known as "mobile trenches") as they must fortify their defenses (using ) and endure waves of -based machines (known as or "Tubes") in a goofy alternate-historical world.

The story involves two war-time codebreakers, and , who gain superintelligence from a mysterious alien transmission (known as "the Broadcast"). While Frank develops the mobile trench (as walking platforms for disabled soldiers), Vlad invents the television (years ahead of its proper time) and with by covering it with cables. Frank retaliates by developing the Mobile Trench Brigade (whose mobile command base is an ).

On February 1, 2012, the game received its sole paid pack: Rise of the Martian Bear. Along with an increased level cap, 80+ new pieces of loot (including costumes resembling Double Fine's other games, such as and ), two new Survival missions, and three new enemies, the DLC includes a new five-mission epilogue campaign where the Mobile Trench Brigade must make their mobile command base space-worthy and blast off to to put the finishing blow on the Monovision army.

The game was later ported to the and released digitally via on August 13, 2012. Along with including the game's DLC for free, this version supports functionality (which was later switched to Steamworks after Double Fine regained full publishing rights on May 26, 2015).

Gameplay

A Mobile Trench.

Gameplay in Iron Brigade consists of two primary activities. The first is building and maintaining defence structures to protect the base, as in a tower defence game. The second is actively combating enemy waves by taking direct control of a Trench and fending them off. Effective gameplay requires both elements be used in tandem, with defensive turrets placed in positions to assist the players as they fight off the encroaching enemies. A matchmaking system which supports public, friend, and party play allows for up to four players to cooperatively play the game's missions with each other online.

There are fifteen levels which are evenly distributed between Europe, Africa, and the Pacific, each composed of four missions followed by a boss fight.

As players progress, they gain levels and earn items on the battlefield. Money earned from missions and by completing challenges can be spent in the store. Items can be used to customize the player's Trenches. Players are also able to customize their player characters.

Story

Two war time codebreakers, and , receive an alien transmission-- referred to only as "the Broadcast." The other codebreakers who heard it had their brains fried, but Frank and Vlad gained superintelligence from it. Frank goes on to make robot legs for war time heroes so they can be mobile after the war, while Vlad invents the television years ahead of its proper time, and becomes obsessed with networking the world. He releases robots made of said television tubes to lay cables across the world to network the entire planet.

In Europe, Frank discovers that the robots, dubbed Monovisions, have begun destroying everything that lies in the path of the cables they wish to lie, regardless of the cost in Human lives. When all traditional military forces are defeated, Frank expands the scope of his robot legs project to create enormous bipedal war platforms, designed so that each soldier is protected by his own "mobile trench". Using these Trenches, Frank leads the battle against the Monovisions, and manages to gain a foothold against the "tube" invasion. Gaining back ground, along with new intel, the newly-christened Mobile Trench Brigade pushes onward until they have enough leverage to commence an attack on what seems to be the source of the Broadcast by destroying a Pylon in the northern region. Successfully neutralizing it, a greater truth is revealed upon the discovery of a much larger cable which leads underseas towards Africa, which has now been entirely taken over by the Tubes, while the Brigade was focused on the battle elsewhere.

Suspecting that the Pylon in Europe was a product of some greater entity, Frank's outfit follows the cable south to Africa and begins to take back land starting in the desert, beginning with a small-yet-inhabitable oasis. After reclaiming more ground, another attempt at penetrating enemy forces is made by acquiring much more powerful firepower with a ship's cannon, and deploying a underground in order to disrupt the Tube infrastructure. Successfully crippling most of the opposition, Vlad's newest behemoth creation lies in wait: a massive worm-like Monovision referred to as the Guardian. Upon taking Farnsworth's desert fortress and defeating the Guardian, a final push is initiated in order to track down Vlad once and for all.

The Brigade returns to the Pacific region, where Frank first met Vlad twenty years prior to the current engagement. Frank discovers that Vlad has been searching for the origin of the Broadcast as well, in his obsession of understanding and controlling the Tubes. The Brigade subsequently gathers necessary equipment in the region (some which has been left behind by Vlad), in order to assemble and operate the technology which will help discern Vlad's location. After using the top of a volcano to generate a signal which pinpoints Farnsworth, the Brigade confronts him for a final showdown.

Vlad's obsession with the Monovisions and the Broadcast have helped him to assimilate a monstrous alien machine, which he hopes to use to destroy the Brigade, and all others who resist, but it is no match for the quick-witted Trench pilots of the Brigade. After the destruction of this robot, Vlad's corpse is retrieved from inside it; his body has withered away and atrophied from all the time spent exposing himself to the tubes. Frank wonders what fate awaits him, as he reflects on the consequences Vlad had incurred, and notes that while the battle was won, he is not sure the war is over.

It is discovered that Vlad's death triggered a program in which an electronic copy of his mind was downloaded into the brain of his pet bear, who now attempts to rebuild Vlad's Tube empire on the foreign soil of the planet , where it will not be disturbed by pesky Humans until it is too late for them to stop him. The Mobile Trench Brigade responds by reverse-engineering Monovision technology to make their mobile command base space-worthy, and blasts off to Mars to take the fight to the Martian Bear.

Customization

The player has the ability to fully customize their Mobile Trench unit, from weapons to body types, all the way down to legs. Each Part has different stats that can effect how the player can effect the battle field. A player may want to go full engineer and place lots of turrets or go full force with a Trench capable of 3 weapon slots on each side. Players have many choices when it comes to taking on the Monovisions.

The weapon categories the player can choose from include machine guns, shotguns, grenade launchers, sniper cannons, artillery cannons, and broadcasters. Machine guns are ideal for close to medium range combat with many smaller enemies and ones with the flak ability are used against aerial enemies. Shotguns are primarily used in short range situations with fewer, stronger enemies. Grenade launchers are an explosive class used to disperse clustered groups and targets with additional armor. Sniper cannons deal with threats that are farther away or ones that require additional accuracy and high amounts of damage. Artillery cannons are mainly used to take the armor off of breakers but can be used on all enemies somewhat effectively. Finally, broadcasters are used to absolutely destroy enemies up close (excellent against the knobs).

The player can buy items in the shop. Or get lucky and get them as drops in the missions.

Marine Items (Hat)

Rank	Item Name	Cost
1	PSI Goggles	Challenge Reward
2	Chemical Mask	$100
2	Private Helmet	$100
2	Trench Pot	$100
3	Trench Helmet	$300
3	Sailor Hat	$200
4	Headset	Challenge Reward
4	Sergeant Cap	Challenge Reward
4	Blast Cap	Challenge Reward
4	Bowler Hat	$300
4	Standard Helmet	$400
5	Pith Helmet	$500
5	Desert Hat	$500
6	Red Bandana	Challenge Reward
6	Flight Helmet	Challenge Reward
7	Sunglasses	Challenge Reward
8	Gas Mask	$900
8	Tiki Mask	Challenge Reward
9	Special Forces Mask	$1,200
10	Dress Hat	Challenge Reward
10	Top Hat	$10,000

Marine Items (Outfit)

Rank	Item Name	Cost
1	Standard Uniform	Default
1	Raz Sweater	Challenge Reward
2	Battle Shirt	$200
2	Anchor Shirt	$300
3	Overalls	$200
3	Military Coat	$200
4	Field Officer Jacket	Challenge Reward
4	Flak Jacket	$500
5	Trench Armor	Challenge Reward
5	Special Forces Jacket	Challenge Reward
5	Bomber Jacket	Challenge Reward
5	Ghillie Suit	Challenge Reward
5	Hunter Jacket	Challenge Reward
6	Radio Jacket	Challenge Reward
7	Regiment Coat	$700
10	Dress Uniform	Challenge Reward
10	Tuxedo	$20,000
TBD	Aviator Jacket	Challenge Reward
TBD	Ripped Shirt	Challenge Reward

Core Items (Chassis)

Rank	Item Name	Chassis Type	Slots (L x R)	Armor	Speed	Cost
1	Woodruff Mk I	Standard	2 x 2	30	30	$400
1	McGarry Mk I	Assault	3 x 2	48	18	$500
1	Selker Mk I	Engineering	1 x 1	25	22	$400
2	Selker Mk II	Engineering	1 x 1	30	22	$700
2	Woodruff Mk II	Standard	2 x 2	36	20	$600
3	Karlsson Mk I	Assault	3 x 3	69	18	$1,200
5	Selker Mk III	Engineering	1 x 1	36	22	$1,,400
5	Karlsson Mk II	Assault	3 x 3	83	18	$1,,800
5	Hamer Mk I	Standard	3 x 0	52	20	$1,400
5	Honeychurch Mk I	Engineering	2 x 0	36	22	$1,000
5	Woodruff Mk III	Standard	2 x 2	52	20	$1,000
6	McGarry Mk II	Assault	3 x 2	69	18	$1,000
6	Hamer Mk II	Standard	3 x 0	62	20	$2,100
6	Honeychurch Mk II	Engineering	2 x 0	44	22	$1,600
7	McGarry Mk III	Assault	3 x 2	100	18	TBD
7	Hamer Mk III	Standard	3 x 0	75	20	TBD
7	Honeychurch Mk III	Engineering	2 x 0	63	22	TBD
7	Karlsson Mk III	Assault	3 x 3	100	18	$2,400
8	Woodruff Mk IV	Standard	2 x 2	75	20	TBD
9 10	Selker Mk IV Karlsson Mk IV	Engineering Assault	1 x 1 3 x 3	52 114	22 18	TBD TBD

Core Items (Paintjob)

Rank	Item Name	Cost
1	Olive Paintjob	$100
3	Blue Paintjob	$300
3	Urban Paintjob	$400
4	Red Paintjob	$400
4	Gray Paintjob	$400
5	Splinter Paintjob	$500
5	Desert Camo Paintjob	$500
6	Yellow Paintjob	$600
6	Black Paintjob	Challenge Reward
7	Lozenge Reward	$700
8	Jungle Camo Paintjob	$800
9	Dazzle Paintjob	Challenge Reward
10	Bling Paintjob	Challenge Reward

Core Items (Legs)

Rank	Item Name	Ability	Cost
1	Biped Legs	None	$300
2	Sprinting Biped Legs	Sprint	$500
2	Quickload Tripod Legs	Quickload	$600
4	Quadruped Legs	Smash	$900
4	Standard Tripod Legs	Fortify/Quickload	$900
5	Stunning Legs	Stun Smash	$1,400
5	Speedy Biped Legs	Sprint+	$1,000
6	Defensive Tripod Legs	Fortify++	$1,300
7	Advanced Tripod Legs	Fortify+/Quickload	TBD
7	Hot Pants	Explosive Sprint	TBD
7	Long Stunning Legs	Stun Smash+	$1,600
8	Smashers	Smash++	TBD

Legal Troubles and Re-branding

Upon its initial North American release, Iron Brigade was originally entitled Trenched. However, the subsequent release of the game in Europe met with a legal battle regarding trademark conflict. The trademark to the name "Trench" is currently held by the creator of a World War I-inspired board game registered in . Due to the way European law works, the trademark also covers basic variants on the title, giving the board game creator the rights to the name "Trenched" as well. Various trademark agreements in place between the countries mean that the trademark ownership is extended throughout most of the European region.

Microsoft chose to avoid a legal battle by releasing Trenched under the name "Iron Brigade" in Europe. However, due to embarrassing coding issues within Xbox Live, this change to the game made it incompatible for multiplayer games with the North American version, Trenched. On September 9th, 2011, regretfully announced that the game would be renamed Iron Brigade across all regions. An updated version of the game was later released in North America with the Iron Brigade name.