Broforce

Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows (Steam Deck: YMMV)
Current goal: Protect the constitution
Buy it from: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop

Side-scrolling co-op shoot’em up Broforce released nearly a decade ago. Its punchy Metal Slug action and satire of ‘80s action movies and American jingoism made it an instant indie arcade classic. But despite loving what I initially played, I never got too deep into it at the time. It was one of those games that quickly fell off my radar thanks to an onslaught of other releases and my obsession with Destiny: The Taken King
Now Broforce is back with a new free update that adds new enemy types and challenge levels and expands the roster of collectible bros to include, among others, Xena the warrior princess and Jeff Goldblum from The Fly. I downloaded it this week (thanks Game Pass) and like it even more than before. When Broforce first came out, it felt like one of many retro pixel art homages we were getting every couple months. In 2023, it’s clear it’s stood the test of time like few others from that era have. — Ethan Gach