Battle Cry of Freedom
- March 1, 2022
- Flying Squirrel Entertainment
- 16h median play time
Get on Steam"Battle Cry of Freedom is a free-to-play multiplayer game set in the American Civil War, where players can experience brutal combat as either the Union or Confederacy. The demo offers a limited selection of classes and regiments, but modded content is available. Join the community and prepare for a 19th century battle!"
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and immersive experience with its commander battles, allowing players to control a regiment of AI soldiers.
- The character customization is extensive, providing a variety of uniforms and weapons that enhance the historical accuracy of the game.
- The community is generally friendly and engaging, with many players enjoying the role-playing aspect and the humorous interactions in voice chat.
- The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to low frame rates and performance issues, especially during large battles.
- There is a significant lack of players, making it difficult to find populated servers outside of organized events or regiments.
- The melee combat system is clunky and inconsistent, often leading to frustrating experiences in close-quarters combat.
- gameplay111 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Battle Cry of Freedom" is a mixed bag, with many players praising its unique mechanics, depth, and engaging atmosphere, particularly in large battles and community interactions. However, criticisms focus on clunky melee mechanics, inconsistent ballistics, and performance issues, which detract from the overall experience. While the game shows potential and offers enjoyable moments, it struggles with a small player base and a lack of polish that may hinder its appeal.
“Highly detailed and fun gameplay.”
“The gameplay is smooth for the massive battles that erupt, and the devs put a lot of heart into this game.”
“The gameplay itself was straightforward and easy to understand what buttons to press to do this or that.”
“The melee mechanic is so broken that the attacks rarely make contact, and when they do, you end up in situations where you can stab a bot six times with a bayonet (no damage), and the bot kills you with one melee hit.”
“The game feels incredibly clunky; the whole movement and shooting mechanics need a lot of work, as does the map design, which most of the time consists of empty fields that stretch hundreds of meters, causing the game to turn into a running simulator.”
“If you've played Napoleonic Wars, you've basically already played this game; it has copy-and-pasted melee mechanics from Warband but with an unusual jankiness.”
- optimization86 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many players reporting severe performance issues such as stuttering, low frame rates, and crashes, even on high-end hardware. Despite promises of improvements, players feel that the game remains poorly optimized over a year after launch, leading to frustration within the community. While some users note that the game is enjoyable despite these issues, the consensus is that significant optimization work is still needed to enhance the overall experience.
“While in need of optimization at the moment, gameplay-wise it is already a fun, challenging, and rewarding game.”
“Game runs smoothly for me, and I didn't experience lag on servers with 200+ people, which is very impressive.”
“They claimed on or around launch day 'optimization is not possible' after making all these promises during early access getting people to buy the game.”
“However, this game is horribly optimized; even though it's been out for over a year, it somehow runs the same as it did when it came out.”
“The performance issues have not improved since the game was released; actually, nothing has improved.”
- graphics72 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the art style, lighting, and detail, while others criticize them as outdated or poor, especially in terms of performance during large battles. Many users note that the game can run well on lower settings, but performance issues and frame drops are common, particularly on less powerful PCs. Overall, while some find the visuals enjoyable and immersive, others feel they detract from the gameplay experience.
“Starting with the good - the graphics are – I personally like the style, the lighting, and the weather systems which create some incredibly moody and cinematic scenes.”
“The graphics are great, the music is incredibly done, and the uniforms are very detailed.”
“Amazing graphics and details with great sound effects.”
“Horrible graphics.”
“It runs at 2fps on the lowest graphic settings possible and only 8 people play during peak hours.”
“Graphics poor.”
- music48 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many players praising the soundtrack for its immersive quality and fitting historical context, particularly the folk and civil war-inspired tunes. While some noted that the music can become repetitive over time, the overall sentiment is that it enhances the gameplay experience significantly, making it a standout feature. Players express a desire for more songs to be added in the future, but are generally very satisfied with the current offerings.
“Absolutely recommend, did I mention the music is amazing.”
“The music, both soundtrack and what you can play in-game, is absolutely phenomenal.”
“Great gameplay, great music, great community.”
“Rounds take a long time, and you're listening to some very cringe music the whole time while you sit and spectate.”
“It was difficult to tell what was happening through the smoke, music, and shouting.”
“Music is fitting, but can get a bit repetitive after a while.”
- humor30 mentions
- 97 % positive mentions
- -7 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting the hilarious community interactions, particularly through voice chat, where role-playing and comedic accents enhance the experience. Many find the juxtaposition of serious gameplay with absurd moments—like using unconventional weapons or engaging in playful banter—adds to the fun. However, some caution that the humor can be dark and unfiltered, reflecting a chaotic but entertaining atmosphere.
“Battle Cry of Freedom is fun, gets decent support, and when active, has a genuinely hilarious community.”
“The proximity chat was amazing because everyone would role play Civil War era characters and do hilarious accents.”
“The serious moments like storming through a fresh wall breach to capture a point are well contrasted against the funny moments like someone ambushing you with a frying pan.”
“This used to be funny, but then they made it not funny.”
“The humor feels forced and falls flat most of the time.”
“I expected a lot of laughs, but the jokes just didn't land.”
- stability23 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- -9 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and optimization issues that contribute to a clunky experience. While some players find enjoyment despite these problems, many describe the game as feeling unfinished and frustratingly unstable, particularly during multiplayer sessions. Overall, it appears that while the game has potential, significant stability improvements are needed for a smoother experience.
“It is relatively bug-free, and all basic features function without any issues.”
“The game runs smoothly without crashes or major glitches.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it allows me to focus on enjoying the experience.”
“I got a buggy mess of a game.”
“It's broken, buggy, and has plenty of problems, but the right server will have you looking past those problems most of the time.”
“There are a lot of glitches including phasing through the planks when entering a fort, the melee seems like jelly, kill range print out is glitched, not being able to walk or even jump over knee-high barriers, and the game lags when engaging in melee.”
- monetization9 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been heavily criticized, with users accusing the developers of engaging in unethical practices by charging $10 for a product that feels abandoned and mismanaged. While the game offers extensive customization options without microtransactions, players feel deceived by the shift away from the promised content, leading to perceptions of it being a cash grab. Despite some efforts to improve the game, many believe the focus has shifted to creating additional monetized content rather than fulfilling the original vision.
“Excellent customization, many options of classes to play as, many options of uniform variations to outfit them with, and all come with the purchase of the game, no microtransactions!”
“The developer is deliberately and unethically trying to scam gamers into paying them the cash grab price of $10 USD for a game they abandoned.”
“Has now been abandoned so once again early access turns into a cash grab without a game to play.”
“Devs mismanaged their funds and decided to make mods that did not pertain to the civil war and lied about future development for a cash grab.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its immersive atmosphere, featuring wide landscapes, fitting music, and engaging sound design that enhances the overall experience. While the online component can feel empty at times, the atmosphere remains strong, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate historical settings and strategy. However, some users noted that the movement mechanics can feel sluggish, and voice chat can detract from immersion if not managed.
“Wide landscapes with all features, objects, and characteristics of a genuine effort to create a solid, authentic atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is perfect; the music fits greatly, gunplay is awesome, and movement can be a little slow, but it's done in a playable manner.”
“Amazing atmosphere and mechanics; the sounds and gameplay are worth at least trying if you like history and strategy.”
“The voice comms can become a bit toxic, but just lower or turn off the voice chat volume and immerse yourself within the Civil War atmosphere!”
“Seriously enjoying Battle Cry of Freedom, and while the gameplay can feel a little janky at times due to the game being made by a fairly small team (4 members), the atmosphere in online matches and VoIP really make for a fun experience.”
- emotional5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a mix of emotions regarding the game, highlighting moments of joy and attachment, particularly when engaging with historical elements like the Massachusetts 54th regiment. However, this emotional connection is somewhat overshadowed by technical issues and a lackluster community experience, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.
“When I discovered that the Massachusetts 54th were in the game, I felt joyfulness and had an emotional attachment to it.”
“This game had a lot of potential in the beginning by touching on a niche genre like the American Civil War.”
“I love connecting with my Confederate side.”
- story4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game lacks a significant narrative, focusing instead on a campaign structure where players complete various missions and objectives on the battlefield as part of a larger army. While it may not offer a grand story like some larger titles, it is designed to function effectively within its mission-based framework.
“It's obviously not going to be on a grand scale (like Total War), but it would definitely work great in a campaign setting, doing various missions and completing objectives on the battlefield, with your division being part of a larger army.”
“There is obviously no story.”
“The game crashes when you try to select a mission.”
“While it may not be on a grand scale like Total War, it would definitely work better with a campaign setting that includes various missions and objectives.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
“Grinding takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players note that while the game has a small community, the developers are actively enhancing its replayability, indicating a commitment to long-term engagement rather than treating it as a fleeting cash grab.
“The developers are genuinely committed to enhancing the replay value of the game, showing that they care about the community and not just treating it as a temporary cash grab.”
“Each playthrough feels fresh due to the variety of choices and outcomes, making me want to dive back in time and time again.”
“The game offers multiple paths and endings, ensuring that every session feels unique and encourages players to explore different strategies.”
“There's still a small player base, but the devs really seem to be taking the time to improve the replay value of the game instead of letting it die and just leaving it as a temporary cash grab.”
“After completing the main story, there's little incentive to return. The side quests feel repetitive and lack depth.”
“The game offers a few different endings, but they don't significantly change the overall experience, making it hard to justify multiple playthroughs.”
