Review: Blood Bowl

American Football is a fairly entertaining sport but it could stand some improvement. How about teams of fantasy races facing off in epic, violent and brutal battles with crazy homicidal fans, a variety of cheating tactics, magic powers and a healthy dose of bloody carnage? Welcome to the world of Blood Bowl.

Blood Bowl was originally a table top game from Games Workshop who decided to throw Goblins, Dwarves, Orcs, Elves and all manner of other creatures from their fantasy worlds into a modified version of American Football. It was a tactical battle of wits for two players which combined genuine sporting tactics with a comical parody of the real game and lots of dice rolls.

The first videogame adaptation appeared on the PC back in 1995 and it failed to capture the depth of the source material. This time around the developer, Cyanide, has really gone to town offering a plethora of options and this is nothing, if not a faithful rendering of the original. What that means is a level of complexity which those unfamiliar with the game may find off putting. This is a problem which is in no way solved by the shoddy tutorials. There is an interesting game here though and it is worth climbing that learning curve to find the fun within.

Taking Turns

You can choose to play the Classic mode which features the original board game rules or Blitz mode which allows you to tweak things. You can also select the traditional turn based game or you can embark on a chaotic campaign in the real time strategy mode. There is no doubt the turn based approach works far better. The rules are confusing to begin with and you’ll need to accept that it will take a while to find the best approach. Fans of the original game will be able to dive straight in and should find this a satisfying experience. Newcomers will need to be determined if they want to succeed.

There are several single player modes with the large campaign offering the most depth. There are eight races in total to choose from and your first task is to build a team. Each race has its own strengths and weaknesses, Humans are good all-rounders while Elves are nimble and agile preferring to throw the ball and Orcs are strong and physical preferring to steam roller the opposition. Once you have built a team, you choose a sponsor, set your goals for the season and then develop as you progress through the matches. You can engage in bribery, buy cheerleaders or fans and there are all sorts of potential bonuses.

As you progress your team will gain experience and grow stronger and guiding them to eventual victory over everyone else can be hugely satisfying. The single player is let down by the AI which is generally tough to play against and also unimaginative when it comes to tactics. It would have been nice to face a different approach from different races but they always play pretty much the same way. The dice rolls often feel suspiciously unfair as though weighted in the AI’s favour.

Online

The game becomes much more interesting when you take on opponents online. You will encounter some talented players but the fact they apply different approaches makes the gameplay much more engaging. You can even compete in online leagues so you don’t need to lose that sense of an epic season with a team you develop into a veteran squad of talent.

The visual style references the original game and the characters and animations bring the Warhammer universe to life. There are some comical animations and attempts at cinematic camera pans and while the whole thing feels a little rough around the edges it isn’t too bad looking. The menus are a different prospect, there are too many options, they are too busy and the interface is far from intuitive. The poor grammar is also irritating and they should have shelled out for a proper translation job.

The comedy voiceovers add a welcome dimension to proceedings or rather they should have. Sadly there isn’t a terrific range of lines so the repetition becomes a bit wearing almost immediately. This was a missed opportunity to really push the parody angle but it is indicative of generally low production values.

Capturing the Boardgame

The turn-based game is addictive and it focuses on selecting moves with various degrees of risk. Most moves will necessitate a dice roll and if the opposition wins, by blocking your oncoming attacker or swiping at your player as he tries to dodge, then the possession is turned over to them. The back and forth works well and you’ll soon learn to get your safe moves out of the way at the start of each turn before you try the riskier manoeuvres. Tactically speaking there are plenty of options here and with the extras you can purchase before each match the choice is extended even further.

Blood Bowl is based on an addictive board game and it captures enough of the original to make it engaging. It is slow to load and decidedly unpolished but the core game here is good and the visuals look right for the license. This is a good videogame adaptation and none of the flaws prevent it from being immersive and enjoyable to play. You won’t find another game quite like this. American Football and the fantasy world of Elves and Orcs make undeniably strange bedfellows and their unholy offspring may be ugly but it is entertaining.