Skip to main content

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock

Better late than never, Battlestar Galactica gets the smart starship tactics game it deserved in BSG: Deadlock.
Battlestar Galactica Deadlock Game Cover
81%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, stability
85% User Score Based on 2,930 reviews
Critic Score 76%Based on 9 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4Xbox OneXboxWindowsPlayStation
Battlestar Galactica Deadlock Game Cover

About

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock is a single player and multiplayer turn-based strategy game with warfare and science fiction themes. It was developed by Black Lab Games and was released on August 31, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"Battlestar Galactica Deadlock" is a tactical space combat game set in the Battlestar Galactica universe. Command a fleet of Colonial ships and defend against the Cylon threat in strategic battles, while managing resources and political challenges on the colonies. Experience a new story in the Battlestar Galactica universe, with beautiful 3D graphics and engaging gameplay.

Skip User Reviews

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,930 reviews
story204 positive mentions
grinding67 negative mentions

  • Incredibly engaging tactical space battles that capture the essence of the Battlestar Galactica universe.
  • Well-designed mechanics that reward strategic planning and positioning of ships during combat.
  • Cinematic replays of battles provide a thrilling experience and enhance immersion in the game.
  • The user interface can be clunky and overwhelming, making it difficult to access important information quickly.
  • The campaign can become repetitive, with similar mission objectives and enemy encounters over time.
  • Some players may find the learning curve steep, especially if they are unfamiliar with turn-based strategy games.
  • story
    1,132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock" is generally considered to be a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its connection to the established lore of the series while others find it lacking depth and coherence. Many reviews highlight that the narrative can feel repetitive and forgettable, often overshadowed by the gameplay mechanics, which are more engaging. While the game offers a solid foundation for fans of the franchise, the execution of the story, including voice acting and mission design, leaves much to be desired, leading to a sense of monotony in the campaign.

    • “The campaign was a fun story to play through, I enjoyed it.”
    • “The story beautifully resembles the films and Blood and Chrome story.”
    • “The story is well told and ties in nicely with the series, and will have you in a lot of those 'oh yeah!' moments.”
    • “The story and voice acting are mid and forgettable; after a while, the missions start to blur together.”
    • “The story is not very interesting, cliched, and dull.”
    • “The story and its presentation are just horrible.”
  • gameplay
    533 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock" is characterized by its turn-based tactical mechanics, which some players find engaging and strategic, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking depth. The game successfully captures the essence of the Battlestar Galactica universe, offering a unique blend of fleet management and combat, though it suffers from a steep learning curve and a clunky user interface. Overall, while the core gameplay is solid and enjoyable for fans of the genre, it may not appeal to everyone due to its complexity and pacing issues.

    • “The core gameplay of Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock is truly immersive and creative, doing an excellent job of captivating science fiction audiences with their fleet battles.”
    • “The gameplay is fun; a 3D turn-based strategy game where the player plans out each 10 to 15 seconds of the battle and then watches to see how those choices pan out.”
    • “The gameplay is engaging and punishing, the odds are constantly against you with the endless hordes of Cylons pouring into the system to wreak havoc on your colonies.”
    • “The gameplay has aged poorly, and the difficulty feels excessive.”
    • “The unintuitive user interface and bad camera controls made the core gameplay very frustrating.”
    • “Unfortunately, once you learn the mechanics of combat, the gameplay becomes kind of stale.”
  • graphics
    304 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock" receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the game's ability to capture the aesthetic and atmosphere of the original series, particularly during combat sequences. While the visuals are generally described as good and immersive, some critiques point to a lack of technical polish and occasional clutter during intense battles, suggesting that the graphics, while serviceable, do not push the boundaries of modern gaming. Overall, the game is praised for its detailed ship models and engaging visual presentation, though some players feel improvements could enhance the experience further.

    • “Deadlock does a nice job of replicating the feel of BSG's epic space engagements by mimicking the familiar shaky-cam visuals and disorienting zoom-ins, which give the combat an appropriately chaotic vibe.”
    • “The graphics are wonderful, and the cinematic nature of the game makes it feel like I'm straight up in the show/in the universe.”
    • “The graphics are top-notch, the ship models are detailed, and the explosions are impressive.”
    • “That said, the visuals, while thematically solid, are not technically cutting-edge and can occasionally feel cluttered during intense battles, especially with missile spam and debris clouding the scene.”
    • “The graphics are really, really dated, the sound is terrible and the mission information and 'story', if you can call it that, are provided with early 2000s quality cartoon pictures of the speaker and early 1990s text boxes with uninspired voice overs.”
    • “The graphics are poor, gameplay is very slow and tedious, and it's another one of those games where you basically have a lot of skirmish missions that don't really seem to be connected to a storyline other than what seems to have been tacked on as an afterthought.”
  • music
    294 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in "Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock" has received widespread acclaim for its ability to capture the haunting and militaristic themes of the original series, with many reviewers praising its atmospheric quality and emotional depth. Composed in a style reminiscent of Bear McCreary's work, the soundtrack enhances the game's immersive experience, particularly during battle sequences, although some players noted a lack of variety in tracks during gameplay. Overall, the music stands out as one of the game's strongest features, effectively contributing to the authentic feel of the Battlestar Galactica universe.

    • “A hugely important aspect to any BSG game is the music, and Deadlock does not disappoint with its moody Bear McCreary-written score.”
    • “The music really makes it BSG. The soundtrack evokes the same haunting, militaristic themes of the TV series.”
    • “The music is a perfect companion to the action and the feel of the show, capturing the essence of Battlestar Galactica beautifully.”
    • “The music was annoying and not very good.”
    • “I ended up just turning the music off and playing something else in the background.”
    • “The voice acting is pretty dire and the music, while reminiscent of McCreary, lacks variety.”
  • grinding
    70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is a significant point of contention among players. Many find the gameplay to be excessively tedious and repetitive, particularly during combat and resource management phases, leading to a frustrating experience. While some players appreciate the strategic elements, the overall sentiment leans towards the grinding being a major drawback, making the game feel slow and unbalanced, especially in the later stages.

    • “I am not a fan of turn-based games, but I gotta say here it's a smooth implementation and it's not too tedious.”
    • “Complex but not tedious.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Building many ships with officers to gain more reputation from colonies is a total waste of time; Cylons just send implacable waves, wiping all these isolated grinding morons.”
    • “The campaign is long yet does not feel like it is tedious.”
    • “The overall feel is tedious with no payoff and feels more like something I would have suffered through 15 years ago.”
  • atmosphere
    65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its authentic recreation of the Battlestar Galactica universe, effectively immersing players in its rich lore through visuals, sound design, and music. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke feelings of desperation and survival during intense space battles, while the soundtrack enhances the overall experience. However, some critiques mention inconsistencies in voice acting and dialogue that detract from the otherwise strong atmospheric elements.

    • “Spaceships, intense battles, and an atmosphere of desperation and survival - it's like being in your favorite TV show.”
    • “Perfectly captures the atmosphere of the series, and the story fits right into the BSG lore.”
    • “The atmosphere and ambiance are perfect.”
    • “Great game so far and feels pretty deep with different strategies up for play, but even with a massive brand behind it and seasons of TV content, the developers forgot to bring any atmosphere to the game. Having the AI spam 'so say we all' is not atmosphere; the show had some great one-liners and always had great dialogue, and this game has nothing like it. It's so generic and boring but makes up for it in visuals.”
    • “If you enjoyed Battlestar Galactica, then this would be an enjoyable game; however, if you enjoyed the remake, this does not have the same atmosphere as the remake.”
    • “The game is unfortunately underdeveloped in some areas, but not the atmosphere.”
  • replayability
    50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its tactical depth and variability in scenarios, while others criticize the limited content and linear campaign structure. Many agree that the addition of DLC enhances replay value, but the base game alone offers minimal long-term engagement. Overall, while there are enjoyable elements that can lead to multiple playthroughs, the lack of customization and mod support detracts from its overall replayability.

    • “The variety of ship classes, weapons, and squadrons make for enduring replayability.”
    • “There is a lot of content and replayability if you want to increase difficulty levels in subsequent playthroughs.”
    • “The campaign offers a good amount of replay value, as you can utilize the customizations to form new strategies and new ways to deploy your fleets.”
    • “But with the limited supporting structure around them, I wouldn't pay full price as long-term replay value will be limited.”
    • “The short of it is that this game is fun to a point, but it isn't what I hoped it would be and it doesn't have much replayability.”
    • “The game's biggest weakness is a lack of replayability.”
  • optimization
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is a mixed bag, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, including framerate drops, crashes, and bugs, particularly on mid-range and older systems. However, others report smooth gameplay even on lower-end hardware, indicating that performance can vary widely depending on the system. Overall, while there are notable technical challenges, some users find the game runs well under certain conditions, suggesting that optimization could still be improved.

    • “The game runs smoothly and I haven't had any sort of hard crash, but the Cylon AI could use a little more tweaking from my experience, or perhaps shrinking the map sizes would help, as nothing is worse than spending 10 minutes boosting engine power to most of your ships to chase a random Cylon ship that's decided to go on a sightseeing tour.”
    • “The game is visually good and also well optimized - I played it on an old laptop with ultra settings.”
    • “Performance on my system is great; FPS mostly stays at a solid 60, with only occasional drops below that (especially during replays).”
    • “Though free, its flaws loom larger than a Cylon basestar: DLCs carve core mechanics into paywalled fragments, optimization tortures mid-range PCs, and the AI's tactical IQ rivals a concussed toaster.”
    • “Performance can also falter in larger engagements, with framerate drops and occasional crashes, particularly on older systems or consoles.”
    • “I get random crashes constantly, the UI is less than helpful even when I have no issues, and other performance-related issues including the mouse or keyboard randomly stop working.”
  • stability
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with many players reporting minimal game-breaking bugs and a mostly smooth experience. Some users noted occasional visual glitches and freezing issues during battles, but these do not significantly detract from gameplay. While a few players experienced problems that required fixes, the majority found the game to be playable and enjoyable, especially after upgrading their hardware.

    • “I re-bought the game after building a new PC with an MSI Z790 WiFi motherboard, i7-13700K, 64GB DDR5 6000 RAM, and a lot of new SSD storage, and the game runs great now.”
    • “As far as I can see, it is mostly bug-free and playable from day one.”
    • “Otherwise it freezes and shuts down, took me about 15 minutes of a Google search to find the fix.”
    • “Cons: several bugs/glitches and AI is inconsistent in different battles.”
    • “Love the game but it freezes in a battle; the game keeps going or the music plays, but I cannot see it.”
  • humor
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players enjoying the comedic elements like funny robot characters and nostalgic sound effects that resonate with fans. However, some find the humor undermined by frustrating gameplay mechanics and moments where intended drama turns into unintentional comedy. Overall, while there are amusing aspects, the humor can be hit or miss depending on the context.

    • “Lots of the sound effects are taken straight out of the show, which definitely tickles my fanservice funny bone.”
    • “The floating shipyard is hilarious because it's so important that they put... like maybe 3 guns on it??”
    • “Few missions can get a bit frustrating where you need to protect things that explode the moment something even looks at them funny.”
  • emotional
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its emotional depth, particularly for fans of the TV series, with many highlighting impactful moments that enhance the overall experience. While some players feel a lack of personal connection to the source material, they still find the campaigns to be emotionally engaging and well-crafted. The immersive audio-visual elements further contribute to the emotional resonance, making players feel connected to the battles reminiscent of the show.

    • “It has a lot of emotional moments in it that I won't spoil, but for fans of the TV series, this will be a beautiful discovery.”
    • “The campaigns are amazing and well thought out, and I found one of them to be quite emotional.”
    • “The sounds and sights of the battle are really killer and really emotionally put you back into the TV show.”
  • monetization
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing DLC as cash grabs that do not enhance the player experience, while others appreciate the game's quality and engaging content despite concerns about misleading advertising and in-game purchases. Overall, there is a sentiment that the game stands out in a market filled with exploitative monetization practices.

    • “After playing some of the story, I went out and got the DLC because I had fun. With all the Call of Duty games and cash-grabbing indie games that sneak around Steam after your money (I literally saw a ported mobile game once, complete with microtransactions), a game like this is rare.”
    • “Unvisited potential; DLC are mostly cash grabs, rather than player-centered enrichment.”
    • “Holy unholy monetization schemes, Batman!”
    • “Misleading advertising campaign reveals medium quality graphics, a lack of excitement, and really deflated storytelling.”
  • character development
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews indicate a desire for improved character development, with some users feeling that the current portrayal of officers seems superficial and lacking depth. There is a hope for more thoughtful scriptwriting in future seasons to enhance character arcs.

    • “It's my hope that Black Lab invests more time in the script writing and character development in season 2.”
    • “Character development for officers feels tacked on.”
Skip Critic Reviews
Skip Game Offers

Buy Battlestar Galactica Deadlock

16h Median play time
16h Average play time
6-24h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 20 analyzed playthroughs
Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like Battlestar Galactica Deadlock

Games Like Battlestar Galactica Deadlock

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak Image
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector Image
BATTLETECH Image
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 Image
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada Image
Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock is a turn-based strategy game with warfare and science fiction themes.

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 16 hours playing Battlestar Galactica Deadlock.

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock was released on August 31, 2017.

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock was developed by Black Lab Games.

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector, BATTLETECH, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada and others.