Bad North

 Switch
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 46
  3. Negative: 9 out of 46

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  1. EnduroDoug
    Aug 28, 2018
    6
    I really like the visuals, the controls, and the music and sound effects. I don't even mind the scaled down gameplay. But what really irks me is how difficult the game gets all of a sudden toward the late stages and, to be honest, after three runs of 2+ hours, I don't know if I care enough to try again. I really want to complete the game, but another 2-3 hours of play, just so I canI really like the visuals, the controls, and the music and sound effects. I don't even mind the scaled down gameplay. But what really irks me is how difficult the game gets all of a sudden toward the late stages and, to be honest, after three runs of 2+ hours, I don't know if I care enough to try again. I really want to complete the game, but another 2-3 hours of play, just so I can suddenly get wiped out with nothing to show for it doesn't really interest me. If I could have even resurrected one Commander for the following play-through, it would have made it much more enjoyable. And MUCH more replayable.… Expand
  2. SSCheetah
    Sep 6, 2018
    6
    Kinda cool but unfortunately not quite worth the money.

    The visuals are good (aside from the character art, ugh) but I dislike the inconsistency between beautiful 3D maps and cheap-looking sprites for soldiers. Sounds are pretty good, a bit clunky at times but simple and very fitting for the game. Gameplay-wise the core concept is amazing. Aside from slightly awkward camera    Kinda cool but unfortunately not quite worth the money.

    The visuals are good (aside from the character art, ugh) but I dislike the inconsistency between beautiful 3D maps and cheap-looking sprites for soldiers.

    Sounds are pretty good, a bit clunky at times but simple and very fitting for the game.

    Gameplay-wise the core concept is amazing. Aside from slightly awkward camera controls the gameplay is brilliant: you control four units with three types to select from each with their own uses and tactically defend your island. It's a lovely idea and the the way you control your troops is quite fluid, not perfect but pretty good.

    Where this game falls apart is the insane difficulty level toward the end. As other users have said already there is no sense of reward when you put hours into a long and difficult campaign to just lose in the third last island, and then that's it. Game over, start again; no rewards or unlockables to make your next playthrough different. A "tactical rogue-lite" is how it's advertised so maybe I should've known better because I struggle with the idea behind rogue-likes... But the permadeath simply makes no sense in a game like this and after one play through with nearly unbeatable odds at the end you really don't feel like trying again. This game might be great for people who are happy to practise over and over again to do a no deaths speedrun in Celeste, or who love rogue-likes. But for the average gamer who wants to retry a level after losing, it's really frustrating and off-putting. I guess putting yourself in the mindset of an arcade game or an endless runner, where you are just lasting as long as you can until you fail, might help a little bit, but it's weird because there actually is a final island and a game could last a couple hours (you can save and continue though). Basically IMO it'd be so much more fun if the permadeath was optional or the difficulty was toned down even just on the final 3 or 4 levels. Definitely worth a go though if you are content with the mindset that it's like Tetris or something and you're just seeing how far you get, not actually thinking about "winning."

    On the plus side, there were a few game-breaking bugs that the developer promptly patched. The game is still being worked on by its developers and that's really encouraging to see.    … Expand
  3. TheSeahorse
    Aug 23, 2018
    5
    Why this game had to be a rougelite I will never understand. It would work perfectly fine as a game you play with levels that you can redo and then a hardmode with permadeath but no, they had to make both difficulties permadeath.

    It adds nothing to the game, just frustration. You don’t get any rewards per run or anything like it. It’s the worst kind of rougelite. It’s so frustrating    Why this game had to be a rougelite I will never understand. It would work perfectly fine as a game you play with levels that you can redo and then a hardmode with permadeath but no, they had to make both difficulties permadeath.

    It adds nothing to the game, just frustration. You don’t get any rewards per run or anything like it. It’s the worst kind of rougelite.

    It’s so frustrating when you’ve played for three hours (easy three hours too) and then a new enemy you’ve never seen before comes in and whoops your ass since you didn’t know his attacks. Now you gotta do it all over again.

    It sucks because the game is super good and fun.

    Make it possible to retry levels on normal and it’s a 8/10, but now... it gets the boot.    … Expand
  4. drlowdon
    Sep 8, 2023
    6
    Bad North is essentially a tower defence game with the goal of each level being to defend a small island from invaders, rougelite elements force the play to restart or reload a significantly earlier checkpoint upon defeat.

    Initially I did quite enjoy this title, but with each level/island playing out in virtually the same way, it quickly became pretty repetitive and with runs lasting 2+    Bad North is essentially a tower defence game with the goal of each level being to defend a small island from invaders, rougelite elements force the play to restart or reload a significantly earlier checkpoint upon defeat.

    Initially I did quite enjoy this title, but with each level/island playing out in virtually the same way, it quickly became pretty repetitive and with runs lasting 2+ hours I had no desire to continue playing after just my first defeat.    … Expand
  5. syce16
    Jan 22, 2019
    7
    Bad North is a fantastic little adventure that tells the story of a small group of warriors that are fighting to save the small islands they live on from invaders. Bad North has some beautiful art, solid music, and a very addicting gameplay formula. The game does fall short in some areas mostly in providing the player with more variety in customizing their units. Overall however the gameBad North is a fantastic little adventure that tells the story of a small group of warriors that are fighting to save the small islands they live on from invaders. Bad North has some beautiful art, solid music, and a very addicting gameplay formula. The game does fall short in some areas mostly in providing the player with more variety in customizing their units. Overall however the game is incredibly charming with a great simple combat that strategy game lovers will fall in love with.

    The art style of Bad North is absolutely beautiful throughout the journey. The islands are randomly generated and always come out looking beautiful. The colors are soft and pop really well with the fog that surrounds the island. The further you get into the journey the more character the islands get. I remember thinking earlier on that I thought I had seen everything the islands had to offer until I landed on an island that had red grass and a huge cemetery throughout the island. Each time I landed on an island I was general looking forward to seeing its design and always took a bit before starting to admire the great layouts that they game created. Another piece of the islands that I really admired was how the weather could change the island. Rain and wind as well as thunderstorms give the islands even more character and beauty.
    The music in the game compliments the art style and gameplay really well. The songs are intense but don't take away from the beautiful nature that these battles take place on.

    The game makes the player protect the island from invaders that come in waves. The island is setup in a grid system similar to other strategy games but really analyzing the island and finding the best spots to hold make a huge difference in your ability to fight off the invaders. The main goal is to protect the houses and other buildings found on the island. Each house, depending on the size, provides the player with points that they can spend on upgrading the different platoons. The standard units can be upgraded to new classes like archers and infantry. The different classes have strengths and weaknesses that add to the strategic approach the player must take to each battle. The game is set to ramp the difficulty up as the player progresses like most rogue like titles. As you upgrade your units to archers the incoming waves also obtain archers.
    Really learning how to use each unit and figure out where they will do well on each island creates a great deal of strategy to this game that seems quite simple at first glance. The developers also added skills and items that you can give to your platoons to create another interesting layer.

    Bad North has many parts of the game that are absolutely lovely and make it a title that I would suggest strategy lovers should buy for their Switch. There are some places where the game struggles though. The combat feels simple enough to pick up but, can get a little tiresome with how forward it can be. The upgrade system provides a great layer to the combat but with only one branching choice on which class the platoon should be it feels a bit unfinished. I also feel like the game could benefit from an explanation of the journey. The story isn’t at all important to the game but, I think it would add to the narrative of the battles if we knew who these warriors were and why they are fighting. The bad parts of the game are small complaints when looking at the game as a whole and shouldn't sway anyone from picking up this fantastic title.

    Bad North’s simple game play and beautiful world give a great adventure that pulls you back for more even after your first failure. There are small things that don’t feel fully fleshed out that hold the game back from being something truly great but, they don’t stop it from being a true joy to play through.    … Expand
  6. Bunterboy
    Sep 19, 2018
    7
    So the core mechanics of this game - the RTS vibe - are great but what's missing is a sense of progression. I know that this is supposed to be a roguelike and what comes with that is the frankly unnecessary difficulty, random stages and starting again but after an hour or so it's just doing the same thing over and over again. I like the game, a lot, however there is only so many times youSo the core mechanics of this game - the RTS vibe - are great but what's missing is a sense of progression. I know that this is supposed to be a roguelike and what comes with that is the frankly unnecessary difficulty, random stages and starting again but after an hour or so it's just doing the same thing over and over again. I like the game, a lot, however there is only so many times you can do essentially the same thing without any actual progress or development.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

75
#75 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. PLAY! Zine
    May 13, 2019
    80
    A great game for "on the go“ for those that like to relax, then think and then rip their hair out in frustration.
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  2. Nintenderos
    Sep 21, 2018
    80
    The artistic quality and the simple but complete mechanics make Bad North an essential game for those who love RTS. Simply beautiful.
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  3. Nintendo Insider
    Sep 11, 2018
    80
    Small flaws like the lack of customisation and differing styles in enemies can be overlooked if you treat the game as it comes. Bad North is a game that manages to balance the fine line between puzzle game and simulation delivering a tactical roguelike which constantly feels refreshing.
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