Do you like board games, tactical combat, or feudal Japan? If you answered "yes" to any of those options then you may want to give "Warbands: Bushido" a try. Steam recommended it to me, and based on the low Early Access cost of $7.00 I decided to give it a shot. I am very pleased with the Early Access quality, game play, and the direction in which development seems to be going. Even though the game uses a board game approach and aesthetic, it is mostly a turn-based tactical combat game at heart. Characteristics like toughness and agility are inherent to each unit, and each unit gets a turn to move and attack each round. The board game aspects are overlaid on top of this, with dice rolls that are used to determine the success of the attack/defense, card draws that enable the units to perform special abilities, and morale points that must be spent to put cards into play. Currently there is only one single-player campaign in the game (which from the start I found to be difficult), but if you take the time to read everything the developers plan to include in the release version, there's a lot more content to come. The current state of the game attests to this, with in-game currency (ryo) earned and spent in a "store" on unit and card booster packs, and on more yet-to-be-released campaigns. I suppose the game's degree of success will determine how many more campaigns and how much other content will follow, but based on what I've seen I hope the game enjoys success and that there will be much more content to come.

So far my only concern is that most ryo appear to be earned through Skirmish Mode, which at the time of this review is only PVP. While I don't mind occasional PVP, I don't want to be forced into it to earn the currency necessary to acquire more content. Hopefully they will come up with more diverse ways to earn ryo, or implement a Skirmish option to play against AI.

A few other reviewers have commented on things like dialogue errors and the like, but I would point out that the game is still in development (the version we're playing is not a finished product) and that Red Unit Studios is a Russian developer, so it's understandable that there are some very minor (but still noticeable) translation errors in the Early Access version.


--- UPDATE, 7 FEB 2017 ---
Now that I've had more time to play I've discovered more about the game, and IMHO it's all good news! To expand on my comments about the in-game "store" ... the two items people will spend most of their in-game currency (ryo) on are new unit/miniature packs and card booster packs.

Each miniature pack gives you 3 new units of random quality (common, rare, epic, legendary). None are more powerful than the others when you receive them, but the better the quality, the higher it can level, which means more stat points and abilities for that particular unit. This is great for someone like me who likes to have in-game goals to work toward. Without unit leveling, the game would be kinda like Monopoly--the same game every time you take it out of the box--but the ability to level units gives players something to look forward to, and to work toward.

I also discovered that everything you buy in the store can be sold to help earn more ryo to buy your next booster pack. If there is a coin icon in the top right corner of the item, just click on it to open a "sell" window. To date I've spent most of my ryo on new miniatures (there is a surprisingly wide variety of units). When I finally realized the difference in unit quality, I noticed I had numerous "common" units, some of which were duplicates of "rare" units I already possessed. Since one logically wants a warband of superior quality, I sold all my common units (5 ryo each), moving closer to my next booster pack purchase.

I haven't sold any cards yet, but they work the same way. Got too many of a type, or some that you just don't like? Sell them!

I also have a comment on Skirmish mode now that I've played it more. I take back what I said before about not liking the idea of being forced into PVP to earn ryo. After playing more skirmishes it doesn't bother me at all. A skirmish match is so short--like 5-7 min per match--it's pretty much over before you can develop a dislike for it. Normally I hate PVP games in which I'm hopelessly outplayed or outmatched, but skirmishes are so short I don't even have a chance to get worked up about it. And to clarify, I haven't been hopelessly outmatched so far, just outplayed. Your chance at winning any given match is determined mostly by the units used and dice rolls. Tactics just help tip the scale. In that sense, I suppose if you're looking for a game in which tactics (i.e. movement) plays a deciding role then this might not be the game for you. But if you like "tactical-style" board games (which tend to have a more casual feel), it's definitely worth checking out.

Last--as if I haven't sung enough praises for this game already--when I downloaded it, the file size was like 150 MB ... that's right, MB, not GB. I'm thoroughly amazed at how professional the game looks and feels for such a small file size. I'm adding Red Unit Studios to my "watch list". If Bushido is typical of the quality I can expect from them, I'm eager to see what they come out with in the future.

--- UPDATE, 25 Feb 2017 ---
A change, and a new discovery.

First, the devs changed the ability to sell unwanted minis and cards. Now they are "disenchanted" (if that is the proper word to use) and turned into dust, which can then be accumulated and used to craft "legendary" minis and cards. Under the previous model one had to keep spending ryo in the store, each time getting random results of random quality. Under the new system, the dust can be used to craft legendary items (and only legendary items, which is what players want anyway). But of course, it takes a lot of dust to make a legendary mini. In the end I don't know which method is better, having to build one's collection through store purchases and random results, or giving players the dust resource so they can save toward exactly the minis and cards they want. There is a certain thrill to buying things in the store, because each time I open a package, I wonder, "Will I get a legendary or elite mini this time?" In the end, I find myself wondering, "Could players have both?" I.e., why not use both systems, so players have the option to sell their unwanted items for gold, or disenchant them into dust to save and craft exactly what they want? Whichever direction the devs choose, it won't lessen my opinion of the game since it doesn't affect actual gameplay. I can live with whichever decision they make.

Now for my latest discovery ... this may have been in the game since the beginning, but I just noticed it today. As your minis gain xp they gain levels, which appear to be permanent. However, each player also has a level based on wins/losses, but the player level appears to work on a sliding scale. Naturally, the more you win, the higher your player level, but if you lose too many skirmishes you lose player xp and your player level will drop. While that sounds negative, so far I haven't found a downside to it, because each time a player levels--even if it's reaching the same level repeatedly--you get the gold reward for leveling. It's not a huge amount, but every little bit helps if you like buying items in the store rather than saving dust to craft them.