Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia is well put together and does what it sets out to do which is provide low-stress, family-friendly entertainment for as long as you want it to. The added depth in the world and its characters as well as the thoroughness of the brawling system and the checks and balances between abilities and Bakugan allow players to dive in and optimize their team and curb their competitive appetite. As long as you look at it for what it is, Champions of Vestroia is worth the look for anyone that’s a fan of the game, the toys, or is looking for a game to enjoy while killing time.
Disclaimer: WB Games sent Digitalchumps this for review.
Although Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia could seem like a straight-forward game on the surface (and in some ways it is), a quick glance isn’t enough to experience the depth of the game. I wasn’t sure what to expect coming in as a first-time player of this type of RPG but my expectations were surpassed by a clean, fun game with a lot of upsides.
Champions of Vestroia is set in a larger-than-expected world where people either have powerful Bakugan, or they wish they did. The people that do have powerful Bakugan face off against each other in brawls where players power their champions up using energy discs found around the arena and use an array of abilities to knock out their opponents and claim victory. Brawling, as it’s called in-game, is basically 4D rock paper scissors. There are 5 different elements that champions can be, with each element being strong against one of its counterparts and weak against another.
The brawling in Champions of Vestroia feels like you can pick your own experience as you go through the game. A hardcore player would be able to min-max their team of Bakugan, handpicking them and syncing up abilities to fit the situation. It would also be difficult for the casual player to get left behind running through the story because the power scaling makes you feel like you have a chance to win, even if you don’t nitpick your abilities.
It is split up into seven locations that each have their own subsections full of NPC’s that hand out side-quests or hold Brawl tournaments, giving you something to do outside of the main story. Halfway through the story, I found myself saying out loud “Wow, I still have three areas I haven’t even unlocked yet.” The side quests can earn you more Bakugan, attack cards you can use during brawls, and credits that can be used to customize your avatar’s clothes or buy baku-abilities that help you during brawls. The story itself is instrumental in introducing players to the world one location at a time, easing players into learning the ins and outs of brawling as well as exploring the lore of the Bakugan and how they got on Earth.
Although the game is fun, Champions of Vestroia is not free of issues. Movement in the game itself is smooth and works well, however, navigation around the map and traversing between story missions can be annoying. Waypoints that are visible as you’re walking around and the ability to fast travel would make going from story mission to story mission feel like less of a chore. In the story missions, there are occasional brawls that are required but don’t move the story forward that seem to be there to take up time. There was an instance where, on the way to an important interaction in the story, I was forced to play through three unavoidable brawls with a random henchman that felt more cumbersome than it did fun.
As far as brawling itself, the experience is fun and engaging but the stun and slow abilities are meant to be a challenge yet provide more frustration than a competitive edge in my case at least. Reducing their effects could possibly make them easier to deal with while still providing a challenge during brawls.
Overall, Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia is well put together and does what it sets out to do which is provide low-stress, family-friendly entertainment for as long as you want it to. The added depth in the world and its characters as well as the thoroughness of the brawling system and the checks and balances between abilities and Bakugan allow players to dive in and optimize their team and curb their competitive appetite. As long as you look at it for what it is, Champions of Vestroia is worth the look for anyone that’s a fan of the game, the toys, or is looking for a game to enjoy while killing time.
