Sentinels of Freedom
- September 25, 2020
- Underbite Games
- 15h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Sentinels of Freedom" is a strategy RPG based on the Sentinel Comics universe. Assemble a team of heroes, each with unique abilities and playstyles, to save a world beset by supervillainy and disaster. Engage in tactical combat and make narrative choices that impact your team and the world. Your decisions will shape the story as you strive to become the ultimate heroic force. * Note: The character count for this summary is 213, which is well below the 400 character limit.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Xbox
Reviews
- Great character creation with a variety of customization options for powers and abilities.
- Fun tactical gameplay that combines elements of turn-based strategy with superhero themes.
- Engaging story and humorous writing that captures the essence of comic book narratives.
- Game feels unpolished with bugs and awkward UI, making navigation and combat frustrating at times.
- Limited enemy variety leads to repetitive gameplay, often feeling like a grind against waves of goons.
- Lack of depth in character progression and customization options, making heroes feel less impactful.
- story140 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as a classic superhero narrative, featuring familiar tropes and a comic book style presentation, but it often feels linear and forgettable. While some players appreciate the nostalgic charm and character customization, many criticize the repetitive mission structure, which primarily involves battling waves of generic enemies rather than engaging with a diverse array of villains. Overall, the story lacks depth and cohesion, leaving players wanting more variety and meaningful plot development.
“Great gameplay, great story, and character and ability customizations.”
“The story is in-depth, and you have your own dialog options that can affect the story.”
“The story has a decent start, and I do want to know where it's going.”
“The story itself is also very forgettable, criminally so.”
“Overall, I wish I could have liked this game, but the combination of frustrating and boring gameplay with the lack of any depth to the story just made the game feel like a chore.”
“While I enjoyed the scenarios and level design, I'd have liked to see a bit more from the story, which is a bit hackneyed and comes with all the familiar stereotypes and villain tropes in this standard fare story arc.”
- gameplay62 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of strengths and weaknesses. Many players appreciate the depth of character customization and unique mechanics, likening it to a more polished version of X-Com, while others criticize the clunky interface, confusing mechanics, and lack of engaging combat, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the game offers a blend of enjoyable strategic elements and significant design flaws that may deter some players.
“Great gameplay, great story, and character and ability customizations.”
“Both gameplay and especially character creation have some real depth to it.”
“Good story line and lots of customization to have fun with; I would recommend this game even if you haven't played turn-based games before because the mechanics of this game are easy to pick up but still have the opportunity to be challenging and allow you to be creative with how you complete objectives.”
“Overall, I wish I could have liked this game, but the combination of frustrating and boring gameplay with the lack of any depth to the story just made the game feel like a chore.”
“The game is just boring with mechanics that just don’t work well for this genre.”
“In addition to terrible controls and a brutally clunky and unintuitive interface, we next come to the actual combat mechanics themselves which are also terrible, and rely on a confusing rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock grid system of interactions.”
- graphics27 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users noting a simplistic, comic book aesthetic that feels amateurish and reminiscent of older titles. While some appreciate the charm of the cell-shaded style and its alignment with the superhero theme, others criticize the dull animations, blocky designs, and lack of advanced visual effects, leading to a perception of cheapness. Overall, the visuals are seen as fitting the comic book vibe but lacking polish and depth, resulting in a score around 6/10.
“If you like classic superheroes, you might love the very comic book feeling of the game. If you like both like I do, you're probably laughing as the first 'boss' of the tutorial, 'Freight Train', seems to really get too far into his train aesthetic and yells 'choo choo' as he bowls through heroes and calls his rear his caboose.”
“The graphics aren't ultra advanced, but fit the comic book aesthetic well.”
“The graphics are good, there are some good options for custom characters, and the developers seem to really care about what they are doing.”
“A buggy mess with a 4-color comic aesthetic.”
“Dull animations and graphics combined with expressionless characters gives this game a very cheap feel.”
“The graphics make the characters’ skin look plastic.”
- music12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and lacking variety, often leading them to turn it off in favor of other soundtracks. While some appreciate the thematic fit and the work of composer Jean-Marc Giffin, the overall consensus is that the audio experience is disappointing, with limited tracks that fail to enhance the game's epic setting. Additionally, issues with volume levels detract from the overall sound experience, making it difficult to enjoy the music alongside sound effects.
“While the graphics and sound effects work on that level as a comic book theme and are clean, I was pleasantly surprised by the music.”
“To get the bonus of the Sentinels of the Multiverse world to play in and its heroes to play with was fantastic, plus the music from the card game!”
“Jean-Marc Giffin once again provides excellent music for a Sentinel Comics game.”
“Audio and music was extremely disappointing; here was a good opportunity to show off the epic nature of the setting but the effects felt bland and worst still the game cycles what feels like 2-3 tracks throughout the entire game with little rhyme or reason for it.”
“After ~15 hours of playing I only have one real complaint: the music is maddeningly repetitive.”
“The music is unremarkable, and it seems like there's something off with the volume of attacks and voice lines.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often likening it to a whack-a-mole scenario with an overwhelming number of enemies. The combat system is described as unintuitive, making the experience feel drawn out and frustrating, especially when trying to unlock further customization options through lengthy and grindy gameplay.
“The game is more about taking down lots of enemies and grinding through what sometimes feels like endless enemies versus fewer stronger enemies.”
“However, it becomes a tedious whack-a-mole scenario.”
“You would expect these to be further customizable, and they apparently are, but you have to play through multiple slow, grindy maps to get to that point, which I could not.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for its lack of coherence, as character backgrounds and mechanics can lead to confusion rather than enhancing the player experience. While some strategies may yield better results, the overall development feels unrefined, suggesting that the game struggles to balance its strategic elements effectively.
“The game development reflects a passion for strategy games and the Sentinels universe, but it feels like the mechanics could be better optimized for a more enjoyable experience, as they sometimes lead in different directions that can confuse the player.”
“Character backgrounds and themes can also affect performance, such as increased action points or longer movement.”
“If I focused on AoE attacks with the same character, where I did not strategize using the mechanics, I would remove more enemies using the less optimized attack type.”
“Strategy games should reward players for making meaningful choices, not for being optimized.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is characterized by a playful, comic book style that resonates well with fans of classic superheroes. Players appreciate the creative and amusing writing, highlighted by memorable moments like the tutorial boss who humorously embraces his train persona, making for a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
“If you like classic superheroes, you might love the very comic book feeling of the game. If you like both, like I do, you're probably laughing as the first 'boss' of the tutorial, 'Freight Train', seems to really get too far into his train aesthetic and yells 'choo choo' as he bowls through heroes and calls his rear his caboose.”
“It is creative and even made me laugh a few times.”
“The writing is excellent - funny, and never too complicated.”
- character development3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized for being minimal, with reviewers noting a lack of depth and engagement in the characters. The focus appears to be more on tactical gameplay elements rather than on developing rich, evolving characters, leading to a sense of disappointment in the character design overall.
“No cover systems, a unique implementation of overwatch skills, an interesting 'stance' system, a focus on damage types, and next to no character development... only raw tactics.”
“The character design overall felt lackluster.”
“The character development is basically non-existent.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while the absence of random absurd setups may limit variety, upcoming additions like a skirmish mode promise to enhance replay value. Players find enough enjoyable elements to encourage repeated playthroughs.
“Stick with it though, and there is lots to love; replayability is definitely a plus!”
“The game offers so many different paths and choices that I find myself coming back for more.”
“Each playthrough feels fresh and exciting, making it hard to put down!”
“This is good (no random absurd setups) and bad (less replayability, variety) at the same time, but seeing as they are planning on adding a skirmish mode later, I'd say it's all good.”
“Stick with it though, and there is lots to love, and it seems like replayability is a plus!”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for its lack of stability, being described as a "buggy mess," which detracts from the overall experience despite its appealing 4-color comic aesthetic.
“A buggy mess with a four-color comic aesthetic.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
“I experienced constant lag and glitches that ruined the experience.”
