Skyshine's BEDLAM

50%
Game Brain Score Based on 478 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Skyshine's BEDLAM Game Cover
A punishing take on the Rogue-inspired genre, Bedlam is weird and colorful and stressful.
Starting at $1.80Buy now
Get on Steam

Skyshine's BEDLAM is a post-apocalyptic, turn-based strategy game where you command a powerful Dozer vehicle. As the Mechanic, you'll manage resources, upgrade your Dozer, and protect passengers while navigating through a procedurally generated wasteland. Experience challenging battles, interact with unique characters, and make vital decisions in this beautifully designed game.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

50%
Audience ScoreBased on 478 reviews
gameplay37 positive mentions
stability18 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and charming art style that enhances the post-apocalyptic atmosphere.
  • The tactical combat system, while challenging, encourages strategic thinking and resource management.
  • The developers have shown commitment to improving the game based on player feedback, resulting in a more enjoyable experience.
  • The combat mechanics can feel unbalanced, with players often facing overwhelming odds against stronger enemies.
  • The game lacks meaningful character progression and customization, making it difficult to form an emotional attachment to units.
  • Random encounters and resource management can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially when resources are scarce.
  • gameplay150 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its tactical elements and unique mechanics, but criticizing its balance and overall execution. While some appreciate the art style and atmosphere, numerous users report issues with bugs, overly simplistic mechanics, and frustrating design choices that detract from the experience. Overall, the game shows potential but is hampered by a lack of depth and polish in its gameplay systems.

    • “The art is great, the atmosphere is on point, and the gameplay is good fun (provided you liked games like Banner Saga).”
    • “Beautiful art, great soundtrack, fun and challenging gameplay (maybe slightly too challenging), good roguelike elements.”
    • “Bedlam Redux is now a must-play for anyone who likes tactical combat and/or roguelike gameplay!”
    • “Difficulty/game mechanics are straight up garbage (coming from someone who enjoys legendary ironman on XCOM!!), very questionable design decisions to artificially ramp up difficulty (forced max level for your troops to keep them weaker than enemies, you can only field half the amount of troops in comparison to the enemy, etc.).”
    • “The game would have been good if they did not in fact have a tactical battle system which just so happens to be the central mechanic and the weakest link.”
    • “The gameplay is just boring. This game has just so many design flaws when it comes to gameplay that I just don't want to play it, not because it's frustrating or too hard, no it is just boring.”
  • graphics105 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their unique and charming art style, often compared to comic book aesthetics and reminiscent of titles like Borderlands. Many reviewers highlighted the impressive atmosphere created by the visuals, which effectively complement the post-apocalyptic theme. However, some noted that while the graphics are visually appealing, they are undermined by clunky combat animations and gameplay mechanics that detract from the overall experience.

    • “The artwork, which has a Mad Max vibe, is outstanding and the turn-based battles are fun and not too long.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, the animation is top-notch, and the writing isn't bad.”
    • “The art style is awesome and spot on for this game.”
    • “The graphics clearly took some time to make, but are average.”
    • “Upon closer examination, every zone is pretty much exactly the same with enemies being graphically different and that’s it, and the events themselves are all pretty much the same regardless of the zone you are in.”
    • “Otherwise, passable graphics, poor voice acting, passable animations, pointless back story.”
  • story71 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its charm and humor, while others find it repetitive and lacking depth. Many reviews highlight the entertaining lore and character backstories, but criticize the overall narrative for being shallow and formulaic, often leading to a sense of monotony after multiple playthroughs. Despite its engaging art style and potential for interesting quests, the storytelling fails to maintain player interest due to its limited variation and underwhelming resolutions.

    • “The art, the world, the story, the premise all do a great job sucking me into the game.”
    • “The lore and storytelling in the game is great.”
    • “I do like the overall art and the story is fun and cheesy and full of B-movie tropes.”
    • “There's basically no story other than 'get from point A to point B.' The balance is woefully difficult, to the point that it's not very enjoyable.”
    • “The story is pretty lackluster, as well.”
    • “You'll find yourself running into the same story choices again and again, and they are typically just a few screens with a paragraph or three of dialogue.”
  • replayability24 mentions

    The reviews on replayability for Skyshine's Bedlam are mixed, with some players praising its high replay value due to procedural variants and engaging content, while others criticize the repetitive events and limited changes across different races and dozers, leading to a lower overall replayability. Many users note that while the game offers hours of fun and challenge, the lack of diverse mechanics and content can diminish the replay experience after several campaigns. Overall, the game's replayability is seen as variable, with some finding it excellent and others feeling it falls short.

    • “If you're looking for a great strategy game with unique art, a decent challenge, and hours of replayability, then Skyshine's Bedlam is the game for you.”
    • “Replay value is through the roof!”
    • “Banner Saga meets Oregon Trail in a post-apocalyptic world, tense tactical combat that will resonate well with lovers of intricate games like chess, peppered with tough decision making and resource management, infinitely replayable and hard as nails.”
    • “Its many procedural variants could ensure the replayability if not for the growing difficulty, which makes the game unplayable after 4 or 5 campaigns.”
    • “Unfortunately, replay value is low as not enough game mechanics change when using a different race (mutant, human, or cyborg) or dozer (strugglebus, etc.).”
    • “The combat is bad, but what is much worse is the complete lack of content and replayability: you will get the same events over and over with the same outcome.”
  • stability20 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, freezes, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. While some players find enjoyment despite these issues, the overall consensus is that the game suffers from poor design and technical problems, making it difficult to recommend.

    • “I'm not experiencing any bugs.”
    • “So far, the game is bug-free.”
    • “Insanely difficult, bug-ridden mess.”
    • “On top of that, the game frequently freezes up.”
    • “Way too buggy and poorly explained to recommend.”
  • music19 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its charm and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting the great soundtrack and fitting sound design that complements the game's themes. While the art and music contribute positively to the experience, some players feel that the gameplay mechanics detract from the enjoyment. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that adds depth and enjoyment to the game.

    • “Beautiful art, great soundtrack, fun and challenging gameplay (maybe slightly too challenging), good roguelike elements.”
    • “The great art style and music really do give the game its overall charm and atmosphere.”
    • “The music fits the post-apocalyptic theme perfectly.”
    • “Charming graphics and music, but the game is plagued by horrible combat mechanics.”
    • “The art, music, and many of the game mechanics are great, but sadly this game just isn't that fun as is.”
    • “The game world, while having a pleasing art style and music, has massive logic flaws.”
  • atmosphere18 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its gritty yet humorous tone, complemented by excellent art and sound design that effectively evoke a post-apocalyptic setting. Reviewers highlight the detailed graphics and fitting soundtrack, which enhance the overall charm and immersion, despite some criticisms regarding combat depth. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, making the game enjoyable for fans of tactical combat and unique artistic styles.

    • “The atmosphere is gritty but has lots of light humor to lighten it up, making for good entertainment.”
    • “The developer does a really good job creating the atmosphere for this game with the gritty art style and sound design.”
    • “The great art style and music really give the game its overall charm and atmosphere.”
    • “Averal, compared to similar rogue-like games, Bedlam falls short of content, variation, and atmosphere, and that's a shame because I really want this game to be good :(”
  • grinding13 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly when preparing for boss battles, which often require significant time investment to gather resources and power. While some updates have made the game feel less grindy, many still feel that extensive grinding is necessary to progress, leading to frustration and boredom for those who prefer a more dynamic gameplay experience. Overall, the grinding can be rewarding for dedicated players, but it may deter others who seek a more engaging and varied challenge.

    • “However, after a while, it does start to feel ever so slightly tedious as there really are only a couple of events, and each one has more or less the same exact outcome.”
    • “End - pretty tough again unless you spent about 8 hours or so grinding to get there.”
    • “The only way I can even imagine being able to beat the game is by, in a very un-roguelike fashion, literally spending hours (with no save game feature as far as I can tell) grinding in the wasteland to gather enough power to be able to spam equalizers constantly during the king viscera fights.”
  • humor10 mentions

    The game features a blend of light and dark humor, effectively balancing its gritty atmosphere with comedic elements that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the well-crafted lore and side quests that incorporate humor, making for entertaining gameplay. While the humor may not be the primary draw, it adds a unique charm, with many finding the death animations particularly amusing.

    • “The atmosphere is gritty but has lots of light humor to lighten it up, making for good entertainment.”
    • “You play this one because the dev team worked hard for some funny, interesting, and relatively consistent lore stories for side quests that are almost as fun as necessary.”
    • “It's decent and has its tense moments, but it's not really what keeps me playing (though the death animations are hilarious!).”
  • character development2 mentions

    Reviews indicate a significant lack of character development, with minimal differences between character types and no meaningful progression systems such as equipment upgrades or leveling. Players express disappointment over the absence of merchants and management options, leading to a stagnant gameplay experience.

    • “There is absolutely no character development that I saw, and the choices between character types are almost insignificant; a sniper can shoot maybe 2 more squares than a shotgun, which is only one more than melee.”
    • “There is no character development, no equipment, no merchants to sell said equipment, and no level-up management.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Reviews highlight a disconnect between the game's aesthetic appeal and its emotional engagement, with players expressing disappointment over frustrating mechanics that hinder emotional investment. While the game resonates with sci-fi enthusiasts, it ultimately falls short in fostering a deeper emotional connection.

    • “I will be back and will change my opinion if things change to fix these heartbreaking issues.”
    • “While it hits all the right notes for sci-fi lovers in terms of aesthetic and tone, it fails to satisfy for long with inexplicable mechanics that seem difficult for the sake of difficulty and a lack of opportunities to form an emotional investment.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising smooth performance and minimal bugs, while others report issues such as frame rate drops and long loading times. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary significantly across different hardware configurations.

    • “The game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, often dropping during intense scenes.”
    • “Loading times are excessively long, making it frustrating to jump back into the action.”
    • “There are frequent crashes and bugs that disrupt gameplay, indicating a lack of proper optimization.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

55% average critic score

Buy Skyshine's BEDLAM

Play time

4hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
2-24hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games