New release: Battle Brothers

Word reaches me that Battle Brothers (previously covered here) has finally been released! Developed by Hamburg-based indies Overhype Studios, Battle Brothers is a strategy RPG set in a gritty quasi-medieval setting with a procedurally generated overworld, battles, and quests.

The premise:

Battle Brothers is a turn based strategy RPG mix which has you leading a mercenary company in a gritty, low-power, medieval fantasy world. You decide where to go, whom to hire or to fight, what contracts to take and how to train and equip your men in a procedurally generated open world campaign. Do you have what it takes to lead them through bloody battles and to victory?

The game is split between a world map, where you can wander and take contracts to earn money or hire new mercenaries for your group–and a turn-based combat layer, where individual battles play out. The game’s release trailer gives you the gist:

I last checked out Battle Brothers nearly two years ago; it was a fairly impressive game even then. Now, after two years of incubation and regular updates on early access, I can only assume that it’s grown more so. (In particular, I hope that the developers have addressed some of the more annoying aspects of the game’s zone-of-control mechanics.)

The developers cite among the game’s features:

• Permadeath. All characters that die in combat will stay dead – unless they return as the undead.
• All characters come with their own background stories and traits. Want a stuttering ratcatcher, a greedy witch hunter or a drunkard disowned noble?
• Character development without a restrictive class-system. Each character gains experience through combat, can level up and acquire powerful perks.
• Equipment that matters. Different weapons grant unique skills – split shields with axes, stun enemies with maces, form a spearwall with spears or crush armor with a warhammer.
• Diverse enemy roster. All enemies have unique equipment, skills and AI behavior.
• A dynamic event system with atmospheric encounters and tough decisions outside of combat.
• Three late game crises – a war between noble houses, a greenskin invasion and an undead scourge – add a looming threat along with new contracts, enemies and events.

Battle Brothers is available on Steam for $29.99. Windows only.