Band of Crusaders feels like a game I’m going to have to give a second chance to–the preview build doesn’t feature any of the story elements, and I really only enjoy strategy RPGs that feature long-form, intriguing stories that make the dozens, if not hundreds, of hours I spend playing them worth it. So as interesting as it was to play a game largely divorced from any of the narrative context and story–something I’ve never really done before–the experience more than anything reinforced how important those aspects of a game are. When a game is mostly just gameplay, it isn’t all that interesting for me.
Set in an alternate history of medieval England, Band of Crusaders sees you take on the role of Grandmaster of a freshly constructed order of knights that do battle against demons. Set in an open sandbox, you must send your knights where you think they’re needed most, doing your best to stem the tide against the demons while simultaneously searching for a way to stop the invasion. Each choice can have long-reaching consequences for the ongoing story, as can the outcome of each fight, whether you win or lose. As another level of complexity, there are opposing human forces as well. The in-game world takes in all of this and changes over time, altering individual battlegrounds depending on whether it’s day or night, which season it is, or how much the demons have influenced an area.
That sounds really cool, but what I played did not include the overarching story quests, the world simulation that would advance to reflect the consequences of my actions and alter battlefields, most of the camp mechanics (I could only heal or repair armor), and, as a press release put it, “other important features.” I clarify all of this because my analysis will make it sound like I’m against this game and think you should skip it when in truth I just didn’t get a chance to experience what sounds like a great deal of Band of Crusaders and the parts of the game that will likely make me a fan are all of aspects I didn’t get to see.
Band of Crusaders plays a whole lot like its contemporaries, tasking you with leading units of soldiers into real-time tactical engagements. The members of each unit can be upgraded and specialized, giving you a chance to transform each soldier you recruit. I always like having a crossbow sharpshooter or two in the squad, but you’ll also need a balance of swords, shields, and spears to avoid the whole unit getting overwhelmed. Even the best-laid plans can fall apart, of course, so you’ll regularly lose knights to permadeath, encouraging you to recruit and train more.
The preview made it seem like this wouldn’t be too hard, which lessens the impact of losing a knight. If a knight died, I could find someone quite capable at a nearby castle or keep, recruit him for a few gold pieces, and then train him up and unlock a few upgrades after a battle or two. I’m not a huge fan of how easy it is to find new recruits, pay for them to join your army, and then train them. I don’t want the game to be frustrating, but death never feels like a setback–this encouraged me to not care about my units and sacrifice them recklessly, a sentiment reinforced by their repetitive battle cries that make them all sound like the same person. Presumably, losing a unit much later in the game would be a tougher loss to swallow, but if encounters happen to scale with your level, then I imagine later missions dole out enough experience to pump up new recruits up to your higher levels faster.
With no story to make me care about the world or characterization for the units to help me care about them, Band of Crusaders feels bland and boring. Why should I care about these lands and these people? Do I fight only to conquer? The preview build has no answer. Just more fights against the same types of enemies, most of whom seem to be human. Where are the demons I was promised? I assume, like everything else missing, they’re all waiting for me in the full release. Here’s hoping, because if this preview build is an accurate representation of the full release, Band of Crusaders isn’t shaping up to be a very interesting or entertaining game.
Band of Crusaders is set to launch for PC. A release window has yet to be announced.
