Blood Bowl 3 [PC] | REVIEW

I’ve never played a Blood Bowl game before, but the strategic action and over-the-top brutality of Games Workshop’s take on the sport of American Football has always appealed to me. What better time than now, with the release of Blood Bowl 3, to jump in? I’ve had a lot of fun with the game too, even if there are some little issues that might cause frustrations for some players.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Blood Bowl 3 is MUCH different to your typical sports game, with it offering turn-based strategic gameplay as opposed to a real-time simulation. This means you won’t be running, throwing, tackling, or showboating yourself, but instead assign the actions to your players on the field and watch events play out with successful dice rolls as you and your opponent each take your turn. On paper, it might not sound very exciting, but it actually makes for one of the more intuitive (and comical) strategic experiences that I’ve had on PC.

The actions you assign each turn are the typical sort you’d expect from an American Football title, with players able to move across the field, pass the ball to their teammates, tackle other players, or block them from attacking your players, just to name a few. Naturally, certain players will be better at individual actions, with specific roles utilised within a team that line-up well with real-life positions. If you’re familiar with American Football, you’ll have a basic idea as to how things play out from the get-go.

Of course, given the strategic setup of Blood Bowl 3, a lot of the actions you perform will require skill checks to see how successful they are. You can expect to roll a lot of dice during a match, with the success of your roll determining how your turn will play out. Keep up successful rolls and you’ll see yourself tearing apart an opponent’s defence to speed through for a touchdown, but fail a skill check? Your turn will be over, and your opponent gets their chance at success instead. With varying stats also playing a role in the actions you can perform and the skill checks, it makes for a satisfyingly strategic affair where you’ll need more than just the luck of a good dice roll to really thrive.

“It’s packed to the brim with brutality and that unique Games Workshop identity, but also has plenty of strategic nuance to ensure that each match is entertaining, tactical, and can go either way.”

I’ve got to give a big shout out to the game’s violence too, with combat playing a heavy role in each match. You’ll be able to pummel your rivals on the field, with some players left staggered and injured on the ground or even dead. It’s really over-the-top, but it’s so entertaining that it’s hard not to laugh at it (even when you’re on the receiving end). Whilst your ultimate goal is to outscore your opponents and get as many touchdowns as you can, simply brutalising them instead can be just as important…

It all comes together to make for a really enjoyable experience, though there is a bit of a learning curve. I’ve simplified things in this review, but there’s a heavy focus on player position, the area they can cover on the field, stringing multiple actions together, and utilising their individual strengths and abilities. It’s never just a case of finding a hole in the defence of your opponent and surging to the line, with players having to assess each player on the field in order to figure out what they need to do, with it easy to slip up and make mistakes if you aren’t paying attention. I wouldn’t say Blood Bowl 3 is overly complex, but there’s still a lot to take in that can make your first few matches a bit tough to handle.

Fortunately, the single player campaign gives players a good opportunity to learn the ins-and-outs of play, whilst you can even automate team selection to give yourself a balanced skillset that cover most situations. Of course, as you get more experienced and establish your own playstyle, this is something you may want to finetune yourself, but it’s good to have an accessible starting point for newbies – especially since player injuries (and deaths) play a big role in the long-term approach to a campaign.

Check out some screenshots down below:

With an abundance of races to choose from, plenty of customisation options when setting up your team, intricate mechanics with assigning upgrades or utilising coach staff, giving your players special abilities to head to the field with, and even the ability to hire mercenaries to help out or even bribe referees mid-match, there’s SO much for players to get stuck into in Blood Bowl 3. Heck, you’ll even find the playing field changing as you play, with one seeing a kraken attack mid-game… you won’t find that in Madden. It’s packed to the brim with brutality and that unique Games Workshop identity, but also has plenty of strategic nuance to ensure that each match is entertaining, tactical, and can go either way. It’s good stuff.

Whilst the core gameplay experience is a lot of fun though, Blood Bowl 3 does have a few little issues. I came across a few bugs where player animations just glitched out a little bit, whilst there were times on my opponent’s turn where the action would just freeze up and leave me waiting. The UI can be very confusing at times too, even after a few hours play, whilst some of the live service aspects won’t sit well with some players. Whilst you can unlock a lot of the game’s cosmetic items and teams through gameplay, there’s a lot of opportunity to spend real-life cash too. The game also demands an always online connection, which saw one game I played against the AI completely bug out when my wi-fi went down at home, which was VERY annoying. In fairness, there are no real game-breaking issues, but there were aspects of the game that could have done with improvement.

I have to admit that I haven’t been able to try the online multiplayer out yet, which is one area where the game will undoubtedly shine (IF there aren’t any server issues). Blood Bowl 3 was thrilling to play solo, so I can imagine it’s even more exciting when actually facing off against a real-life player – I’m excited to get stuck in over the coming weeks and return for more brutal action.

Developer: Cyanide
Publisher: Nacon
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One
Website: https://www.bloodbowl-thegame.com/