Skyshine's Bedlam is a turn-based tactical roguelike and simulation game developed by Skyshine Games and published by Versus Evil. It was released on September 16, 2015, for Windows and Mac OS X.
| Skyshine's Bedlam | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Skyshine Games |
| Publisher(s) | Versus Evil |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Mac OS X |
| Release | September 16, 2015 |
| Genre(s) | Turn-based tactical roguelike, simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its art and music, but criticized its story and high level of difficulty.
Gameplay edit
The player is the overseer of a massive wheeled fortress known as the Dozer, and must cross a post-apocalyptic wasteland safely.[1] The player can choose a route on a minimap, which determines what types of encounters they have.[1] The player can also upgrade the Dozer in order to make traversal of the wasteland easier.[1]
Fights take place on an isometric grid.[1] Squad members come in four classes, each with their own specialties.[1] Soldiers cannot be replaced when they die, and it is almost inevitable that casualties will occur.[1]
Plot edit
The player must navigate the Dozer from Bysantine, a futuristic metropolis, to Aztec City, a distant utopia.[2] Many factions control parts of the wasteland in between, such as Cyborgs, Mutants, Marauders, or A.I.[2] Each trip is procedurally generated, and events occur differently in each playthrough.[2]
Development edit
The setting of the game was formerly a tabletop RPG, and was based on 80's science fiction and Dungeons & Dragons.[2] The developers were also inspired by the fast pace of games like FTL and XCOM.[3]
The game uses the engine of The Banner Saga.[4] It was originally known as simply Bedlam, but changed its name to avoid conflict with the game Bedlam released shortly beforehand, despite having already filed a trademark for the name.[4][3] It was developed after a successful Kickstarter campaign which raised $166,540.[5]
Reception edit
The game received mixed reviews, with an aggregate score of 67/100 on Metacritic.[6]
Ian Birnbaum of PC Gamer rated the game 72/100, calling it "punishing" and "stressful", and saying that the difficulty was too high for him to enjoy.[1] He stated that the inability to recruit new squad members if your existing ones died was where the game "crossed the line from enjoyably brutal to stressful frustration".[1] However, he praised the soundtrack, saying that it was his "favorite [...] in any game since Bastion", and called the art "wonderful".[1]
Mat Paget of GameSpot rated the game 60/100, saying that while he believed it would be the "perfect game" for him at first glance, it did not have "much strategic depth" or a reason to "care about [the characters]". He called the story "devoid of interesting or layered tales".[7]
Artur Cnotalski of Eurogamer Poland rated the game 40/100, saying that it was "monotonous", with the storyline "devoid of any depth".[8]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Skyshine's Bedlam review". pcgamer. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
- ^ a b c d "Chatting with Skyshine Games About Creating Bedlam". Game Informer. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
- ^ a b Meer, Alec (2014-10-16). "A Chat About Banner Saga-Powered Roguelike Bedlam". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
- ^ a b Meer, Alec (2014-09-26). "Bedlam: A Fallouty Roguelike Using Banner Saga's Engine". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
- ^ "BEDLAM". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
- ^ "Skyshine's Bedlam". Metacritic. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
- ^ Paget, Mat (2015-11-24). "Skyshine's Bedlam Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
- ^ "Skyshine's Bedlam - Recenzja". Eurogamer.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2017-08-08.