Bad North

 Switch
Bad North Image
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 46 Ratings

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  • Summary: Bad North is a charming but brutal real-time tactics roguelite. Defend your idyllic island kingdom against a horde of Viking invaders, as you lead the desperate exodus of your people. Command your loyal subjects to take full tactical advantage of the unique shape of each island.

    Everything    Bad North is a charming but brutal real-time tactics roguelite. Defend your idyllic island kingdom against a horde of Viking invaders, as you lead the desperate exodus of your people. Command your loyal subjects to take full tactical advantage of the unique shape of each island.

    Everything is at stake: fail, and watch the blood of your subjects stain the ground red.    … Expand

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Bad North - Announcement Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Digitally Downloaded
    Aug 20, 2018
    90
    It's a rare example of where the randomisation of the roguelike structure doesn't feel like a lazy excuse to ignore level design. Rather, it provides a canvas to allow some of the cleanest and engaging tactical action that we've seen in quite some time play out.
  2. Nintendo Life
    Aug 22, 2018
    90
    A slice of Viking strategic combat right out of the heart of Scandinavia’s indie development scene, Bad North joins the likes of Element at the vanguard of a new wave of smart yet intrinsically accessible real-time strategy titles. With enough enemy variance to convince you you’re playing an interactive episode of the Vikings TV show, this endlessly entertaining sea of bite-size battles will teach you to fear - and love - the sound of the oncoming horde.
  3. Switch Player
    Sep 4, 2018
    80
    Bad North not only manages to bring the RTS genre to the consoles, but it does that in a surprisingly good way thanks to its minimalist philosophy and rewarding tactical combat system.
  4. 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.
  5. NintendoWorldReport
    Aug 23, 2018
    70
    Bad North is, broadly speaking, a hard game to recommend even if I came out the other side enjoying it. The style and thoughtful minimalist reworking of the real-time strategy game is exemplary, but the unrelenting back half of the roguelike adventure can sour a good time. I can wholeheartedly recommend Bad North if you fall into either of these camps: someone who’s into a novel RTS twist on the good old-fashioned hard-as-hell roguelike or someone who can chill out to a brutal yet serene RTS that has some rough edges.
  6. Cubed3
    Sep 6, 2018
    60
    Endearingly minimalistic and simple enough without compromising potential depth, Bad North works surprisingly well with its premise, but is ultimately held back by from reaching the greatness it easily could have attained. A roguelike RTT is an interesting concept, but the title does suffer from a lack of traditional level design once the difficulty curve begins to spike. On top of that, freezing can occur when returning to the world map after a mission. Autosave ensures progress is never lost, but it's nonetheless frustrating. Bad North is not a bad RTS by any means, offering a fairly strong first half, but a lack of cohesion between difficulty and level design makes its back half less palatable.
  7. TheSixthAxis
    Aug 23, 2018
    50
    Bad North has a lot of potential, but it wastes most of that by doubling down on simplicity over depth. In many rogue-lite games starting a new run is an exciting prospect, as you know your newly acquired player skill will carry you through, but the slower pace here makes it feel a lot more like having to do the hoovering again because someone ate a pastry with no regard for your nice clean carpet.

See all 11 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 21
  3. Negative: 4 out of 21
  1. patrduha777
    Oct 24, 2022
    10
    put simply, this game is fun !!!!
    i switch the blood off ,great option
    this game relaxes me a lot, and i ENJOY THIS MINIMALIST STRATEGY WAR    put simply, this game is fun !!!!
    i switch the blood off ,great option
    this game relaxes me a lot, and i ENJOY THIS MINIMALIST STRATEGY WAR GAME
    i spent more than 200 hours, cant stop playing it in switch ps5 an xbox
    NEED MORE GAMES LIKE THIS AND DLC    … Expand
  2. Seraj03
    Oct 8, 2018
    10
    For an indie, this game just keeps dragging me in and making me want to play more. With it's maxed 3 minutes per island, this is a pickup andFor an indie, this game just keeps dragging me in and making me want to play more. With it's maxed 3 minutes per island, this is a pickup and go which is literally defining the switch. With different classes to choose from and findable items, it's one of those games that you actually wanna play again, which is rare for most people. Overall just a beauty for a simple indie title.… Expand
  4. MedusaMadman77
    Aug 21, 2018
    9
    I'm only a few hours in, but I absolutely love this game. Probably some of the best touchscreen controls I've come across on Switch. It'sI'm only a few hours in, but I absolutely love this game. Probably some of the best touchscreen controls I've come across on Switch. It's great in short bursts and easy to learn. If you like tranquil but hectic experiences (a bit like Kingdom), then Bad North is worth the money.… Expand
  5. G4Y_NIGG4
    Sep 20, 2018
    8
    Realistic review: This game is simple but great RTS. There are only 3 classes, a hand full of enemy types, but that is enough to make a brutalRealistic review: This game is simple but great RTS. There are only 3 classes, a hand full of enemy types, but that is enough to make a brutal and satisfying experience. Levels are different (randomly generated) each playthrough.
    People who love easy to learn - hard to master game mechanics should buy this game. People who want a exciting scripted campaign, complex systems and a lot of variation should stay away from it.    … 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 beSo 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
  7. 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    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
  8. bnan_j
    Jul 24, 2023
    1
    Nice art style and unique mechanics. Comes with one of the cheapest trope though: difficulty curve suddenly shoots upward at the final thirdNice art style and unique mechanics. Comes with one of the cheapest trope though: difficulty curve suddenly shoots upward at the final third of the game all of a sudden to keep you from finishing it. If you don't get lucky, you will end up wasting a few good hours on nothing.… Expand

See all 21 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

75
#75 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018