Bounty Battle Reviews
There's no doubt that making a game that's meant to compete with the likes of a juggernaut title from Nintendo is always going to be tough, and the likely results aren't going to live up against the massive team and budget the Big N put together...
To be perfectly honest, I could probably write another 1,000 words explaining just how hollow this experience is. When you figure you have a bland indie fighter, set in largely linear stages, that has, at best, three modes to play, it's not an attractive experience. Toss in stiff animations, extremely frustrating stages, underwhelming characters and it's hard to find something redeeming in Bounty Battle. Heck, I unlocked every costume and can only seemingly use them in one mode, which brings into question why even bother. The really unfortunate thing is, a lot of the problems can be fixed and likely was the goal when it got delayed sometime back but in its current state I struggle to find something positive to say and that is really unfortunate.
I am beyond disappointed. Bounty Battle has such a fantastic premise and such an amazing roster, but calling this half-baked doesn’t even scratch the surface of its issues. It looks bland, its sound department is mediocre at best, it features an underwhelming selection of modes, it’s a bit glitchy, and to top things off, its gameplay is just not fun.
Bounty Battle is one of the very worst video games we've ever played. It's got an amazing premise, for sure, and Dark Screen Games' has somehow managed to procure the use of all of these fantastic indie characters, but that's as far as the positivity goes. Everything else about this appalling mess is absolutely broken. Janky menus, awful combat, a shocking framerate, crude animations and poorly explained mechanics leave this one in a hole that's surely impossible to climb out of; a hole that should be boarded up and forgotten about. If you're considering picking this one up on the strength of that enticing indie Smash Bros. premise, trust us, run away.
With smoother action, a deeper story mode, and a little TLC, the game could evolve into a decent substitute for Smash Bros. Right now, though, it's simply not ready for center stage.
Bounty Battle's core fighting mechanics doesn't feel very satisfying and the lack of story mode for a cross over like this, makes it even more disappointing. The only part that the actually achieves something of value is the graphics and the visual design, it's just sad that the rest of the game didn't get as much attention and the whole potential of a Smash inspired game for indies feels totally wasted.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Bounty Battle might be the most ambitious cross-over event in indie gaming history. It unites 22 indie games under one banner and has their heroes duke it out in Smash Bros-esque fashion. This project might have been too ambitious though as the touted story mode is missing, the existing single player content is mundane, the AI needs work and the fight stages lack variety. Still, the game looks first-rate and with friends, all the mechanics are there for a good night of scrappy indie combat.