TRANSFORMERS: BATTLEGROUNDS Demo Impressions

TRANSFORMERS: BATTLEGROUNDS is a top-down tactical action game developed by Coatsink and published by Outright Games, where the player commands Bumbebee, Windblade, Optimus Prime, and other Transformers in their fight to protect the Allspark from Megatron and the Decepticons. Gameplay is primarily geared towards children at age 10 and above, and features multiplayer as well.

The core gameplay is similar to that of XCOM, where you assemble and assume control of a small team of Transformers and attempt to out maneuver your opponents in various environments. Movement and attack actions use up Energon, and taking shorter actions allow you to do more over of the course of your next turn. Of course, the Transformers can transform into their staple vehicles, allowing them to trade in their offensive power for more mobility so they can quickly navigate across the battlefield. Smart use of the environment is key to success, as you will find yourself using buildings for cover, or shooting explosive barrels and cars to deal damage to nearby enemies.

With over 20 main story missions, there are a host of environments to wage your battles, such as the city, suburbia, forests, deserts, and Cybertron itself! While it is expected that the main story should take between 8-10 hours to complete, you have the option to increase the difficulty; the game can be friendly to beginners or challenging to veterans of the genre. Even more exciting for the little hoodlums of the world is the Decepticon Grudgematch mode, where you may replay the main story missions as the Decepticons.

In addition to the story mode, there are other arcade modes with their own rules. If eliminating the enemy team becomes a little too monotonous and you crave something with another objective you can always switch gears to Energon Capture. There is also Horde mode, where you test your survival skills against waves of enemies. Then there is multiplayer, where one player assumes control of the Autobots, and the other Deceptacons, and you each choose from six different transformers and fight in a venue of your choosing. There are other game modes such as Destruction and Last Stand, but the details of how to play those modes have yet to be revealed.

Transformers: Battlegrounds looks to be a promising entry for the little kids who love giant robots, and will also be a solid introduction to the tactical combat genre. Thankfully, because it is multiplayer, it can also work as a shared activity between children and their parents, their siblings, and of course, their friends.

TRANSFORMERS: BATTLEGROUNDS will launch October 23 on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC digital.

For more information and to pre-order the game, please visit: https://outrightgames.com/games/transformers/

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