Streamline
  • Home
  • Spotlight
  • Reviews
    • Action
    • Strategy
    • RPGs
  • Most Hardcore
    • Devices
    • Gifts
    • Gadgets
  • About Us
Hardcore Droid
Hardcore Droid
  • Home
  • News
    • News
    • Spotlight
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Action
    • Adventure
    • Strategy
    • RPG
    • MMOs
    • Racing
    • Indie
    • Top 5
  • Best Of
    • Top 10 Games
    • Best RPGs
    • Best Action
    • Best Puzzlers
    • Best Strategy
    • Best Indie Strat
    • Best Indie RPGs
    • Most Hardcore
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Game Jobs
    • Archives
    • Attributions
    • Opportunities
  • Strategy

Braveland Review

  • May 14, 2014
  • Will McCool
Spread the love

Android_RPG_Braveland_00While many video games place you in the role of a singular hero, some cater to those who’d rather be a leader or a general.  Look far back enough and you’ll find King’s Bounty, the predecessor to the Heroes of Might and Magic series. Braveland is a loving homage to the games of that period with a fun, turn-based combat.

As with countless games before you begin as a young man in a sleepy village that comes under siege by bandits. Unlike most of the townsfolk however your father was an adventurer in his day. With his old armor and some battlefield training you set forth to save your people. You begin to amass followers, initially archers and pitchfork-toting peasants. It’s always nice to see a hex-based game as it’s a more realistic and less limiting model for movement. Navigating the game world is simple. The battles play out in a more or less linear fashion across a map with branching trails providing optional paths that lead to various rewards. The battles are turn-based and easily understood.

The first few battles predictably are a cakewalk, dispatching a few wolves and low level bandits. During the first boss battle I discovered that my standard tactics weren’t going to be applicable in this game. Most tactical games these days focus on microcosms of battle with individual characters going toe to toe. Though each unit may look like a singular individual, they’re actually representative of a group of units. The biggest impact this has is unlike most games where a wounded character is capable of dishing out the same amount of damage a unit that takes too many hits will lose members and eventually become ineffectual.

Android_RPG_Braveland_03

By the end of the game you’ll have to make a few choices in regards to party members. There aren’t a wide enough range of options that you’ll be paralyzed by indecision. In fact it really comes down to whether you’d rather have a larger number of weaker units or a few heavy hitters. There’s a touch more to the strategy than simply picking which forces to field. Though your hero never enters battle he can still be outfitted with equipment that boosts his underlings. Some give across-the-board benefits to attack or defense while other items specifically boost a certain unit class, making it easier to maximize the usefulness of your favorites.

In addition to the special abilities of each unit (only the lowly peasants have no helpful powers) you obtain an amulet that allows you to utilize spells on the battlefield. To cast a spell you need to accumulate fury, which you obtain every time your troops take damage. There are a few offensive spells and some utility powers that boost your defense or allow a unit to travel a little further on its turn.

Android_RPG_Braveland_02

The battles are challenging, particularly the optional boss battles scattered throughout the map. Usually completing one of these gives you access to a magical obelisk that bestows a permanent boost to your troops or some other perk. A few of them are almost impossible to complete when you first come across them but as you increase the size and power of your army the previously insurmountable obstacles will be far easier. What makes the game challenging is completing missions with a minimum of casualties; each one of your troops that dies is deducted from your reward at the end of the mission which means that the better you do, the more troops and items you can purchase.

Braveland opts for a simple, cartoon style that somehow doesn’t seem to look exactly like the dozens of other similar games out there, which is a refreshing change. It manages to be cute without trying to be cutesy, while not having the semi-sarcastic, self-aware tone of so many retro games. In short, Braveland is a sheer delight. My only complaint is that the game is too short. Not in the sense that it’s over in twenty minutes and you feel cheated of your money, but the game is such an unalloyed pleasure to play that it’s a disappointment to roll through the final boss and not have anything left to do, beyond starting a new game on a higher difficulty.

The ending of the campaign says it’s the end of Book 1 so hopefully there will be more of Braveland to come, but what’s there is a fun time that is at once an homage to older games but still enjoyable and accessible to modern audiences.

Click here to leave your own review for Braveland.

*

 

*

Hardcore?
4

Yes.

With a simple, straightforward style and an unusual take on strategy this is a top contender for your attention.

Related Topics
  • Android Role-Playing Games
Will McCool

Growing up in a rural town left plenty of time for video games, which he has been doing nonstop since the days of the Nintendo. Now living in a far bigger town (a city, really) he still spends plenty of time parked on the couch playing video games with his wife. On other days he writes, explores the marvels that the world has to offer and plans how best to clear zombies out of an urban area.

Previous Article
  • Strategy

King’s League: Odyssey Review

  • May 12, 2014
  • Tyler Burt
View Post
Next Article
  • Strategy

Heroes: A Grail Quest Review

  • May 21, 2014
  • Will McCool
View Post
You May Also Like
Magic: The Gathering Arena for Android
View Post
  • Previews
  • Strategy

Magic: The Gathering Arena Preview

  • Daniel DeAngelo
  • February 25, 2021
lockdown-brawl-android-00
View Post
  • Action
  • Strategy

Lockdown Brawl: Battle Royale Review

  • Allison Van Oirschot
  • February 23, 2021
Infinite Galaxy title screen
View Post
  • Strategy

Infinite Galaxy Review

  • Jose Hernandez
  • February 18, 2021
Idle-High-School-Tycoon-00
View Post
  • Simulation

Idle High School Tycoon Review

  • Jack Brassell
  • February 15, 2021
Slay-The-Spire-00
View Post
  • Reviews
  • Strategy

Slay the Spire Review

  • Daniel Hughes
  • February 13, 2021
Rivengard promo pic
View Post
  • Strategy

Rivengard Review

  • David Eber
  • February 12, 2021
Idle Toilet Tycoon title
View Post
  • Simulation
  • Strategy

Idle Toilet Tycoon Review

  • Josh Carmichael
  • February 5, 2021
Startup Panic title screen
View Post
  • Simulation
  • Strategy

Startup Panic Review

  • Jose Hernandez
  • February 3, 2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

The Latest
  • Best Android Games of the Month – February 2021
  • Tiny Fantasy Review
  • Best Android Games of 2021
  • OWC Envoy Pro EX SSD Review
  • Cookie Run: Kingdom Review
  • Battle Force Review
  • Dragon Quest Tact Review
  • Slice Knight Now Available on GooglePlay
  • Magic: The Gathering Arena Preview
  • Star Wars: Hunters Coming This Year
    Meta
    • Register
    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
    Hardcore Droid
    • Reviews
    • Spotlight
    • Hardcore
    Core Gaming on the Android OS

    Input your search keywords and press Enter.