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Wild Bastards

The roguelike and FPS genres haven't been spliced so successfully since Deathloop—and Wild Bastards deserves just as much acclaim.
78%Game Brain Score
gameplay, story
grinding, monetization
80% User Score Based on 716 reviews
Critic Score 77%Based on 14 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchNintendo SwitchPCPCPlaystation 5Playstation 5Steam DeckSteam DeckWindowsWindowsXbox Series X|SXbox Series X|SPlayStationPlayStationXboxXbox

About

In "Wild Bastards," recruit and manage a team of 13 outlaws, each with unique weaponry and abilities, to wrangle loot and engage in intense shootouts on different planets. Flee from the posse of the puritanical Jebediah Chaste, ressurecting your dead gang members on a quest to reach the mythical Homestead. Prove your skills as a gunslinger in challenging tactical FPS combat with a variety of enemies and battle strategies.

Wild Bastards screenshot
Wild Bastards screenshot
Wild Bastards screenshot
Wild Bastards screenshot
Wild Bastards screenshot
Wild Bastards screenshot
Wild Bastards screenshot
Wild Bastards screenshot
Wild Bastards screenshot
Wild Bastards screenshot
Wild Bastards screenshot
+7

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 730 reviews
gameplay98 positive mentions
grinding10 negative mentions

  • Wild Bastards features a vibrant art style and engaging character design, with each outlaw having unique abilities and personalities that enhance the gameplay experience.
  • The game combines tactical decision-making with fast-paced FPS action, creating a satisfying gameplay loop that encourages experimentation with different character combinations.
  • The voice acting and writing are top-notch, adding humor and charm to the narrative and making the interactions between characters enjoyable.
  • The gameplay can feel repetitive, with many encounters becoming predictable and lacking variety, especially as players progress through the campaign.
  • Some players find the gunplay to be floaty and imprecise, leading to frustration during combat encounters where accuracy is crucial.
  • The feud system, which affects character relationships, can feel arbitrary and frustrating, as it may limit player choices and strategies without clear reasoning.
  • gameplay
    340 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Wild Bastards" has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the strategic elements and character-switching mechanics, while others criticize the repetitive nature and lack of depth compared to its predecessor, "Void Bastards." Many find the gunplay satisfying but note issues with enemy AI and readability, leading to frustrating moments in combat. Overall, while the game offers a unique art style and engaging narrative, its gameplay loop may not be compelling enough for all players, particularly those seeking a more complex experience.

    • “The gameplay loop is tight and fun while really emphasizing strategic decisions.”
    • “Wild bastards focuses on bite-sized but challenging shootouts, and the more focused approach may seem limiting, but allows for a very satisfying gameplay loop.”
    • “The gameplay feels really good, especially with how unique each character plays.”
    • “While the art style looks extremely cool in screenshots, the readability of the gameplay (e.g. being able to distinguish enemies from the environment) is abysmal.”
    • “The aforementioned 'shotgun in your face'-type of situations are also the main reason why I cannot recommend this game from a first-person shooter perspective: Wild Bastards clearly tries to give its firefights a 'western duel'-type of flair, but a lot of the enemy classes simply aren't fun to fight against from a gameplay mechanics standpoint.”
    • “Sadly, the gameplay is shallow and repetitive.”
  • story
    132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of the game is generally seen as entertaining and humorous, with a focus on character interactions and a narrative that provides context for gameplay actions. However, opinions vary widely; while some players appreciate the depth and character development, others find the plot underwhelming or anticlimactic, leading to a mixed reception overall. The game offers a significant campaign length and replayability through procedural elements, but some players feel the story lacks cohesion and can feel rushed or incomplete at times.

    • “Amazing gameplay, awesome music, and a surprisingly interesting story for an action rogue-like.”
    • “The story heavily gives you the context for your actions, and helps the emergent storytelling that happens when you beam down on planets with your selected outlaws.”
    • “The story, characters, and overall vibes are a massive improvement over Void Bastards in my opinion.”
    • “Apparently, only 15.5% of players actually completed the campaign so far – and after completing the story a few minutes ago, I understand why.”
    • “To be honest, I should have listened to my gut feeling and simply stopped there, because after finishing the story all I can come up with is 'meh'.”
    • “The story and dialogue are unfortunately more forgettable than the characters themselves.”
  • graphics
    103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received high praise for their vibrant and unique art style, reminiscent of comic book aesthetics, which many players find visually stunning and engaging. However, some reviewers noted issues with gameplay readability, making it difficult to distinguish enemies from the environment, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these concerns, the art style is generally considered a strong point, contributing to the game's charm and appeal.

    • “The art style is unbelievably good and fresh.”
    • “Blue Manchu has brought back the fantastic 2.5D comic book art style of Void Bastards, and it is beautiful when applied to the bigger, open spaces represented on the different planets.”
    • “Incredible fun, with a charming cast of characters and a vibrant art style.”
    • “Much like Void Bastards, the game's visuals are either the thing catching your eye or turning you away from the game completely.”
    • “That in itself is already infuriating from a game-design perspective, but due to the flashiness of the art style, you'll have to trust your ears (and the radar on top of the screen) to not constantly run into shotgun barrels.”
    • “While the roguelike nature and graphical style of the two games are similar, apart from a few basic elements, the similarities end there.”
  • humor
    47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing, funny dialogue, and engaging character interactions, often evoking laughter from players. The combination of a vibrant art style, quirky characters, and a lighthearted, cartoonish tone contributes to an overall wacky and enjoyable experience. While some reviewers noted a lack of deeper satirical elements, the humor remains a standout feature that enhances the gameplay and narrative.

    • “The writing and voice acting are great, and actually quite funny!”
    • “Fun characters, writing that made me laugh out loud a handful of times, and a unique combination of crew management, board game movement, and FPS encounters.”
    • “The conversations between the bastards are charming and funny, and it makes you feel like they've known each other for a long time.”
  • music
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and memorable themes, with standout tracks that linger in players' minds long after gameplay. While the audio and sound design are considered superb, some players noted issues with volume control, particularly during showdown intros. Overall, the music complements the engaging gameplay and narrative, enhancing the overall experience.

    • “Amazing gameplay, awesome music, and a surprisingly interesting story for an action rogue-like.”
    • “The music, while quite atmospheric and therefore not too high key, managed to present a few themes that stuck to my ear even after a week from finishing the game - namely, the 'forest' (ear worm, this one), 'outlaw sortie', 'posse is coming', 'moon' and 'wild bastards titles' tracks stood above the rest.”
    • “The characters, atmosphere, and music are wonderful.”
    • “Also, the loudest thing in the game is the showdown intro tracks, which isn't controlled by music volume; it's on main volume, and turning that down makes everything else basically inaudible.”
    • “The music, while quite atmospheric and therefore not too high key, managed to present a few themes that stuck to my ear even after a week from finishing the game - namely, the 'forest' (ear worm, this one), 'outlaw sortie', 'posse is coming', 'moon', and 'wild bastards titles' tracks stood above the rest.”
  • character development
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development in the game is highly praised, with reviewers highlighting the top-tier character design, engaging voice acting, and strong personality traits of the characters. Many appreciate the effort put into creating unique abilities and synergies among the characters, although some feel that the gameplay does not match the quality of the character work. Overall, the character design and writing stand out as the strongest aspects of the game, despite mixed feelings about the gameplay experience.

    • “The character design is top-tier; I found each of the bastards a lot of fun to play with, and finding fun synergies between them was also great.”
    • “You can see where they thought to expand the areas of Void Bastards that proved engaging and successful, but this loop is far less interesting than that game, and for all the effort put into character design and production, I'm just not having any fun.”
    • “I can only imagine just how much work went into character development and balancing in this game.”
    • “Strongest point: character design and voice acting, very well done.”
  • replayability
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    "Wild Bastards" offers solid replayability through its remixed solar systems and a procedural campaign mode that unlocks after completing the main story. Players can experiment with different character builds and ace card upgrades, although the reliance on RNG may deter some from repeated playthroughs. While the game has replay value, particularly on higher difficulties, some reviewers feel it lacks enough variety to justify extensive replaying.

    • “Despite the long main campaign, it is still highly replayable considering how remixed each solar system can be and how you might not appreciate certain outlaw pairings until you experiment even further than you do on your first run.”
    • “Once you complete the story, it opens up a procedural campaign mode, so it's got solid replayability.”
    • “Replayability comes from the random campaign mode which has random characters selected to join your team per sector instead of the set story unlocks, and trying out higher difficulties which has more punishing roguelike permadeath mechanics.”
    • “Wild Bastards is seriously lacking in well-thought-out systems that make for challenging, emergent gameplay and replayability.”
    • “I would highly recommend this game for a first playthrough (play on hard, feels way better than normal) but don't expect a ton of replay value. The systems are there to facilitate replays, but I don't think the game is varied enough to warrant them.”
    • “Picking up ace cards for your characters will not only level them up but give them buffs too. For a AA game, it sure does feel like there's a lot of replayability to offer, but this may be where some are discouraged because the game relies a lot on RNG.”
  • grinding
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players consistently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and poorly paced, with repetitive tasks that lack meaningful decision-making and impactful gameplay. Many find the experience of farming and completing challenges to be monotonous, often leading to frustration as they hunt for elusive enemies or engage in unchallenging combat. Overall, the grind detracts from the enjoyment, making the journey feel more like a chore than an engaging adventure.

    • “When farming infamy, clicking wait and then yes to the double-dare like 3-5 times per prince gets really, really boring.”
    • “You'll spend a significant amount of time fighting enemies that have no chance against you, which ends up feeling very grindy.”
    • “Often you spend half of the time in a showdown hunting for the last couple of enemies hidden away somewhere on the map, which gets tedious pretty quickly.”
  • optimization
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is well-optimized, with no major bugs or visual performance issues reported on a laptop equipped with an i7-11370h processor, 16GB of RAM, and an RTX 3060 graphics card. Players appreciate the overall style, writing, and performances, although some find the abrupt introduction of villains at the end of chapters to be jarring.

    • “No major bugs or visual performance issues on a laptop using an i7-11370H processor, 16 GB of RAM, and an RTX 3060 laptop card.”
  • atmosphere
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with its atmospheric music featuring memorable themes that linger long after gameplay. Reviewers highlight the strong combination of characters, story, and sound design, although some feel it doesn't quite match the exploration and quirkiness of similar titles like "Void Bastards." Overall, the atmosphere is described as immersive and engaging.

    • “The music, while quite atmospheric and therefore not too high key, managed to present a few themes that stuck to my ear even after a week from finishing the game - namely, the 'forest' (ear worm, this one), 'outlaw sortie', 'posse is coming', 'moon' and 'wild bastards titles' tracks stood above the rest.”
    • “The characters, atmosphere and music are wonderful.”
    • “Amazing atmosphere and story but doesn't live up to Void Bastards' exploration and other quirkiness.”
  • monetization
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players expressing frustration over intrusive ads and a gameplay experience that feels awkward and unrefined. While there is a call for accountability from larger corporations regarding monetization practices, players also recognize the challenges faced by indie developers in an oversaturated market. Overall, the monetization strategy appears to detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “It's one thing to demand more from huge corporations that squeeze every ounce of monetization out of their products, but as gamers, we should be careful not to turn that justified outrage towards the developers who flee the triple-A space into the now oversaturated indie space.”
    • “It's one thing to demand more of huge corporations that squeeze every ounce of monetization out of their products, but as gamers we should be careful not to turn that (justified) outrage towards the developers who flee the triple-A space into the now oversaturated indie space.”
    • “Ads are clunky, you constantly run into apparently deadly 1-inch deep puddles, and poison enemies have pinpoint accuracy and essentially 1-shot your character.”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, users report that stability is generally good, with glitches being infrequent and mostly limited to minor map interface issues that can be resolved with a restart, along with a rare instance of an enemy falling under the map.

    • “All glitches I encountered were very infrequent and consisted of a few map interface glitches (which were fixed with a restart) and one enemy spawning/falling under the map in a single showdown instance.”
    • “Glitches”
    • “Glitches”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional response to the game is largely negative, with players feeling it evokes the less appealing aspects of the Borderlands series, leading to a sense of disappointment and frustration rather than engagement or enjoyment.

Buy Wild Bastards

26h Median play time
29h Average play time
8-60h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 9 analyzed playthroughs

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