Buster Gameplay Brawl Stars
Alana Fekety
Known for cancelling games post-beta, Squad Busters succeeded while six others were scrapped between now and 2018's Brawl Stars. According to Joas, the cancelled games all had something that didn't click and didn't work" and that Squad Busters is one where all the stars aligned."
Supercell's marketing lead Rob Lowe discusses Squad Buster's gameplay which features heroes and characters from other Supercell games such as The Barbarian from Clash of Clans whom Lowe says is uniquely iconic in mobile gaming.
You could argue that there are some iconic characters from Candy Crush and other games, but when you see that character, you know straight away who it is, or at least you have an inkling that it's from a game on mobile," Lowe told GI.
When asked if fans should expect more brand collaborations, Lowe responds: There's loads more stuff in the Supercell cupboard for us to go and root around with, but there are also a ton of other third-party IPs that we're starting to look at as well."
Meanwhile, HoYoverse's upcoming action RPG Zenless Zone Zero has surpassed 40 million pre-registrations, matching Squad Buster's pre-registration feat with weeks left until launch in July. It's no wonder therefore that - with rival global games all set to eclipse their creation - the Squad Busters team remain on the promo trail.
We're in a fortunate position at Supercell to have these five successful hit titles already out, which gives us a degree of risk-taking ability. And I think that's something that a lot of mobile games companies have a challenge with, which is that they're unable to take too much risk, particularly on the marketing side of things," Lowe concludes.
Picture a game that blends the simplicity of Smash Bros with the competitive thrill of Mario Party. That's Squad Busters in a nutshell. The strategy brawler from Supercell challenges you to amass coins, build your army, and conquer monsters and players on the map. It's a game built with depth and fanservice that's easy to learn and quick to play.
Squad Buster matches only take 5 minutes, and it's an excellent game to invite your friends and family to join the fun. It doesn't require a top-of-the-line gaming phone to play, and you can jump in without prior knowledge of Supercell's mainline games. We've had a chance to preview Squad Busters before launch, so we are here to give you the full rundown of how the strategy brawler stacks up as we near the global launch.
Overall, Squad Busters lacks variety in gameplay. The game seems half-baked for what it offers since very few game modes are present. Right now, acquiring new heroes is the main draw, but without a sure way to get more without spending money, I don't see the game retaining players long-term.
Of course, when a game introduces PvPE as its main game mode, you want it to stand out, especially if you're someone (like me) who prefers to experiment. As you can see in the above video, controls are limited to tilting your phone to attack and swiping for movements, which puts a lot of restrictions in play, thanks to the very few controls Squad Busters offers.
You can't outskill your opponents; you can only add new characters to your army and build fusions through chests. But that's if these chests spawn the right heroes to select from in a match; RNG plays a big role in how powerful or weak your army becomes. On the other hand, it also streamlines the gameplay and overall balance, so it is not strictly pay-to-win. Though, you're only given two choices, you run or fight. This way of playing caps a player's skill level, and it doesn't reward you for being a quick learner. It also forces players to slog through early levels until they've acquired a better starting baseline.
If you've played any hero shooter, you know it's tough for companies to get the balance right. Some heroes will be infinitely better than others; you'd much prefer building an army full of Maxes and Witches than with Gregs and Goblins, for example. But this isn't a fair comparison, as the game groups heroes into tiers. Heroes are split into rarities and classes, ensuring they are intentionally unequal. A hero's strength is all about their starting rarity and traits; epic heroes will have better starter stats than common heroes. You also can't acquire better heroes until you've bought them directly, pulled them from chests, or earned enough Portal Energy to unlock them. It's a very slow process and fails to stay engaging.
Squad Busters might seem like a casual game on the surface, but it is far from it. The game is very grindy and contains silly paid systems that skew the balance. However, there are some upsides, as it is not a bad title if you're just trying to find an easy-to-access party game, especially if you're using the Party Up feature. But if you're hoping to compete with randoms, it'll require a chunky commitment (and might be outside your budget). Otherwise, it's still a fun game at its core and does an excellent job of being a delectable Supercell crossover, which is why we've included the download link below.
c80f0f1006