Battle Brothers

 Switch
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Softpedia
    Mar 22, 2021
    85
    Newcomers to the franchise will find Battle Brothers very hard to pick up, especially due to the lack of a proper tutorial. I do love those games that don't hold your hand, but I think Battle Brothers is in a league of its own and some more complex aspects should be made more clear. Although the learning curve is quite steep, once you get the hang of it, Battle Brothers is actually a very enjoyable experience. I strongly recommend those looking for a challenging turn-based RPG to give Battle Brothers a try, not just for the complexity of building the perfect company of brothers, but also for its stunning soundtrack and art style.
  2. NintendoWorldReport
    Mar 17, 2021
    85
    Battle Brothers has exhibited a clear vision in what it wants to be: a painfully grueling and dark world with a system of commerce that’s equally punishing. This is a system where crowns make the world go round and everything is replaceable, for a price. The breadth of dialogue, world-building paragraphs, and light agency in storytelling let you build the world according to what you hear. It’s a world I want to dive into again and again, even if I know this incarnation will be just as taxing.
  3. Pure Nintendo
    Apr 2, 2021
    80
    A turn-based tactical RPG set in a medieval fantasy map, Battle Brothers isn’t the most original premise, but it is well executed and easy to get hooked on.
  5. Cubed3
    Mar 22, 2021
    80
    Battle Brothers feels like a really natural fit on the Switch. The open-world nature of the game is one that is easy to get lost in and therefore having the ability to take it on the go is a fantastic attribute. As good as that is, the clunkiness of some of the controls on the console will take a bit of getting used to. However, the fact is there is not really any other title like this on the console with such a uniquely procedural role-playing feel. Making the player care about characters is one of the hardest tricks in gaming and Battle Brothers delivers this, with the sense of loss after a tough battle being really palpable.
  6. Multiplayer.it
    Mar 11, 2021
    80
    Battle Brothers also arrives on consoles, for now exclusively on Nintendo Switch: the analysis of the port.
  7. GAMES.CH
    Apr 16, 2021
    79
    Battle Brothers is a dense and realistic tactical roleplaying game that offers almost endless replay value with randomly generated campaigns. Leading your band of mercenaries into battle may not be visually impressive, but the depth of combat and the degree of customization makes this an incredibly addictive game to play on the go. The switch may just be the perfect platform for a title like this that always lures players with the next reward around the corner.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. pirluit
    Mar 30, 2021
    10
    An awesome game!!! I don't really believe that the user average score is under 8. It is true that the scheme control could be better. I'm sureAn awesome game!!! I don't really believe that the user average score is under 8. It is true that the scheme control could be better. I'm sure that the commitment developers will fix it. The fps drop in world map is not a problematic issue in this kind of game. But on the other hand the game mechanic is the most rewarding and challenging that I've ever seen in a tactical battle turn based and I have seen a lot. It has a deep learning curve and RNG but you can manage it and it's so fun and inmersive. I have played 60 hours in two weeks playing on Switch and I am a busy father. The first three runs been crushing and the fourth enjoying more than playing FTL, X-COM, Into the Breach, Disgaea, Dungeon of the Endless or whatever good tactical game I've ever played. Be prepared for the initial frustration. Read the wiki and steam guides and love your brothers till they die.… Full Review »
  2. Tradnux
    Feb 7, 2023
    10
    This game just became one of my top favorite turn based strategy games ever.

    Graphics: Initially I couldn't pick this game up because I    This game just became one of my top favorite turn based strategy games ever.

    Graphics:
    Initially I couldn't pick this game up because I thought the art style was too simple even for games in its genre, but I was wrong, I never thought I would grow and appreciate the art style, it's just unique and brilliant, does not in any way take away the glory that is the gameplay.

    Gameplay:
    Turn based Strategy/Tactics is my favorite genre, and this game pretty much have a solid battle system gameplay that earns top spot to my top games. The difficulty is high and provides high challenge to thinking players.    … Full Review »
  3. Ughduty
    Jan 25, 2022
    8
    Update January 2022:
    Most issues are solved. The game is now good to play and a lot of fun.
    Old: In a nutshell the control scheme is    Update January 2022:
    Most issues are solved. The game is now good to play and a lot of fun.

    Old:
    In a nutshell the control scheme is rubbish, the performance lacks and the path-finding ai does weird things.

    UPDATE 25 March 2021 - Patch 1.4:
    Unfortunately the promised changes to the control scheme were not implemented with patch 1.4. The performance issues weren’t fixed either.

    Original Review:
    Overall the most dissatisfying and problematic about the Switch version of Battle Brothers is the control scheme. Other than that I experienced performance issues when zooming out on the world map and occasionally had bad pathfinding ai leading to my party leaving the streets by them self's and for no reason wander off into the wilds what leads to babysitting every step of their movement.

    The game still is fun to play but the issues described do drag the overall fun down significantly!

    Following more details about the control scheme issues:
    ==============================================================
    Following a list of the controls I have the most pressing issues with and what the issues are. The higher up the issue is listed the higher is the priority:

    1. Left right keys on D-Pad selecting attacks in battle
    - The first click on whatever of the two buttons will not select the first attack but the second or last attack but should select the first attack.
    - After selecting an attack the mouse cursor stays on the attack button but should stay where it was when the user pressed the D-Pad button. The way it is now the player has constantly to move the cursor back to where the opponents pawns are to issue the attack. This way is very tedious on the Switch because mouse control simulation in general is rather clunky!
    - In general the D-Pad Buttons are not suited very well for controls you need as often as the ones for selecting the attack. Better suited would be the shoulder buttons L & R for example.

    2. Left Stick press to activate/deactivate the tooltips
    - This button is uncomfortable to press if you need it often and one does so in Battle Brothers on the Nintendo Switch because screen estate is so small that if you have the tooltips enabled they often make the overview especially in battle rather difficult. Therefore I tend to activate them only for a second when hovering over something I need more detailed information about. A better suited button for this would for example be the left trigger. And best would be if the tooltip would then only be shown as long as the button is pressed.

    3. Controls in recruitment dialog
    - After selecting a possible recruit on the left and then selecting anything on the right one can't easily switch back to the character on the left which results in a lot of scrolling and switching and scrolling. Making recruitment very tedious.

    Besides that I realized a small and purely aesthetic issue when having the party screen open. The heads of the statues on the left and right of the dialog box have their heads cut off.    … Full Review »
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