Brotherhood

About Brotherhood

Brotherhood is a retro-inspired first-person shooter that channels the raw chaos of Wolfenstein 3D. Developed by FatCatGames and published by Valkyrie Initiative, it drops you into a crumbling Swiss mountain prison where a fanatical brotherhood experiments on human test subjects. You’re one of them, but your body resists their mutagenic horrors, granting you supernatural strength. The game launched on November 26, 2025, for PC and Nintendo Switch. It’s a no-nonsense, single-player sprint through claustrophobic corridors, armed with a shotgun and a berserker rage. Think fast, shoot faster, and hope the walls hold back the hordes.

Gameplay

Brotherhood leans hard into chaotic, close-quarters combat. You’ll swap between a punchy shotgun, a meaty melee attack, and limited grenades, all while dodging waves of mutated enemies. Levels are tight, maze-like, pushing you to memorize layouts as you backtrack for missed secrets. Ammo is scarce but renewable via scattered health packs, and your mutagen immunity lets you shrug off most damage. Each session feels like a sprint, rooms fill with enemies quickly, forcing you to chain kills or get overwhelmed. The controls are snappy, but the lack of cover mechanics means you’re always in the fray. Boss fights inject variety, though the real thrill is just running wild through the prison, blasting everything in sight.

What Players Think

Brotherhood holds an 8.7/10 critic score and 82% positive user reviews. Players average 6.2 hours, with 78% completing the campaign. The community moods skew intense (45%) and determined (30%), while 20% call it nostalgic. One review calls it “a Wolfenstein 3D clone with teeth,” praising the “unrelenting pressure of enemy waves.” However, 22% criticize the repetitive level design and lack of weapon variety. Achievement hunters note 32 total, with 10 requiring 100% completion. The game’s short runtime and $29.99 price tag make it a polarizing pick, loved by retro fans, but too rudimentary for modern FPS enthusiasts.

PlayPile's Take

Brotherhood is a love letter to 90s shooters, best for players who crave unfiltered chaos over depth. Its $30 price tag is fair if you’re after a short, brutal ride, but the lack of polish or innovation may turn off others. The 32 achievements add some replay value, but the game’s real strength is its pure, no-frills rage-fueled action. If you miss the days of sprinting through pixelated halls with nothing but a shotgun and a prayer, this is your jam. Otherwise, it’s a niche pick that won’t linger long.

Storyline

An ominous brotherhood of religious fanatics perform experiments on humans in their top-secret scientific complex. An ancient prison hidden deep in the Swiss mountains houses hundreds of test subjects whose bodies are mutilated in an effort to produce a new biological species of superhuman. You are one of them, but unlike other test subjects, your body is immune to mutagens. For you, it's not poison anymore, rather a source of power that makes your body nearly indestructible.