Backpack Brawl — Hero Battles | Game Brain

Backpack Brawl — Hero Battles Game Cover

About

"Backpack Brawl - Hero Battles" is a single-player strategy game set in a 2D medieval fantasy world. Players engage in 1v1 combat, packing smart and fighting hard in tactical duels with sensational game mechanics and wonderful graphics. However, the game features lots of grinding and annoying ads, which may hinder the overall gaming experience.

Genres & Tags

Strategy

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Backpack Brawl — Hero Battles screenshot

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 820 reviews

gameplay77 positive mentions

monetization242 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and engaging gameplay experience with a mix of strategy and inventory management.
It is fair to free-to-play players, with new heroes being obtainable through gameplay without excessive grinding.
The game has minimal ads, which are optional and do not interrupt the gameplay experience.

There are significant stability issues, with the app frequently crashing or freezing during gameplay.
The matchmaking system can be unbalanced, often pitting players against opponents with significantly higher levels or better gear.
The progression system can feel slow and frustrating, with many players reporting difficulty in obtaining necessary items or upgrades.

monetization
294 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
5%
82%
The monetization model of the game is generally viewed as fair and non-intrusive, with all ads being optional and primarily offering rewards for watching. However, many players express frustration over the subscription model required to permanently remove ads, preferring a one-time payment option instead. While the game is free-to-play and allows for progression without spending money, some users feel that the reliance on ads for extra lives and rewards can be excessive and detracts from the overall experience.
- “There are no ads (except for the optional ones for rewards), it's able to be played for free in a very good way. There are still things you can pay for if you simply don't have the time to spend (which is not much at all).”
- “In a market of gacha games and wallet drainers, this great little strategy game has virtually no ads and no unnecessary pay-to-play.”
- “No forced ads, almost no ads to speak of actually.”
- “I used to love playing this game, but they moved from a one-time purchase to remove ads to a weekly or monthly subscription.”
- “Charging weekly or monthly to remove ads is criminal.”
- “The game is fun, I was happy you added a way to skip ads, but make it a one-time payment.”
gameplay
125 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
36%
2%
The gameplay is widely praised for its unique mechanics, addictive loops, and strategic depth, making it enjoyable and engaging for players. Many appreciate the minimal presence of ads, which are optional and often beneficial, alongside a balanced progression system. However, some users express concerns about pay-to-win elements, occasional bugs, and the need for clearer mechanics, indicating room for improvement despite the overall positive reception.
- “It is very satisfying and compelling gameplay.”
- “An addictive game loop with steady, fair progression, amazingly intricate game mechanics in an easy to pick and play anywhere format.”
- “Fun gameplay, updates often and fixes bugs fast.”
- “It was not obvious at all about the 'stars' at first; it took me a while to figure out the mechanics.”
- “The gameplay isn't real; it feels fake.”
- “Gameplay gets very stale; you always get someone with a higher level and you basically always lose.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
35%
12%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their appealing art style and well-designed visuals, contributing to an enjoyable gameplay experience. Players appreciate the nostalgic aesthetic and the game's polish, noting that the graphics surpass those of similar titles in the genre. While some users mention limited graphics settings and battery drain, the overall consensus highlights the game's beautiful graphics and engaging design.
- “Great game, constant updates, awesome graphics.”
- “Fun and addictive gameplay, beautiful graphics and art direction, great polish and customer support; the best game of the genre and 100% free to play.”
- “The graphics are great, and the gameplay concept is pretty easy to understand.”
- “I want to rate this game as 5 because it gives a consistent 2-dimensional graphics.”
- “My two major complaints are the limited graphics settings causing significant battery drain, and more importantly, the RNG system is affected by item selection.”
- “Already turned off high graphics but it's just the same.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
57%
21%
The game's story aspect is notably lacking, with players expressing frustration over the absence of a narrative and the challenges posed by daily quests that feel tedious and unclear. While the gameplay mechanics are appreciated, the lack of a coherent story mode and the difficulty in completing missions detract from the overall experience. Users suggest that the game could benefit from a more structured story and clearer quest objectives to enhance engagement.
- “Maybe you can provide some story mode where we can save our progress etc. loved this game.”
- “Pros: no forced ads, daily quest for those who love grinding, simple yet complex (many combos and item placement).”
- “This game is a good game, however I have a ranked quest to gain 20 rank rating but I don't know how to complete this quest... I won a ranked battle and gained 30 rating but the quest is still incomplete... and there is no hint how to complete this quest.”
- “But it's a bit maddening when one of the missions for the day is to craft specific items, but the items you need never appear in the shop.”
- “So it's nearly impossible to complete those missions reliably.”
- “No story.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
91%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While the game is generous with rewards for free-to-play users and offers daily quests for grinding enthusiasts, many feel that it becomes overly grindy and frustrating, particularly due to time locks on chests and the difficulty of progressing against better-equipped enemies. Suggestions for improvement include adding bulk collection options for rewards and reducing the grindiness to enhance overall enjoyment.
- “Great game, free to play, with optional ads. The grind is manageable, and I appreciate the addition of a help/guide option for new players.”
- “I love that the game isn't too grindy, making it enjoyable to progress without feeling overwhelmed.”
- “It would be great to have player-to-player battles and the ability to play with friends, but overall, the grinding aspect is balanced.”
- “It's really good, but with every update, the game becomes less skill-based and more grindy.”
- “Unfortunately, in their desperation to money grab like most developers, they do the tedious practice of forcing you to either wait obscene amounts of time to unlock a chest, or you have to use gems that are so slow to earn that you either pay or they're just too valuable.”
- “The game is extremely grindy, and I feel like it's very unfair. The first fight of the run, I lose 90% of the time because the enemy I'm fighting just has better weapons than me. I hate that you cannot merge weapons before getting into the next level.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
20%
30%
The music aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players expressing a strong desire for background music and sound effects, as the current lack of audio detracts from the overall experience. While some users appreciate the potential for future updates and find the existing sounds enjoyable, the absence of music has led to suggestions for multiple tracks and a paid version to remove ads. Overall, players are eager for improvements in the audio department to enhance their enjoyment of the game.
- “Folks who were addicted to Hearthstone in the early days will be pleasantly surprised with this game; even the soundtrack is reminiscent.”
- “Love the sounds update; very good music for the menu. I find myself enjoying the game even more because of it.”
- “Having music and sounds is a nice touch; the new character is great.”
- “There's no music at all, no sound effects for attacking, buying/selling items, nothing!”
- “I suggest multiple tracks of music when added, and a paid version to get rid of ads.”
- “I just wanted to suggest that you add sounds or music in the background so it's not that boring.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
38%
25%
The game offers high replayability due to its diverse characters and build options, allowing players to explore different strategies. However, some users noted that recent character nerfs have limited viable choices, which could impact long-term engagement. Overall, the combination of randomness and unlockable content contributes to a fun and replayable experience.
- “Overall, I like the game; different characters allow for different builds and increased replayability.”
- “This game has amazing replay value.”
- “With 6 different characters, there's much to unlock and be discovered, giving the game a lot of replayability.”
- “Most characters got nerfed to a point where now only 2 characters are playable.”
- “I would like to see some more features focused on replayability.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is frequently criticized due to bugs that affect balance and cause freezing issues, particularly after watching ads for rewards. While players appreciate the overall design and gameplay, the recurring freezing problem leads to frustration, especially when it results in lost rewards.
- “The balance of the game is buggy and a lot of results do not make sense.”
- “The game is wonderful and I love the strategy and the simplicity of it; however, one problem that I have noticed is that when watching ads for extra rewards, after the ad is done and I'm back in the app, the game freezes and I have to restart it, losing my ad reward. It's a smooth and amazing game otherwise, but please address this. It doesn't happen all the time, but it has happened the last 3 times I have watched ads.”
- “Fun game, but half the time it freezes up after the videos and you don't get your 2x XP or rewards for watching, and some of them are long.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Overall, the game is well-optimized, running smoothly without forced ads, which enhances the fun of the core gameplay. While performance is solid, players note a lack of correlation between in-game performance and rewards, aside from specific achievements like winning matches for gold chests.
- “There are no forced ads, the game runs smoothly, and the gameplay is fun.”
- “Fully cooked roguelike with great optimization.”
- “Very optimized and fun to play.”
- “The core gameplay is good, but there doesn't seem to be any relation between performance and reward, except that winning fifteen matches nets you a gold chest.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during crucial moments.”
- “Despite the interesting mechanics, the lack of optimization makes it frustrating to play, as loading times are excessively long and the game often crashes.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; some players find it amusing, particularly enjoying the absurdity of winning with unconventional strategies like using a backpack full of black cats. However, others criticize the humor, citing frustrations with certain mechanics, such as getting stuck on sound bubbles, which detracts from their overall enjoyment.
- “I really love Enoch; the fact that I can go undefeated by just having a backpack full of black cats and no weapons is hilarious.”