Battleborn

Twenty five characters, nice Pixar movie looks, and the mix of MOBA and first person shooter genres makes the first big Hero Shooter one of the most original games we've seen in years. Only the lack of more multiplayer modes and maps keeps Battleborn away from being one of the best games we've seen this first half of year.

Battleborn constantly pops with a charmingly garish visual style, a small army of exotic characters, and disorderly combat with just enough strategic edge to keep it from being sloppy. While some may find the clashing colors and overall derangement to be a little too busy, I personally felt right at home with its special blend of stupidity and style.

The new game from Gearbox is amazing. Lots of content, huge replayability and tons of unique characters at your disposal. The main event of the competitive multiplayer is Incursion, a MOBA FPS wannabe which works very well. Awesome bosses in every chapter. Its main problems are a extremely difficult one player campaign and the requirement of having more partners to play online.

Some minor balancing issues aside, Battleborn is a pretty good title: the gameplay is solid and fun, the roster of characters is rich and guarantees a lot of variety in combat, and the multiplayer modes will keep you entertained. The real problem, here, is the lack of a true, genuine personality that would allow it to rise above its competitors.

If you've ever wondered what the fuss of MOBAs are, or wanted a little more shooter in your battle arena, Battleborn is perfect for you. It is so different from the competitive shooters on the market at the minute. Once you get through the initial trail and error, you won't look back at all.

It's not perfect - characters get stuck on terrain, there's only a few multiplayer maps and you can't change characters in the middle of a match - but neither are we. Colorful characters, enjoyable gameplay with quite a bit of depth and Humor with a capital H make Battleborn a shooter that is certainly worth your attention.

The multiplayer is absolutely funny. Is plenty of characters. But the story mode and some of the heroes doesn't have the charisma that you could expect. Great ideas, but not so well developed.

All in all, I’d say Battleborn is a very well made game. The gameplay is fun and actually well thought out, and the characters all bring something different to the table. The story mode can be hit or miss, but the competitive side of things is really where the game shines in its strategy and game play.

Even though it's not the best in its genre, Battleborn is a game that can keep you entertained for a long while. It has a lot of potential, but it probably depends on how well the community receives it.

Gearbox's new game is weighed down by a lack of starting content and its campaign feels repetitive, although the different gameplay mechanics when using all of the 25 characters available, good matchmaking and the stability when you put it all together make an all-round game. It leaves you thinking that there are very few maps, although the competitive modes are really addictive and enjoyable once you understand the rules. Playing always online can be a negative for some, but when you manage to put together a committed team who want to wreak havoc, you can have a great time.

If Borderlands and the MOBA genre could have a baby, I imagine it would look something like Battleborn. Gearbox Software’s signature style shines here, even if the humor falls flat most of the time.

Battleborn is definitely a title I can get behind with its unique first person shooter approach, awesome cast of characters, gobs of weapons and power ups, and a hilarious framework to tie it all together. The game will take some getting used to and will force a few seasoned vets to step outside their comfort zone to enjoy the genus wonders that lie within. The hefty price tag may come with some initial sticker shock, especially after first firing it up, but those feeling will soon fade as you dedicate some time to Gearbox’s latest work by mowing down hordes of enemies and laughing hysterically in the process.

An interesting but shallow experience due to its lack of maps and game modes. The characters are the best part of Battleborn, but it's not enough to sustain the game.

For a first attempt at an ever-saturating genre, Battleborn feels like it has carved its niche in a large crowd that is vying for supremacy. While the genre is dominated by League of Legends and DOTA, Battleborn has successfully broken through with its own take on the genre, added lots of fun characters, and a wonderfully bright colour palette.

Battleborn is like a one-man band—there’s a whole lot going on, but the final product suffers due to spread resources. While lack of maps and missions may be resolved with DLC, the launch product comes off a bit shallow.

Battleborn is by no means a perfect game. Underneath its flaws however, there is a satisfying and fun character-driven shooter to be found.

Battleborn got us quite divided. Some praised its humor and the 25 colorful characters that make for a lot of farming, while others criticized the lack of maps, gameplay modes and overall content that's quite thin for a game sold at full price.

A pinch of Borderlands, a splash of MOBA and a collection of diverse heroes: While solo players get bored very fast, the coop- and versus-modes deliver solid action.

While Battleborn didn’t gel as well with my gaming sensibilities as much as I’d hoped it would, even I can’t deny that the game has a lot to offer to the right sort of gamer. If you’re itching for a new Borderlands-esque experience which is all but guaranteed to keep you occupied over the long term, Battleborn will certainly scratch that itch. If, however, you never cared for the Borderlands style of humor, and you’re more of a solo-minded gamer, you might want to look elsewhere for your next shooter fix.

Although certainly not without its flaws, Battleborn is a solid foundation for Gearbox to build upon in the upcoming months.

The cast of Battleborn is fantastic; I've enjoyed exploring the ins and outs of characters like the steampunk sniper Marquis and fungal healer Miko, and every time I play I'm focused on earning further access to the unique roster. However, there’s no interesting story for them to take part in, and a lack of interesting stages and multiplayer modes inspiring me to power through the slow unlocking process.

Bold concepts, but the experience never quite comes together. For all its potential, Battleborn feels dead on arrival.

Only buy into this with a dedicated online crew, or watch your enthusiasm for Battleborn die in its infancy. [July 2016, p70]

It’s an intriguing mix of online FPS mayhem and MOBA characteristics that can lead to especially fun matches. As such, it’s a shame that polishing issues arise constantly while also the current content is lacking.

Battleborn can deliver some enjoyable moments, but the lack of modes and maps, long match times, and excruciatingly slow progression combine to make the game feel like a grind more often than not.

With issues peppering its campaign as well as its multiplayer, Battleborn's fusion of first-person shooter and MOBA is far from a complete success. A lengthy list of complaints comes perilously close to overshadowing proceedings, so it's fortunate that its engaging upgrade system and varied roster of characters end up being the true stars keeping you invested in the multiplayer.

A surprisingly complicated shooter that could prove worthwhile for those who invest the time.

Battleborn offers a somewhat unique take on online based shooters by mixing in elements from Moba. The combination makes for some interesting battles where team work is just as important as a good aim. Add a surprisingly robust story mode and you will have plenty of fun ahead of you, even though the game is light on content and could use some polish all around.

Battleborn is a good multiplayer game that suffers a bit from its light content.

Layers of color, humor and fun gameplay hide an unpolished title, with full potential in reach - but only if Gearbox Software can expand the core mechanics with more content and variety.

When you do have a team where everyone knows their roles and works together, then it can be a lot of fun. Battleborn is a well-oiled machine with the potential for some great times to be had, but sometimes getting to those great times can take some patience.

Despite my issues with it, I’m having way more fun with Battleborn than I thought I would. It took a while, but I’ve managed to find a couple of characters whose playstyle I really like, and that’s enough to keep me going for a while longer. And I’ve had enough exciting matches that I see its potential. But it assumes its fundamental conceit is good enough that you’ll spend dozens of hours unlocking its full potential.

The combat is frantic and tense, but often feels samey and superficial. The in-match leveling works wonderfully in the campaign, but can become problematic in multiplayer. The varied cast of heroes adds longevity, but the game still feels relatively content light. With so many moving parts that never quite gel, I found plenty of things to love but just as much to feel confused by and ambivalent about.

Battleborn offers a seven hour long campaign that feels pretty weak, but the multiplayer is fun and there's lots of loot. Like many other games in this genre, Battleborn works best when you're playing together with friends.

When the game is firing on all cylinders, it is one of the most refreshing new IPs this generation. The problem is that the charm begins to wear off with age and the mediocre loot system doesn’t do enough to incentivize excessive replay.

The first impressions of Battleborn are disappointing because too many elements are thrown at you in too little time. The story missions seem rushed, but there is still fun in the game, for example when you discover a new tactic via the in-game leveling system. Battleborn has fun to offer, but you have to dig a little to find it.

Battleborn left me feeling like it was not bad or good, it just is, and that's not a good thing.

Aside from its charming presentation and humorous characters, it all feels a little shallow, offering snippets of things we’ve seen hundreds of times before.

An ambitious team shooter that struggles with its identity and is let down by a weak script and try-hard comedy.

The PvE and co-op experience that Battleborn provides is futile and scarcely interesting. On the PvP side Gearbox's title proves more worthy, but the game has too many gameplay issues to stand out in the competitive moba-like scene.

We wish the story had a stronger narrative, the online restrictions weren’t so frustrating, and the humor had more variety. But the diversity in everyone’s abilities and playstyles should be enough to keep the light of this last star shining for dedicated Gearbox fans.

A promising work in progress. [Issue#175, p.72]

Battleborn has plenty of ambition, but it just isn't particularly satisfying to play. It isn't broken, it's just the whole experience feels lightweight and derivative.

I applaud the ambition, but not every grand venture ends with triumph.

Battleborn has laid the groundwork for a decent online cooperative and competitive shooter, but most players would do will to hold off until it rectifies its balancing issues and dearth of content.

It's enjoyable in its best moments and especially in one of its multiplayer modes, but the problem comes with its lack of longevity.

Yet the single player was a bore in its core gameplay loop, the two multiplayer modes have issues with their map design, and the gating of characters and abilities just feels unnecessary for a MOBA. However, it is still possible to get a kick or two out of Battleborn.

Chaotic, frenetic and often clumsy, Battleborn is a game that has a lot of flaws in its core design. Still, we can't quite stop playing, mostly thanks to the great cast of playable characters, as well as the game's addicitve progression system.

In six months’ time it may well make its mark, but for now Battleborn’s mix of genres suffers from too little content and too much repetition.

Battleborn is a funny and beautiful world, but it stumbles at the hands of the game's excruciating progression systems and thin multiplayer modes.

I'm not sold on Battleborn's commitment to the MOBA genre but there's something fun there underneath all of it. I'll probably hop on occasionally to play Capture throughout its lifetime while the bulk of my efforts are spent on more polished shooters.

Somewhere in the confusion of half-baked genres, messy visuals and flawed design are some great features. Battleborn does itself no favours trying to convey them. For the persistent only. [July 2016, p.92]

Disarray is perhaps the best way to sum up Battleborn. [July 2016, p.108]