It’s been a little while since my last blog, and this one is a little bit unusual. While I’ve done first impressions on video games before, this game dates back to 2017 for the initial release and was made by a tiny team (half a dozen or so). I only found it by going out of my way to seek interesting tactical/strategy games. At the time of writing it’s on sale (PSN) with 60% off until 25th September.
So, what is Battle Brothers?
The player is the captain of a small mercenary company. Combat is tough (as recommended I’m playing on Beginner and am fortunate to have only lost a couple of raw recruits so far) but a lot of fun. The company can be named (I went for The Black Company) and its banner picked from a selection.
Battles are turn-based events take place as part of missions the player is sent on, random encounters, or choosing to attack roaming brigands you happen to see. The overworld is procedurally generated and the graphics are on the retro side (for both the overworld and combat). However, it’s easy to navigate and while the tutorial is lacking in detail it’s fairly intuitive to learn what’s what.
Missions can help a player alter the world by befriending cities and gaining renown, defeating bandits and cutting down supply raids (increasing available goods in town markets and reducing prices), or you can go evil and attack the innocent. On one mission, to retrieve a stolen item, I had the option after winning the battle to return the item to its rightful owner or take a larger payment to hand it over to the man who commissioned the theft.
Towns vary in size, all having markets for basic goods and potential new mercenaries. Larger towns might have barbers where appearances can be customised, taverns for gossip and drunken delights, and specialist stores with better gear. Bear in mind there’s no player-character and death is permanent. In rare cases, a ‘dead’ character might recover but with a permanent and severe injury.
Weapons act in different ways. Crossbow and bows are both ranged but crossbows cost less AP to shoot yet require reloading. You can also hit your own guys, but if right behind a shield wall (which it’s a good idea to make) and shooting at enemies only 2 spaces away this risk is negated. Some melee weapons have reach. Wielding a one-handed weapon with two hands offers an advantage but at the downside of no shield (probably not worth it, I suspect).
In addition to helpfully looting weapons, armour, and supplies, certain goods might be found which have varying prices based on where you try to sell them, adding a little touch of mercantile to the mercenary company.
On levelling up the player determines 3 of about 8 potential stats to increase. Mercenaries with stars (1-3) get higher boosts to those stats. There’s also 1 perk per level the player picks, and each new level unlocks a new row of potential perks. It’s simple, easy, and works well. In addition to that, individual mercenaries can have bonuses or drawbacks naturally (such as being greedy and eating more supplies, or being lucky). Short-term injuries are fairly common and heal over a few days. All this adds up to make mercenaries their own characters, augmented by when they do something wrong (I had to stop one guy assaulting the local peasants, but had the option to just let him do it).
The writing’s high quality (the chap who did it has apparently written some books which I may check out when my comical to-read pile is more molehill than mountain) and the pace of the battles is pitch perfect. The tutorial could be more helpful and the challenge is on the high side, or seems to be (I’m just a few hours in on Beginner so it’s difficult to be sure but it’s practically the only thing every review agrees on).
Based on early impressions, I can recommend getting at least the base game for £12. I’m going to keep playing, with a view to probably buying the DLC bundle before the sale expires.
Thaddeus
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