Blood Bowl Mobile Review (iPhone)
Submitted on: Sep 17, 2014 by Caley Roark
More than four years ago, I had the opportunity to review Blood Bowl on the Xbox 360. Since then, multiple versions of this digital board game have been released on numerous platforms, from Nintendo DS to the PC. Now the franchsie arrives on yet another platform: mobile devices.
Gameplay
The basics of Blood Bowl can be explained quickly, though the specifics can become overwhelming. Essentially, your team of humans or orcs (yes, this is true fantasy football) try to move a football across the field and into the end zone. Each round, all of your players may move and take an action--pass, block, handoff, etc. -- until one of them fail. Successes are based on player skill and die rolls.
All of this is modified by specialized players, crowd favor, unique talents/skills, and ways to cheat. It's a very deep game based on an old miniatures game that has a small but dedicated following.
Gameplay
The basics of Blood Bowl can be explained quickly, though the specifics can become overwhelming. Essentially, your team of humans or orcs (yes, this is true fantasy football) try to move a football across the field and into the end zone. Each round, all of your players may move and take an action--pass, block, handoff, etc. -- until one of them fail. Successes are based on player skill and die rolls.
All of this is modified by specialized players, crowd favor, unique talents/skills, and ways to cheat. It's a very deep game based on an old miniatures game that has a small but dedicated following.
iOS Port
There are a few advantages to playing Blood Bowl on a touch capable device, but none bigger than the touch screen controls themselves. It's much easier to select players and rotate the camera with a finger compared to a mouse or controller.
Of course, mobility is another strong advantage to this version, though you'll notice graphics have understandably been reduced from other versions. Online play is available, but so far is only synchronous. It eliminates the ability to swap turns at each player's convenience.
The iOS version also loses some content. Many of the available races are only available through in-app purchases. Gone are the "real time" and story modes, though the fascinating and deep campaign mode is still in place -- albeit a bit stripped down.
But the biggest problem is one left over from that early 360 version: a useless tutorial and very little contextual help for the new player. A newbie is best served by actually seeking out a PDF of the physical game's ruleset. That sounds crazy, but is probably the best way to fully understand the complexities of this game.
Final Thoughts
Blood Bowl is deep and compelling, yet hasn't improved much since its original PC and 360 release nearly five years ago. If you've never played it -- and you are willing to dig a bit to grasp the basics -- I think you'll find it to be very rewarding. Of course, if you own any of the other numerous editions, know that the only upgrades are mobility and touch controls.
Score: 6.5 (Above Average)
There are a few advantages to playing Blood Bowl on a touch capable device, but none bigger than the touch screen controls themselves. It's much easier to select players and rotate the camera with a finger compared to a mouse or controller.
Of course, mobility is another strong advantage to this version, though you'll notice graphics have understandably been reduced from other versions. Online play is available, but so far is only synchronous. It eliminates the ability to swap turns at each player's convenience.
The iOS version also loses some content. Many of the available races are only available through in-app purchases. Gone are the "real time" and story modes, though the fascinating and deep campaign mode is still in place -- albeit a bit stripped down.
But the biggest problem is one left over from that early 360 version: a useless tutorial and very little contextual help for the new player. A newbie is best served by actually seeking out a PDF of the physical game's ruleset. That sounds crazy, but is probably the best way to fully understand the complexities of this game.
Final Thoughts
Blood Bowl is deep and compelling, yet hasn't improved much since its original PC and 360 release nearly five years ago. If you've never played it -- and you are willing to dig a bit to grasp the basics -- I think you'll find it to be very rewarding. Of course, if you own any of the other numerous editions, know that the only upgrades are mobility and touch controls.
Score: 6.5 (Above Average)
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