Badland is without a doubt one of the best mobile games on the market. Developed by Frogmind Games and welcomed by the public, it’s no surprise that this gem finally lands on home consoles. We had to wait a little longer but this Game of the Year Edition is even better than the mobile version!
What is Badland?
If you’re new to the game, let me explain it for a moment. Badland is a classic side-scrolling game where you need to survive by dodging all kind of obstacles. Unlike other side-scrollers, like Super Mario, the pace is very high. Although you’ll need to dodge a lot of obstacles, you’re biggest threat will be the moving screen. The screen always pushes you further in the action, if you’re not fast enough, it will send you straight back to the last checkpoint. Keeping an eye on that moving screen behind you is one of your most important tasks while playing.
This might sound like something you’ve played before and this is true to a certain point. The biggest difference is your main character. You play as a fluffy blob that ‘hovers’ in the air. By pushing the A-button, you can send your blob skywards, the harder you push, the higher it goes. Flying isn’t that fluent however and can best be compared to the way you control Flappy Bird. The controls are awkward but serve the design of the levels.
Briliant design
Those levels are the true strength of the game. Badland offers over hundred playable levels, divided into days and periods of those days (dawn, noon and so on). The main path is shadow black while a colorful image is used as background; this creates a certain ‘fairytale’ look to it and feels fresh. Don’t be to amazed by the background however since you really need to look at your environment. It’s filled with traps such as falling rocks, bombs, spikes and more.
Aside of the obstacles, the path is also filled with all kind of power-ups. Some might make your character bigger, smaller, faster, while others will give you the ability to roll. Those power-ups keep the game fresh and challenging every time you play it.
Clone your hero
This brings us to the true challenge of the game, clones. During your adventure you’ll face a lot of clones of your cute fluffy blob. Those clones follow you and react on your input all at the same time. The more clones you save, the better your score. Some clones are needed to move away obstacles or create a path for one clone to move on. If one clone keeps going, the game keeps going. Hard but a lot of fun in co-op.
Genius co-op
New in the Game of the Year Edition is the inclusion of a co-op mode with up to four players. In co-op you need to work together in order to advance. Working together isn’t always the case, struggling to survive mostly is. Co-op unlocks some interesting strategies on the other hand. As long as one clone survives, the game continues. It’s a good plan to let your best player go ahead while the other collect all power-ups or clones. Co-op can become a little chaotic but it’s a good kind of chaos.
| The Good: | The Bad: |
| – Gorgeous artwork | – Awkward controls |
| – Great level design | – Nothing really ‘new’ |
| – Fun co-op experience | – Too short |
Badland: Game of the Year Edition is without a doubt a great game on consoles. It isn’t an easy game since the obstacles and chasing screen won’t give you a moment of rest. The cloning and gorgeous artwork transform this game into something unique on the other hand. The mechanics aren’t new but they work really well. If you’re looking for a challenging game to play alone or with friends, you should consider getting this one for sure.
