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Bad North

All in all, Bad North's gameplay is very engaging and keeps you on your feet. Despite some weakness in the narrative department, most design choices pay off. It is a polished experience that has kept me entertained for a good amount of time.
80%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
story, grinding
93% User Score Based on 5,411 reviews
Critic Score 68%Based on 12 reviews

Platforms

iPadiPadiPhiPhoneMOMac OSNSNintendo SwitchPCPCPhoPhoneP4Playstation 4SDSteam DeckWinWindowsXOXbox OneAndAndroidMPMobile PlatformPlaPlayStationTabTabletXboxXbox
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About

"Bad North: Jotunn Edition" is a real-time tactics roguelite where you defend your kingdom against Viking invaders on procedurally-generated islands. Command your troops to utilize the unique terrain of each island, with the goal of ensuring your people's survival in this charming but brutal game. Failure results in the blood of your subjects staining the ground, making every battle a desperate fight.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Bad North screenshot
Bad North screenshot
Bad North screenshot
Bad North screenshot
Bad North screenshot
Bad North screenshot
Bad North screenshot
Bad North screenshot
Bad North screenshot
Bad North screenshot
Bad North screenshot
+1

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 5,423 reviews
gameplay309 positive mentions
story28 negative mentions
  • Charming minimalist art style that enhances the gameplay experience.
  • Engaging and challenging gameplay that requires strategic thinking and quick decision-making.
  • Great for casual play with short, bite-sized levels that keep the experience fresh.
  • Limited content and replayability, with only three unit types and a lack of variety in enemies.
  • Difficulty spikes can feel unfair, especially with certain enemy types like brute archers.
  • The game can become repetitive after a few playthroughs, lacking depth in mechanics and progression.
  • gameplay
    803 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Bad North" is characterized by its simple yet engaging mechanics, which blend real-time strategy and roguelike elements. Players appreciate the intuitive controls and the strategic depth that emerges from the rock-paper-scissors combat system, although some find the gameplay loop can become repetitive over time. While the game offers a charming aesthetic and a satisfying challenge, many reviewers express a desire for more content and variety to enhance replayability.

    • “The gameplay consists of a series of short rounds (2-10 min) on randomly generated maps, with some progress and improvements persisted across rounds.”
    • “The gameplay is fun and decently difficult, always offering a challenge.”
    • “Simple mechanics yet fun to play.”
    • “The gameplay is extremely repetitive and doesn't feel challenging at all.”
    • “The core gameplay becomes repetitive faster than I would like, but there's more than enough content for half a dozen hours of solid gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay itself was good, but not great.”
  • graphics
    685 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of *Bad North* are widely praised for their beautiful minimalist art style, which effectively combines charm with a sense of tactical depth. Players appreciate the clean visuals, vibrant colors, and attention to detail, such as environmental effects, which enhance the overall atmosphere of the game. Despite its simplicity, the graphics are noted for being polished and engaging, contributing to a unique and enjoyable gaming experience.

    • “Bad North's graphics are stunning and offer a beautiful, minimalist aesthetic that perfectly matches the gameplay.”
    • “The game’s islands are beautifully rendered in a simple, clean aesthetic, with vibrant colors and soft lighting that create a peaceful yet foreboding atmosphere.”
    • “The graphics are simple yet charming, and the art style is stunning yet simple.”
    • “The graphics are simple yet charming.”
    • “The cute visuals do not make up for the lack of content.”
    • “It's a painfully simple RTS: three basic unit types with typical rock-paper-scissors balance, a few upgrades, some light roguelike elements, extremely simple visuals, and very small battlefields.”
  • replayability
    244 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews reflect a mixed consensus on replayability, with many players noting that while some games offer procedural generation and unlockable traits that enhance replay value, others suffer from limited content and repetitive gameplay. Several users express disappointment in the lack of depth and variety, leading to a decline in interest after a few playthroughs, while others find enjoyment in the strategic elements and randomization that keep them coming back. Overall, the game's replayability varies significantly, with some titles being highly replayable and others feeling more like a one-time experience.

    • “Highly replayable, with multiple new factions, items, and skills to unlock, ensuring that you come back for more things to uncover in your codex for multiple playthroughs.”
    • “The different armies, items, traits, islands, and tense battles offer good replayability and gameplay, which made me yearn for more content like this.”
    • “The game offers great replayability with unlockable starting items and traits that change your strategy and approach.”
    • “However, I did find the game to lack in replayability, which is a surprise considering it's a roguelite.”
    • “Unfortunately, I don't see too much replayability even if the islands are randomly generated, but I recommend it as a game that you take and enjoy for a couple of days until you go through the campaign once.”
    • “The game is heavily lacking on features and barely has any replay value at all even with the randomized islands.”
  • music
    244 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience with a mix of haunting soundscapes and catchy tunes. Many players appreciate the minimalist yet impactful soundtrack that complements the game's visuals and gameplay, creating a unique blend of tension and charm. Overall, the sound design, including music and sound effects, is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The music is equally minimalistic, with a haunting soundtrack that enhances the game’s mood without overpowering the action.”
    • “The soundtrack's simplicity and ambient nature perfectly complement the gameplay, immersing players in the intense battles and adding to the overall atmosphere.”
    • “The music grips you from the very intro.”
    • “The music is ok, nothing too special.”
    • “Oh and the trailer had awesome battle music but in-game has this sucky ambient horn noise stuff that isn't flattering.”
    • “It puts me to sleep, I'd rather have some deep Viking urahs and drums with an actual music composition than these random screeches and horn blasts.”
  • story
    134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its absence, with many players noting that it lacks a meaningful narrative or character development, focusing instead on gameplay mechanics. While some find the bite-sized missions enjoyable, the overall consensus is that the game would benefit from a more substantial storyline to enhance engagement and immersion. Players express a desire for additional content, such as lore or a campaign mode, to provide context and depth to the gameplay experience.

    • “Great strategy game with a subtle story behind it and the art style is adorable.”
    • “While the story itself is linear, the actions you take throughout the game make you feel like you made a difference.”
    • “I like that the story is mostly built via the atmosphere, but a little bit of flavor text would go a long way.”
    • “The game does not have a storyline to go with the action.”
    • “There is no storyline so do not expect that.”
    • “Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much of a 'story' for this game, which weighs heavily on the rating I'm giving it.”
  • atmosphere
    67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique blend of soothing yet foreboding elements, enhanced by beautiful graphics, immersive sound design, and a minimalist aesthetic. Players appreciate the way the art and music create a tense, engaging environment that draws them into the gameplay, with contrasting serene visuals and intense battle sounds contributing to a captivating experience. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered one of its strongest aspects, making it both enjoyable and memorable.

    • “The way the islands get slowly covered in blood, the nervous faces of your commanders in the UI, the way the music changes with the enemies that are on screen, giving the stronger enemies a blood-curdling aura, all of that combined with the fog that is slowly chasing you off the map creates a truly unique kind of oppressive atmosphere.”
    • “The minimalist soundtrack and visuals create a deceptively relaxing atmosphere that I really enjoyed.”
    • “The game’s islands are beautifully rendered in a simple, clean aesthetic, with vibrant colors and soft lighting that create a peaceful yet foreboding atmosphere.”
    • “The battles are hectic and tense, and the whole atmosphere of Bad North makes you feel an immense dread of what's to come.”
    • “The procedural weather of each island, such as a rainy dusk falling combined with the sounds of horns and Nordic droning, really creates an atmosphere of ramping tension.”
  • humor
    43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its charming and whimsical presentation, featuring funny character designs and amusing sound effects that enhance the gameplay experience. Players enjoy the juxtaposition of cute visuals with brutal combat, leading to hilarious moments and slapstick scenarios. Overall, the game is described as a lighthearted and entertaining strategy experience that keeps players laughing throughout.

    • “The game mixes beautiful landscapes and funny and cute sounds and looks with those gumdrop soldiers with brutal combat, scary enemies, tragic deaths, and unnerving music and ambience.”
    • “An absolutely excellent strategy with a gorgeous visual style, amazing audio, interesting maps, and funny commanders.”
    • “The characters are very funny and original.”
  • grinding
    42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly after the initial stages, with many expressing frustration over the need to replay levels multiple times to achieve certain goals or unlock content. While some appreciate the game's atmosphere and mechanics, the grind often detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to a sense of boredom and a desire for a more streamlined experience. Many reviewers suggest that the game could benefit from reducing the amount of grinding required to complete achievements and progress.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Fun, intense, but still casual, and not the tedious grinding kind.”
    • “After about thirty minutes into the game, it gets grindy and kind of boring.”
    • “The game is a bit tedious to replay, especially in the beginning.”
    • “It gets rather tedious after a few hours as you replay the same level several times in an attempt to conserve your commanders that die permanently if you lose them in battle.”
  • optimization
    21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with smooth performance on both high-end and low-spec PCs, including the Steam Deck. However, some users report issues such as slow loading times, stuttering, and performance drops after extended play, particularly on Mac systems. While the game is well-polished and visually appealing, some graphics limitations may stem from its design for lower-performance devices.

    • “Everything works as it should, and the performance is great (PC and Steam Deck).”
    • “Bad North is a fun game that is well made, well optimized, and has a fun art style with quality art.”
    • “I have encountered no bugs, no performance issues on a high-end machine (even low-spec computers can play this, maybe even tablets), and the presentation has been consistent.”
    • “Incredibly slow loading times and stuttering.”
    • “Fun game, but piss poor optimization on Mac.”
    • “Strange performance problems and loading times that were finally fixed.”
  • emotional
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game excels in creating an emotional experience through its focus on personal stories and the weight of losing characters, leading players to form deep attachments to their commanders. The combination of character upgrades, permadeath, and heartfelt writing results in a journey that evokes a range of emotions, from joy to heartbreak, making it not just a game, but a compelling art form. Players often find themselves on an emotional rollercoaster, balancing strategic challenges with the investment in their characters' fates.

    • “The game's focus on small, personal stories and the emotional impact of losing your soldiers makes it a truly special title.”
    • “I got emotionally attached to my commanders, felt strongly whenever I won or lost, and completed the game with a deep sense of satisfaction.”
    • “Through what can only be described as genius, heartwarming writing, I believe that this game not only succeeds as a video game, but as an art form.”
  • stability
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game is well-produced with minimal bugs and smooth performance on various systems, particularly the base M2 Mac Mini. However, some users report issues with pathing, battle scripts, and significant performance drops or freezes after a certain point, alongside problems with save files that can detract from the experience. While it starts strong, the stability issues may lead to frustration in longer play sessions.

    • “The game is built well and has close to no glitches.”
    • “It is well made for what it is, with no glitches and fairly streamlined gameplay.”
    • “Runs great on almost anything, with very smooth scaling and camera panning, despite the procedural physics of the game world being quite complex.”
    • “Pathing needs work, battle script can be buggy, still fun.”
    • “Game-breaking glitches.”
    • “It's a fun game for the first few runs, but it gets boring quickly and is buggy beyond reason. Save files don't even work, so if you want to win, you better sit down for the long haul because you aren't going to be able to come back to a save.”
  • character development
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is criticized for its simplistic and repetitive mechanics, offering minimal differentiation between units and lacking depth in storytelling. While the character designs are noted as cute and stylized, the overall system fails to engage players, offering little incentive for growth or consequence for failure.

    • “Cutest character design of murdering vikings ever.”
    • “This is coming from a Demon's Souls and Dark Souls series veteran who loves karma systems and punishment to make you better.”
    • “While there is indeed a big development screen in the game like you would encounter in an RPG with dozens of abilities, this game's entire character development GUI is literally just so you can choose between the same rock-paper-scissors for every unit, and that's it.”
    • “This is coming from a Demon's Souls and Dark Souls series veteran who loves karma systems and punishment to make you better. This game just does it worse because you don't get a punishment if all your generals die; you just get sent back to the beginning. That's boring, especially since this game is absent of all character design and storyline.”
    • “The character designs are equally minimalist, with small, stylized figures that are easy to distinguish in the heat of battle.”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization of the game has received mixed feedback; while some players appreciate the absence of ads and the seamless experience across platforms, others feel that the game's simplicity does not justify its price, suggesting it resembles a mobile game better suited for free-to-play models.

    • “I liked how it felt like a mobile game but also a PC or console game at the same time with no ads.”
    • “Not sure why the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. This game looks really nice and has a cool idea, but it's way too simple and feels more like a game I would expect to play on my phone with ads. It's not worth $5 even on sale.”

68%Critics’ scoreBased on 13 critic reviews

Buy Bad North

10h Median play time
12h Average play time
4-15h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 48 analyzed playthroughs

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