Band of Crusaders - real time DEUS VULT in a demon infested earth

[Eyestabber]

So this game got me completely off guard. It's looking VERY good! Combat is real time with "pause" (slow-mo, like in Aliens: Dark Descent) and your guys have stamina and cooldown based abilities. The game alternates between real time battles and an overworld/management layer that is very similar to battle brothers. HOWEVER:

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It's set in the "real" world. The starting squad has two Frenchmen and a guy from the HRE. We started near Brittany and I assume the game will mostly focus around France. I must also point out the absence of ******* and women, alongside a very atmospheric presentation that reminds me a bit of King Arthur: Knight's Tale, except more grounded and less fantasy. This is looking great, steam reviews of the demo sit at "very positive". Let's hope the devs keep up the good work presented so far.

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**** that's a big tree!

[maidenhaver]

I recognize the banner art. Has this changed names?

[Eyestabber]

I recognize the banner art. Has this changed names?

I don't know, I literally just learned about this thing from a Jewtube video on upcoming games. Very glad I did, btw, might even click the "like" button on the video. Maybe.

[Classix]

Yeah I had this on the Gog app for months before the demo came out and tried it out for about 6 hours about 2 months ago, trying to get a look at everything I could when I had time in between the LP I had going and work. Biggest complaint the first 30 mins was the amount of yapping the squad members were doing, what they were saying exactly and how they were talking. I had to mute it and just put on some OST's/ambient tracks from other games and artists just so I could stay interested. Perhaps it's different now as my app shows it has an update pending for it, perhaps multiple. But I haven't picked it back up since. Busy with Morrowind atm anyway. Might fire it back up again and re-check in with it.

[Finarfin]

Well, the voice actors do sound a tad zesty.
Also it is a bit weird that the main character adresses Arnoul as "Boy" when his model looks like a middle aged man.

[Finarfin]

[Classix]

If they do get added it better be because they need saving after being captured from some notable King/Baron etc by the player, quest wise or they're at camp for the player cooking for the boys to help keep them nurished and full of stomach with wounds tended to so they can get back out there and keep the fight going to purge the map of the evil and foul pieces of **** infesting it. Let's be real... most likely won't be the case. Some 2h Great Sword broad will be recruitable with no significant stat differences. Hopefully won't have to use them and I still want to customize and make my own if I get into this more. I got names for a number of the boys on here made up already to go.

[Eyestabber]

It should be noted that ******* are actively asking for this.

[asf]

can you burn heretics and ******* in game

[Eyestabber]

Nowadays I always skip intro videos and text when trying a new game. This one is the first in a long while that made me go "huh, so watching/reading was actually worth it". The alt-history of the game lays the blame for the demonic invasion at the feet of King Phillip IV of France, the ******** ****** who accused the Templars of "heresy" to steal their wealth (and not repay his loans). In plundering their vaults the King's men unwillingly allowed demons into earth.

[DDC]

It should be noted that ******* are actively asking for this.

I am fine with them adding women if they keep to this framework:

[Finarfin]

>Posting Fuentes
ISHYGDDT

[DDC]

>Posting Fuentes
ISHYGDDT

Even a gay mexican fed can put out a funny clip every once in a while.

[rusty_shackleford]

so is it fun?

[Eyestabber]

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I finished the demo content today and I can say I had a lot of fun. Bear in mind this is still really rough around the edges, you don't even get basic **** like quick item comparisons, quests in the log will sometimes not show their objectives and you'll find minor bugs and oddities everywhere. Like:

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Uh...make up your mind?

[Norfleet]

Uh...make up your mind?

Let them eat cake!

[Eyestabber]

► Show Spoiler

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Well, I did it again. I'll say the game is a bit on the easy side once you get a decent enough grasp of its mechanics. I tried a couple different builds but in the end just pressing the strength button over and over on the German sword guy you start the game with yielded the best results. Other builds bring value in the form of utility to the table, but for sheer murdering power I found the two handed STR build to be unbeatable. I also think the level cap is just too low for crit builds to REALLY come online and its a bit annoying that towns seem way too poor. Finding a particular piece of gear comes mostly down to RNG, I do hope they make stores have more stuff in the final version.

This game went straight into my wish list and I gave it a steam thumbs up. The bones of a GREAT game are there, so now we just cross fingers and hope they don't **** it up.

[DemoGraph]

Looks like Battle Brothers with legs.

[asf]

battle bros sucked, no appeal

[rusty_shackleford]

https://bsky.app/profile/bandofcrusaders.bsky.social

[Eyestabber]

Looks like Battle Brothers with legs.

The strategy layer is 100% BB inspired, but the combat is real time, high TTK and low RNG.

[asf]

but the combat is real time, high TTK and low RNG.

this is good

The strategy layer is 100% BB inspired

this is bad

[Norfleet]

The strategy layer is 100% BB inspired

I'm not sure if "World map traversal with encounter POIs" is something that BB can claim to have invented in any form. BB's use of this system didn't stand out to me at ALL because it just seemed so normal, and I don't actually know which game first did it, I've just seen it so much that it's normal and expected.

If anything, the one thing BB did that makes it stand out is "no legs".