Have you ever heard the kids in your class, in the hallways, or even in the lunchroom talk about a game called Brawl Stars? You may be asking yourself, “What’s the hype for this game?” or “Why is everyone playing it?” Well, here is where your questions are answered. Brawl Stars is a game that was first released on the mobile app store on December 12th 2018. Despite it being a pretty old game, it’s recently spiked in popularity, especially in schools like ours, but why?

Many individuals have heard of the game Brawl Stars, and play it frequently. But what made a game published in 2018 become popular once again in 2024? Freshman Diego Chagolla states, “The 100 starr drop event was the main reason everyone started to download the game. It happened one random day during school and everybody downloaded the game during that time. At least one person was playing brawl stars in a classroom during free time and it was crazy.”

Not only did this event allow for new players to quickly progress early in their experience, but it encouraged people to continue playing even after the event ended. Some individuals found the game through friends or through conversations rather than the event. One example is from an OHS student, 9th grade Nicole Gomez who expresses, “I had heard about it and it seemed interesting, but Kevin Martinez got me into it fully. He got me to download it and play it for the first time ever, helping me gain my first few trophies and eventually letting me join the club!”

With a new game becoming popular, there are flaws in its mechanics and gameplay, so what does this game struggle with? Like other games, there’s always room for improvement and gaps in their work. Many students point out and speak on these errors. One student named Angel Chagolla in the 10th grade speaks more on a glitch that affects players’ ability to use a specific character. He states, “There are many flaws with some brawlers and skins but they’re just minor issues,I can’t use my Melodie skin because it doesn’t work with my star power.”

This may affect players ‘ play and prevent them from proceeding with certain tasks or goals they have set for themselves. Another problem speaks more about the power of certain characters and their unbalanced abilities when compared to other characters. Not only this, but lag seems to be a major problem in gameplay. Diego explains this by saying, “I think some brawlers in the game are way too overpowered and too annoying to kill, like Mico and Gene. Also whenever you have bad wifi, you get super laggy and make it nearly impossible to play.” These flaws can create a major problem in the games ability to please its players, and can cause controversy in its gameplay, so what makes this game so great despite all these flaws?

 In order to find a game enjoyable, there must be something that makes it special and draws the attention of players. One thing people love about games is being able to have a variety of options and being able to change their gameplay. Brawl Stars has a great way of doing this, being sure to create an open window for their player to experiment and choose from. Having the ability to feel listened to as players by the game developers also keeps the game enjoyable for everyone, making improvements and constantly trying to please their audience.  “I believe the game does pretty well in multiple things like the diversity of brawlers to choose from whether it be a healer, damage dealer, or tank. It’s also pretty good at hearing the community, which is a huge pro, because if we don’t like something they do something about it” claims Diego.

Updates are a great addition to every game out there, but no one likes when updates are way too big and hard to understand everything about it. Brawl Stars is great at creating updates and events without overwhelming the player with a ton of new additions and mechanics. 9th grader Malia Spriggs states that the game does well in ”Updating consistently but never overdoing it, and always looking for new ways to change up the game a bit and make it better.” It’s wonderful for a franchise to be able to please their players while making sure they feel special and heard in the community.

 With such great additions to this platform, it’s only reasonable that individuals would want to recommend it to others. With both a reason to share it with others and a few tips, 9th grader Brytthan Ordonez sums this up perfectly, stating “I would recommend Brawl Stars to new players because it’s a genuinely fun and engaging game. It has a variety of game modes that cater to different play styles so that new people can find an experience that suits them such as brawl ball, gem grab and more. It’s also free to play and requires no money to play or progress in it. Some tips I would give new players is to level up brawlers to power nine instead of maxing one out, this helps by giving you a variety to play in certain modes that brawlers are best in.”

 Brawl Stars is a great and engaging game, allowing many individuals to bond over the platform. Despite its flaws, the company has a great way of listening to its audience and improving the game to its full potential. The game allows for a variety of game modes and characters to allow players to constantly experiment with their gameplay and preferences as more updates and changes come out. Every person has a chance to find something on the platform to adore, whether it’s characters, game modes, or the community, Brawl Stars has a way of keeping their players entertained despite how long it’s been out.

Do you think this game holds great potential and is worthy of its popularity? Share with us in the comments!