Bad North

 Xbox One
Bad North Image
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critics What's this?

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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.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. Xbox Tavern
    Sep 3, 2018
    74
    Bad North is a fun, challenging RTS Roguelite. The visuals paint a charming picture, giving you a false sense of security until the Vikings begin their assault. As your island is bathed in their (or your own) blood, the game keeps you on your toes despite the simplistic interaction you have. This is absolutely worth your time, even if the genre isn’t usually up your alley.
  2. games(TM)
    Oct 4, 2018
    70
    Smart, brutal and to the point. [Issue#205, p.83]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Nov 21, 2018
    70
    Brilliant fun until the difficulty level reaches Valhalla and you risk losing the entire game. [Dec 2018, p.94]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. IGN Italia
    Sep 11, 2018
    63
    Strong in art style and founded on an interesting premise, Bad North is not deep enough to entertain for a long time.
  5. God is a Geek
    Sep 14, 2018
    60
    A minimalist's take on the real time strategy genre, with a strong pick and play quality that doesn't quite do enough to bridge the gap between novices and veterans of the genre.
  6. XBLA Fans
    Sep 20, 2018
    40
    I was completely enthralled with Bad North‘s simplified take on the RTS and its straightforward yet tactical gameplay – up until I died the first time. There are some neat ideas here, but the roguelike structure highlights its weaknesses more than its strengths. The brilliant minimalism is really only intriguing the first time around; all other times you’re trudging your way back to the part where it gets interesting, then suddenly losing it all.

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Aug 31, 2018
    7
    The presentation side of the game shines bright in all areas and I must admit that I especially loved the game’s beautiful and fantastic artThe presentation side of the game shines bright in all areas and I must admit that I especially loved the game’s beautiful and fantastic art style. They’ve implemented the easy to pick up and play style extremely well and the simplistic controls stop things from getting too complicated. The game can be a little too difficult at times I actually think they got the balance pretty much spot on, which in the end did make the gameplay more fun and enjoyable. The strategy elements may not be the best I’ve ever come across but I actually enjoyed them a lot because often the approach they go with is actually pretty clever. When played for long periods the game does get repetetive quite quickly so I would recommend that you play this game in short bursts. In terms of depth the game doesn’t have a great amount and this makes the slow pace of the game stand out even more. Each island looks and plays out the same way and a little bit more in terms of variety would’ve been nice to have here. Does Bad North do enough to get a recommendation from me? Bad North did intrigue me quite a bit because the art style which I had seen definitely tickled my fancy somewhat. Thankfully after playing the game for a bit quite a few of the game’s aspects tickled my fancy, but it’s far from perfect and it does suffer with a few noticeable shortcomings. That being said it does get more right than it gets wrong and when the strategy elements flow and combine with the gameplay you do end up having a fun and enjoyable time. I will however recommend that you play the game for short bursts though because it does get repetetive after a while and I think that’s because the game suffers when it comes to the lack of depth and variety in some areas. If you’re like me and you enjoy a good strategy game every now and then, then you will enjoy what Bad North has to offer and whilst it won’t be the best game you’ve ever played in this particular genre it still does enough to justify a recommendation from me.… Expand
  2. MacauDragon
    Aug 29, 2018
    6
    Start playing yesterday after seeing some good reviews, but unfortunately a huge disappointment from the fact that if you loose you have toStart playing yesterday after seeing some good reviews, but unfortunately a huge disappointment from the fact that if you loose you have to start all over again, which is very frustrating.
    so unless it will be fixed(could easily be 9) i don't recommend it!    … Expand

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