Recent reviews by Pipes Buffet

Battle Brothers is one of the most fun games I've played, it's nearly a 10/10. Offering fun and deep combat with meaningful skills that alter the tides of battle, abilities for brothers that completely change the way they function on the battlefield, an Oregon trail style trek across a kingdom. It does so many things right, but a few mechanics are holding this game back. I regrettably have to give it a thumbs down because the truth is thumbs down get more attention and with Overhypes next game on the horizon I hope it doesn’t involve the same pitfalls as this game.

It's important to point out what Battle Brother is not, because on the surface it is an open world, company management simulation. You build a company, battle, loot, trade, upkeep equipment, etc. Pick your path and develop your company from humble beginnings to armed to the teeth veterans who have survived, despite the harsh world, many battles. This fantasy is dispelled once you have play time under your belt. After some in game time passes you begin hitting brick wall enemy companies that will soft lock you. You start over with your new knowledge of the world. Again. And again. And again. So what gives, why is my company consistently rendered obsolete? Introduce, in my opinion, Battles Brothers biggest flaw.
Under the hood Battle Brothers is a race against the clock. Difficulty is scaled by time, number of brothers and brother level. Forcing the player to use every second in the world efficiently. If you want any chance to win mid to late game battles you cannot play the game at your leisure. You must optimize your level ups and gear. There is one way to play Battle Brothers. It is a top speed grind to optimize.

On the menu screen it is noted that "Battle Brothers is challenging. Losses and comebacks are part of the gameplay." This is true. You will fight hard battles and accumulate loses. Although the game isn't just challenging, it will consistently put you in situations that are game ending, leaving you to restart or save scum. Save scumming might as well be a mechanic in this game. In Battle Brothers reloading a save isn’t something you do to get the best outcome. It is a requirement. Personally I have no interest save scumming in a game like this because it breaks immersion and weight of managing a mortal company.
My last gripe is how cumbersome late game battles can be. It’s possible have 40+ characters in a battle. A large scale battle is a cool concept, but it just doesn't work in a turn based game like this. Worst case scenario requires you to watch 33 turns taken by the computer to your 12.

It’s a shame because the core gameplay is insanely fun and it’s what always brings me back. I deeply want to enjoy this game and I think that’s why these mechanics are so frustrating to me. The early to mid game is when this game is at it's best. This is a glimpse of what the game could be, before RNG, optimization and bloated battles consume your run. If the above issues don’t bother you then you will have a blast with the game.

Overhype Studio is clearly a talented team with a strong concept of what makes a good game, despite some decisions I disagree with. Their next game, MENACE, has a promising demo that I’ve played many times and enjoyed. I hope that they go in a different direction with difficulty scaling and variance when it comes to the overall gameplay.