Combining the map-spanning simulation of Oregon Trail with simple but enjoyable tactical gameplay, Skyshine’s Bedlam makes trekking a brutal post-apocalyptic wasteland a unique and enjoyable experience.
Skyshine’s Bedlam
Developer: Skyshine Games
Price: $21.99
Platform: PC
MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review.
Seemingly inspired by franchises like Mad Max and Fallout, Skyshine’s Bedlam makes the post-apocalyptic wasteland more realistic and frightening than ever. The game is played in “runs”, which are trips across a large map of the barren wasteland. Each run is made with the intent of making it from the safe zone of Byzantine, to the fabled “Aztec City”, a seemingly magical haven free of the anarchy and violence of the Bedlam wastes. All along the way, however, there are countless wasteland factions trying to destroy you, with the largest faction being the Ravagers, lead by the self-proclaimed King of Bedlam, King Viscera. While the game doesn’t present much more of a story on the surface, there’s a remarkable amount of lore to be found throughout the game.
Through almost every encounter or event on the map you’ll learn about the wasteland around you, and the ravenous groups occupying it. There are even wandering characters who will allow you to read up on numerous subjects involving the world of Bedlam, whether it’s the messiah-like figures that each gang looks up to or how the world became as it now is. The detail in the lore is nothing short of impressive and the ability to ignore it, or read up on as much as you choose, is fantastic, and very well thought-out.
The main gameplay of Bedlam is divided into two sections: travelling the map, and battling enemies. Travelling the map draws parallels to simulation games like the aforementioned Oregon Trail, where you make choices as you go from point to point that will determine the fate of both you, and the passengers of your massive vehicle. The vehicle requires fuel, called Crude, to continue moving, as well as Meat, in order to keep your passengers alive on the trek to Aztec City. These resources can be found in certain events on the map, or in battle, and the consumption of these resources can be slowed down through upgrades of your vehicle.
By using Power Cells, another resource found through events and battle, you can make your vehicle use less Crude, or ensure your passengers eat less meat. This is incredibly important, as without any upgrades, these resources are likely to run out some time before you reach your destination. When there’s no Meat, passenger numbers decrease, which can lead to a game over. When you run out of Crude, you’ll more than likely be attacked by a gang of enemies, where you’ll have to survive the battle to get more Crude. The rate at which these resources drains is fair, as it never feels too difficult, or too easy. You can find different vehicles throughout the game, which adds to its replayability.
Battles take place on an entirely different screen, presented from an isometric point of view. The objective of battle is to defeat every enemy unit on the grid-like field, using whatever units you assign to the battle. There are various types of units at your disposal, ranging from Sharpshooters that do heavy damage from a distance, to melee fighters who are weak, but can move farther than other units. The units feel very well-balanced for the most part, though the Sharpshooter class has health that’s a bit too low, as keeping them alive is a task in and of itself.
Normally, keeping a unit alive wouldn’t be a problem, but Bedlam‘s combat moves in turns, with each turn being composed of two actions, whether it’s moving or attacking. This normally means that to keep your Sharpshooter safe, you’ll need to devote an entire turn to moving them away from the action, due to their very limited range of movement, which leaves all other units wide open.
Despite this limitation, combat is exciting, and often requires real strategy. As you travel the wasteland further, King Viscera’s army becomes more and more aware of your presence, which can lead to having more enemies attack you on the grid. Enemies share the same class types as the player, meaning you’ll have to plan accordingly. As the number on enemy units increases, the player will have to plan their moves more carefully, as the death of all playable units results in a game over. This hits the player especially hard, as you can name each unit, adding personal value to each character.
Player units will become “Veterans” after defeating a certain number of enemies, which gives them a new look, and makes them do more damage. After becoming a veteran, further kills will make your unit level up, making them do even more damage. This becomes especially helpful later in the game, when enemies are abundant, and the player’s unit count is low.
The simulation and tactical gameplay styles are both enjoyable overall, and since neither of them take particularly long to complete, the game has a certain addictive quality to it. No matter how many times you lose, it never feels like a chore to start another run, even if you had lots of upgrades and items.
The game’s visuals are absolutely fantastic. The art-style and colours of the Bedlam wasteland and its inhabitants is stunning, and really sells the grungy and dingy feeling that the game aims for. The Mutants look grimy and scaly, and the AIs look spastic and damaged; everything is portrayed exactly as you’d imagine it to be.
The models in battle look great as well, each with unique battle animations. The Mutant boss Chunderok spews acid that reduces any unit to bones, or pieces if it’s AI, while the average Gunslinger could blow away an enemy’s upper body, leaving only a skeleton. There’s a bunch of these unique animations, and they all add to the overall enjoyment of combat.
The game’s music is as fitting as the visuals. The guitar twangs and bits of silence perfectly echo the barren wastes that you travel throughout the game. The low moody music greatly adds to the unforgiving atmosphere that runs rampant through the game, and really makes you feel alone in the desolate world of Bedlam.
The Final Word
Skyshine’s Bedlam provides a unique and thoroughly enjoyable spin on the well-known post-apocalyptic setting through its addictive combat and unpredictability. Though the game can occasionally feel a bit unfair in combat, it more than makes up for it with its fantastic atmosphere. This is one game that’s worth trekking the wastes for.
-MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
