Skyshine’s Bedlam Review

Taking cues from Fallout, Fire Emblem and even The Oregon Trail, Skyshine Games’ Skyshine’s Bedlam has grand plans to revolutionize the post-apocalyptic wild west. This game may crib notes from some of the greatest games out there, but does it bring anything new to the table?

Skyshine’s Bedlam Review

Skyshine’s Bedlam is an interesting beast, in that it doesn’t fit just one genre. At its core, your mission is simple – get your crew through the war-torn lands of Bedlam to Aztec City. However, it is the way the game is set up that makes things unique.

For one, your escapades in Skyshine’s Bedlam are very tactical. Playing as the humans, cyborgs, rogue AI, or mutants, resource management is oftentimes more time-consuming than the battles themselves. Taking a page from The Oregon Trail, balancing food, crude, and power is an absolute must if you want your passengers and crew to make it to the end. Tough decisions must be made between each stop, with one wrong choice leading to a brisk end to your travels. Failure does not come with checkpoints – a game over screen equates to starting over from scratch.

This can lead to an absolutely brutal style of play, which could be a blessing or a curse depending on who you are. There is a noticeable difficulty curve in Skyshine’s Bedlam, one that encourages players to learn from previous failures and mistakes. Its repetitive nature can be draining for those looking for fresh content, but the perfectionists among us (or just fans of roguelikes) will find a lot to love here.

When hostile threats cross your path, gameplay changes gears into a top-down, grid-based SRPG. Much like Fire Emblem, players can choose from a roster of different classes. Those wishing to go in guns-a-blazing can do so, as those who would rather snipe from a distance. However, death is permanent in the wastelands of Bedlam, meaning that the type of crew you want isn’t always available.

While these skirmishes usually pit a set amount of soldiers (in the single digits) against a group of enemies, the amount of things that can happen in just two actions per turn can be downright staggering. A defensive style of play is definitely encouraged, as the odds are almost never in your favor.

All of Skyshine’s Bedlam’s escapades are wrapped up in a post-apocalyptic shell that evokes the spirit of both Fallout and Mad Max. It’s nothing original, and the Newgrounds-style Flash animation do not add anything aesthetically. Still, however familiar it may be, you can’t help but appreciate the depth that comes with its world.

Encompassing many different genres, Skyshine’s Bedlam will appeal to fans of a number of different genres. It may not be revolutionary, but the harsh world of Bedlam calls out to almost all types of gamer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YmrdwgmM7A