I am always behind on trends. Pocket Monsters (Pokemon) went right the heck over my head when I worked at a long-since-dead Waldensoftware back in the 90s. I never thought such a thing would take off and if it did, then it would survive as long as Magic The Gathering cards. To my credit, that last part was correct.
A Brief history you didn’t ask for but are getting
Anyway, I also missed the introduction to Bakugan, which apparently was a huge deal in the mid-2000s. It was a mixture of toys and cards. Invented by Aldric Saucier, sold to Spin Master, and developed by Sega Toys (they have a toy division?), the game was one of the hottest toy commodities when it launched, and rightfully so because it was a combination of everything. Eventually, the property would get bigger and a series would come out of it, and it would find itself a permanent cult classic.
Years later, and a fun meeting last week, Bakugan has been announced to make its return with Bakugan- Champions of Vestroia, a Nintendo Switch released title from Way Forward and Warner Bros. Games.
Everything we know
If Transformers met Pokemon cards, then this is what you would get with Bakugan- Champions of Vestroia. The game features giant robots with unique names that are competing against other giant robots. You build up a team of three in the game (brawlers) and can choose between 17 unique species available with five factions (elemental factions). Each faction has two factions it’s strong against (meaning that it can have an advantage over) and one weak against (you get the picture). That description of the game sounds like Way Forward certainly has a balanced plan for the title, which is what you want the focus to be when you’re building a brawling card game like this.
In addition, the abilities in the game are all faction-based, something similar to Pokemon and a few other games of its type. Each faction will focus on damage, healing, and shield, so you have options to play in the game. Again, balancing is important. If you don’t perform the right balancing act with precision in terms of gameplay structure and design, then you run the risk of the entire gameplay structure collapsing. You never want one faction to outperform another, as that will make the game more powerful on one end and not enough on the other. Players would hate a game for such a sin.
Moving on, the game will also feature a story mode, as well as local and worldwide competition (online). While there wasn’t too much detail given about the latter, one of the cooler items presented was that you can join up with brawling clubs or battle against them. While this is normal in games like Destiny and/or Call of Duty, I found it quite fascinating that you could do this on a Nintendo Switch title. Joining up with groups of people to do battle would just be absolutely addictive for a game-based in the Bakugan world. It would make sense and give that ‘Team Rocket’ feel to things…I mean, if you’re going that direction.
Anyway, the story mode was talked about here and there during the presentation. A few things about that mode:
– The main game is an RPG-lite and intended to be so.
– There is definitely a good campaign mode to the game and not one that is a throwaway JUST to get to the online mode.
– There will always be new brawlers in the game looking for tips, you should help them out for reasons.
– Team building is a BIG deal with Bakugan- Champions of Vestroia, so keep that strategy in mind when you’re trying to put together a team.
– There are NO microtransactions in the game.
– You can customize and shift your Bakugan for your gameplay needs, including switching up their abilities and placing focus on their growing skills tree.
– The story asks you to create your own path, create your own hero, which makes you the center stage star. In other words, the experience is unique to you.
– Two new storylines are in the game with new characters (didn’t get too much in the latter).
– The game is made for everyone, which means you don’t have to be familiar with the series to enjoy it.
Looking ahead
From the details given, Bakugan- Champions of Vestroia looks like it could be a fantastic game for a younger audience and those who have fond memories of the game’s inception. We’ll certainly let you know more about it as it draws closer to completion. Until then, keep brawling.
