One shall fall…

The history of Transformers video games has been a weird one. Everyone’s favorite Cybertronians have had some genuinely great experiences, as well as plenty of mediocre ones. The latest outing for Optimus Prime and company is easily their biggest change of course though. Up until now most Transformers games are standard action fare. I mean what else would robots in disguise be doing besides partaking in some good old fashioned action? Well, Transformers Battlegrounds still has the Autobots taking on the Decepticons, only this time they are taking turns.

The story of the game focuses on the Autobots once again chasing down Megatron and his Decepticons, trying to stop them from obtaining the Allspark. They explain the tactical combat by the main character being a human (you) who is placed high above the battlefield to command the Autobots on how to attack. The art style is based on the new Cyberverse, which once again sees the Transformers with more human-like faces.

MSRP: $39.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99

The voice acting is not great and the story feels cookie cutter most of the way through, but it gets the job done. The campaign lasts about 4-5 hours and only allows players to assume the role of the Autobots. Fans of the retro series will be disappointed in the details such as the transforming sound. The devil is in the details for things like this.

Battlegrounds is basically a simplistic XCOM for lack of a better description. Transformers are given action points that they can use to move around the battlefield and attack. There are no massive skill trees and upgrades to deal with. Instead Battlegrounds employs the simple method of each character having three main skills. The primary is mostly a blaster show, the second is a multi-level charge ability, and the third is an ultimate.

Combat is simple. If characters are in range, their shots will hit. There is no RNG here that I could tell. Unspent points are converted into Energon between turns. Building this up will allow players to use their ultimate abilities. It is all a very simplistic system and it both benefits and suffers from it. Fans looking for a challenge won’t find much here. This does, however, open the game up for younger players looking to dip their toes into the genre. There are six total characters to choose from in the campaign. Each set of two is a different style, so again simplicity is the name of the game.

Outside of the campaign there are a host of other modes to play around in. The arcade mode features a set of game types that can be played both solo and with a friend. The multiplayer is however only local. There is no online to speak of. I get it, but am also disappointed.

Graphically, the game has a really blocky cartoon style that works. The levels are nicely detailed and seeing some of these characters in this style is definitely fun for me. The sound effects and voice acting really throw it off though. I do not like any of the performances and the lack of the true Transformers sound is just downright disappointing.

Transformers Battlegrounds is a decent game that is marred by being confused as to who it is aimed for. Diehard fans of the franchise like me won’t find much challenge or diversity here to enjoy. Kids jumping in might not share the same nostalgia for these characters. The game also carries a hefty price tag, doesn’t feature online play, and boasts a relatively short campaign. While Transformers could work well in the genre, I am not sure this one hits on all the right notes.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.