IMPERIAL LATHER

Strange Brigade’s ‘tally ho’ presentation is a lot of fun, but it does come with a certain amount of baggage. The game’s occasional half-hearted jabs at the British Empire – mostly in the form of jokes about characters lining their pockets with stolen riches – isn’t enough to dispel the slight hangover of colonialism. One of the four playable characters is African, but with special abilities focused on running fast and leeching the health of enemies she hits, it’s hard to see her presence as a victory for representation. Similarly, future DLC additions to the cast look like they’re playing into period stereotypes of Indian and Japanese people, which may be accurate to the pulp source material, but is certainly uncomfortable viewed with a modern eye.