There’s not a lot left to say aboutBlood Bowl 3. For a relatively niche game about fantasy football (we’re not talking FPL here, but football with Elves and Goblins and stuff), we’ve covered all of its numerous betas, written multiple previews, and kept you in the loop with every development and delay. Part of that’s because I’m personally a huge Blood Bowl fan, but I also think it’s a game emblematic of the current gaming landscape. A prestigious IP with a loyal following of players, delayed for years due to the pandemic, releasing as a live-service title. What could be more 2023?
With that in mind, I’d recommend checking out myfinal previewof the game before reading this review, because the majority of what I played for review is identical. My praise for the gameplay is unchanged, and my annoyance with some UI niggles has not been fixed in the past week. The locked parts are unlocked, but there’s barely anyone to play with online during the review period (full functionality goes live later today), and the shop doesn’t have prices. Well, it has prices, but only in gemstones and there’s no hint as to how muchtheycost at present.
Related:Interview: Blood Bowl 3 Wants To Do Live-Service Differently
The thing about releasing a game for a niche, hardcore audience aftermultiplebetasis they largely already know what the game is like. Most of them will have played at least one of the betas, a lot of them will have given feedback, and some will have had a very real impact on the game’s development. In addition to me having written about nearly every aspect of the game already, there’s little point getting into the nitty gritty of things. Is it better than Blood Bowl 2? Yes. What else do you need to know?
If you, by some strange coincidence, haven’t followed the betas and don’t know what a bowl is or why it’s filled with blood, this is a turn-based sports strategy game with an extra helping of gore. You control a team of fantasy beings – Elves, Ratmen (called Skaven), Orcs, Daemons, regular old Humans, and the like – to attempt to score more touchdowns than your opponent. Players have been doing this since 2009 with the Blood Bowl video games, and even longer on the tabletop.
Each turn, your players can choose from a list of actions, like running, blocking (tackling), passing, or blitzing. Some players, like Throwers, are better at passing. Catchers are better at running. Blitzers are, well, you get the picture. you may get bogged down in the details, creating perfect formations and foolproof strategies – and many do – but at its heart, Blood Bowl is about scoring touchdowns and injuring as many of your opponents as possible in the process.
In this way, Blood Bowl 3 is a great success. Thanks to its more realistic graphics and slow-mo replays of your most vicious takedowns, killing, maiming, or otherwise incapacitating your opponents has never felt better. Your punches land with crunches, your kicks with impressive thuds, and your elbow drops with explosions of stylised viscera. The same goes for scoring – the customisable players, cheerleaders, and crowds make your celebrations feel truly yours.Yourplayer Bob McHead is celebrating withyourweird goatwoman cheerleader inyourstadium.
You don’t have many cosmetic options when you start (andthe gender parity is even worse), however, you’ll have to unlock them using in-game currency. It’s unclear exactly how this will work at present, but in our interview about developer Cyanide Studio’s year one plans, project manager Gautierd Brésard told us that all new teams would be free to unlock with enough gameplay, and I would assume that goes for some cosmetics, too. There will be three-month long seasons, too, and completing the 50-hour Blood Pass will grant you rewards, as is the live-service penchant at present.
I’ve said before that Blood Bowl 3 will live or die by its live-service implementation, but Cyanide has a good track record in that regard. After so many betas and so much feedback, the game plays well. The most fun will be had in community created tournaments, as you can watch your players level up, grow stronger, and become stars in their own rights, the Lionel Messis of the Old World, before being unceremoniously murdered by a Halfling thrown by a tree. The game of Blood Bowl is unchanged from Games Workshop’s 2018 edition, and if it ain’t broke…
Blood Bowl players no longer have to make their own fun. Tournament creation is easier than ever, cosmetic upgrades are plentiful and varied, and the core game is the same as ever. Question marks still loom over the live-service elements like towering punctuation-shaped advertising blimps, but if you’re a Blood Bowl fan, you’ll like Blood Bowl 3. But you probably knew that already.
Score: 3/5. A PC code and headset was provided for this review.
Blood Bowl 3
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