BOSSGARD
- May 21, 2020
- Sand Sailor Studio
"Bossgard is a local or online multiplayer fighting game that supports up to 6 players. Choose to play as a powerful boss, battling against a team of Vikings, or join the Vikings and team up to take down the boss. With fast-paced action and a variety of unique bosses to choose from, Bossgard offers a fun and frantic experience for players of all skill levels."
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and fun asymmetrical multiplayer experience where one player controls a powerful boss while others play as vikings, creating engaging gameplay dynamics.
- The art style is colorful and cartoonish, which adds to the overall charm and appeal of the game, making it visually enjoyable.
- The developers are responsive to community feedback and are actively working on improvements, which gives hope for future updates and enhancements.
- The game suffers from a severe lack of content, with many characters and features locked behind a tedious grind, making it frustrating for players who want to enjoy the game with friends.
- Online matchmaking is nearly non-existent, leading to a dead player base that makes it difficult to find games, especially without friends to play with.
- Gameplay can feel unbalanced, with certain bosses being overpowered compared to the vikings, leading to a frustrating experience for players on the weaker side.
- gameplay36 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally described as fun and engaging, particularly in multiplayer settings, with a variety of characters and mechanics that allow for different playstyles. However, many reviewers noted issues such as a lack of depth, frustrating boss mechanics, and the need for better controls and hitbox management. While the game shows promise, it currently suffers from balance problems and a grindy progression system, leading to mixed feelings about its overall execution.
“Fun gameplay as a Viking or the wacky boss to the beat of a great soundtrack provides a potential for hours of playtime for you and up to 5 other friends.”
“Good gameplay for the casual and the connoisseur alike.”
“But I can recommend it for being a quick in-and-out gameplay filled with action and a very interesting presentation.”
“The boss targeting mechanic is too fast, and the boss's laser cuts through the entire field, leaving no room for dodging.”
“Overall, the gameplay is solid, but so many little annoyances need to be ironed out before I'd consider paying a dime for this game.”
“The other issue is movement/escape mechanics, or should I say the lack thereof.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics in Bossgard are widely praised for their vibrant, cartoonish low-poly art style, which is both unique and visually appealing. While some players noted that the rough graphics may not translate well to gameplay, the overall aesthetic, including colorful textures and animations, is considered a highlight of the game. However, there are mentions of bugs in pre-game and post-game visuals, and a desire for more graphic options for lower-end PCs.
“The art style of the game is fantastic and very unique.”
“Very polished game with beautiful low poly graphics and excellent colored textures.”
“The low-poly yet high-detail and lusciously colorful visuals here are mouth-watering for fans of more cartoon-y aesthetics, and the selection of zany off-the-wall stages fully utilizes this awesome-ly slick and playful presentation.”
“Improve graphics; the 'rough' style doesn't translate to the gameplay.”
“Literally everything from the clunky, nonsensical control scheme to the dyslexic and non-intuitive user interface and heads-up display to the downright lazy graphics and shaders to the boring music... to the fact that you're locked out of multiplayer.”
“Pre-game lobbies and post-game screens are pretty buggy, missing visuals when you try to load into them.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, with limited initial character options and a repetitive gameplay loop that requires significant effort to unlock new content. The shift to randomized loot from grinding further exacerbates the issue, as players feel they lack control over their rewards, making the overall experience feel like a chore rather than an engaging challenge.
“The game is extremely grindy.”
“Sure it was cool the first time I went in, but going in every time I got 500 favor for a level made the whole thing tedious.”
“Now you have to grind just to unlock new characters, new abilities, new maps, or new bosses, and then instead of guaranteed loot/costumes from gaining favor from the gods, now it's randomized loot chests... which I hate in grindy games -- if I must grind, then please let me at least choose what to spend the fruits of my labors on.”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its ability to enhance the chaotic atmosphere, providing an enjoyable backdrop for gameplay, particularly in multiplayer settings. However, some users criticize the music as boring and lacking in variety, suggesting a disconnect between the soundtrack and the overall experience.
“The soundtrack is both great to listen to in the background and incredibly fitting into the whole chaotic craziness theme of the game.”
“Fun gameplay as a Viking or the wacky boss to the beat of a great soundtrack provides a potential for hours of playtime for you and up to 5 other friends.”
“Music: 8 (beautiful)”
“The music is boring and lacks any real engagement.”
“There is a complete lack of music and sound design.”
“Everything from the clunky control scheme to the lazy graphics is compounded by the uninspired music.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its amusing graphics and entertaining gameplay, particularly in the interactions between players and the boss character. Reviewers appreciate the lighthearted style, which adds to the overall fun of playing as a Viking.
“The graphics are funny, and the gameplay is enjoyable!”
“Nice style, funny, and fun to play as one of the five Vikings while battling against the boss!”
- story3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is considered average, with players expressing a desire for a more engaging narrative before diving into gameplay as a boss character. Overall, the emphasis on story seems to be lacking, impacting the overall experience.
“The cooperative story adds a unique layer to the gameplay experience.”
“The narrative is engaging and keeps players invested throughout.”
“I wish the story was more developed before I could play as a boss and unleash chaos.”
“The story is average at best.”
“I wish the story was prioritized before allowing me to play as a boss and slaughter everyone.”
“Co-op story mode lacks depth and engagement.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized for significant bugs, particularly in the menus and pre/post-game screens, which often fail to display necessary information and visuals. Overall, players have described the experience as a "buggy mess."
“When finally entering a normal game, the menus tend to be buggy and do not display all the information they are supposed to.”
“Pre-game lobbies and post-game screens are pretty buggy, missing visuals when you try to load into them.”
“It was a buggy mess.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game is noted for its strong optimization, achieving around 120fps at 4K resolution on a GTX 1070 Ti. However, as it is still in early access, players may encounter bugs and should be prepared for ongoing changes in content and interface.
“At 4K resolution, on a GTX 1070 Ti, achieving around 120 FPS. This is a well-optimized game in terms of performance.”
“(Early access review: As an early access release, you may experience bugs; content, interface, and optimization changes. If you are not excited to play the title in its current state and help support the title to full release by reporting bugs and requesting additional content, you may want to wait for further development.)”
“As an early access release, you may experience bugs; content, interface, and optimization changes. If you are not excited to play the title in its current state and help support the title to full release by reporting bugs and requesting additional content, you may want to wait for further development.”
“The optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay, which significantly detracts from the overall experience.”
“Despite the interesting concept, the game suffers from poor optimization, making it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's balanced design and the ability to unlock various skins for both bosses and vikings, which significantly enhances its replayability. The ongoing progression system encourages repeated playthroughs, making the experience feel fresh and rewarding.
“The game feels very balanced and has lots of replay value since the more you play, the more skins you'll unlock for both bosses and vikings alike.”
“This will give the title much more replayability.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game features a monetization model that avoids paid DLC and microtransactions, which has been positively received by users.
“They have stated that there will be no paid DLC or microtransactions.”
“The monetization model is player-friendly, focusing on fair practices.”
“I appreciate that they prioritize gameplay over aggressive monetization strategies.”
“They claim there will be no paid DLC or microtransactions, but the in-game store suggests otherwise.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, with essential items locked behind a paywall.”
“Despite promises of a fair system, the constant push for in-game purchases is frustrating.”