Brink was once marketed as a bold step forward for team based shooters, promising fluid parkour movement, deep customization and seamless multiplayer. What it delivered, however, is something more complicated: a game bursting with ambition, but uneven in execution.

At its core, Brink is a class based objective shooter. You pick from archetypes - soldier, medic, engineer, operative - and work with your squad to complete mission goals, all while switching roles mid-match if the team needs it. On paper, this flexibility is fantastic and when the teamwork clicks, it really does shine. Add in the SMART movement system (a free-running mechanic that lets you vault, climb and slide with ease), and you can see how it tried to merge the tactical with the kinetic.

But reality was harsher. AI teammates often felt unreliable, making solo play frustrating, and the online community dwindled quickly after launch due to balance issues and technical hiccups. The gunplay itself, while serviceable, lacked the punch and precision that players expected from a shooter competing against titans like Battlefield and Call of Duty.

That said, there’s no denying Brink’s style. Its dystopian floating-city setting was unique, with a strong art direction that leaned into exaggerated characters and a world teetering on collapse. Customization was deep for its time and when the parkour system worked smoothly, it felt genuinely ahead of its era.

Technically, on modern PCs, the game runs decently, though its age shows in both visuals and design. Servers was sparse, so unless you’re bringing friends or modding, you’ll likely face bots rather than real opponents.

In the end, Brink is a fascinating relic: ambitious, stylish and full of ideas that never fully landed. Worth exploring as a piece of shooter history, but don’t expect the revolution it once promised.

Played on release, back in the day of physical PC games.

But now, for whatever reason, the game is unplayable. In the last five years, not once in opening Brink have I been able to progress beyond the main menu before the game crashes.

Experienced on both Windows and Steam Deck.

Lovely title I have fond memories of.
While not a particularly great game, it's still incredibly based that it became free to play rather than becoming some obscure abandonware cast into the shadowrealm like so many obscure and (arguably bad) yet beloved titles before and after this.

I like you BRINK, and I hope you like me back.