Squad Busters Review: Fun in Short Bursts, But Not a Long-Term Play

In this article, we’ll be exploring Squad Busters, a game that blends characters from across Supercell’s diverse universe into an engaging PvP experience. If you’re a fan of the Clash series, Brawl Stars, or even Hay Day, you might recognize some familiar faces in Squad Busters. We’ll delve into how it stacks up against current mobile games and Supercell’s offerings in our review of Squad Busters.

In the realm of mobile gaming, Squad Busters boasted an astounding 40 million pre-registrations, a figure that likely ranks among the highest for such games. This overwhelming show of support from Supercell’s dedicated community during the pre-launch phase underscores their loyalty. However, in this review of Squad Busters, it’s crucial to discuss not only the anticipation but also the reality of the gameplay experience, ensuring we evaluate both background and delivery accurately.

The Launch Crisis

Squad Busters officially debuted on mobile devices with a big splash, thanks to a substantial investment from Supercell in creating an entertaining ad featuring Chris Hemsworth, Ken Jeong, Auli’i Cravalho, and others. The launch was impressive, but it unfortunately turned out to be both a major success for the company and a significant disappointment for the gaming community.

The game was plagued with numerous bugs, server disconnections, lag issues, and a strong emphasis on pay-to-win mechanics, making it one of the least favorite games among players for a while. However, the poor ratings on Google Play and App Store have improved for Squad Busters since then. Although Supercell has made some efforts to address the pay-to-win mechanisms, the game still falls short of the high standards that players expect from them.

Squad Busters has a fun core gameplay loop

In Squad Busters, you’ll find yourself teamed up with 9 other players in a battle arena for a span of 4 minutes. The primary goal is to gather gems and endure the competition against both human players and NPCs. At the conclusion of the match, the results are displayed based on the number of gems you’ve collected. With each update, new game modes are being added, but the fundamental gameplay experience remains consistent.

The main gameplay of Squad Busters is quite enjoyable, however, it’s important to note that there are several problems that players frequently encounter. These include technical glitches like the game freezing or getting stuck on the loading screen, as well as being trapped within an area with no escape route. Additionally, network issues occur frequently. Despite Supercell’s best efforts, these technical difficulties continue to pose challenges for the gaming community.

Squad Busters’ impressive character roster is worthy of praise. The game incorporates beloved characters from various Supercell games, fostering a connection between players and the new game. Picture transitioning from playing Hay Day to encountering characters like Greg and Chieckn in Squad Busters. Yes, this aspect of the game is truly enjoyable!

As a gamer, I love how Supercell’s games like Clash Royale and Brawl Stars offer quick-fire matches that fit perfectly into my busy schedule. The convenience of jumping straight into a game without lengthy loading times or waiting for opponents keeps me engaged for longer periods. It’s one of the reasons why these games are so addictive!

Squad Busters falls short of content

One point of note in this Squad Busters review is the battle settings, which function similarly to game modes. Currently, there are over 25 diverse battle settings available, categorized under themes like “Green Realm”, “Desert Realm”, “Beach Realm”, and so forth.

Despite an abundance of battle mode variations, the gameplay remains remarkably similar, offering little variation. In essence, it’s a repetitive experience where new modes don’t significantly alter the overall gaming experience.

Based on my personal playtime, it’s evident that the game was initially engaging. During its soft launch phase, I spent over 4 hours playing every single day for an entire month. Lately, however, my enjoyment seems to have waned due to insufficient content updates. This sentiment appears to be shared by the broader Squad Busters community and my friends as well. The game now feels like a tedious task instead of the enjoyable experience it once was.

Social features are missing

In Supercell’s games, you’ll often find elements such as clans, alliances, and clubs playing a significant role, particularly in games like Squad Busters where they are essential. Regrettably, at the time of writing this review, Squad Busters does not include any clan or comparable feature, which I believe should have been integrated from the game’s initial global release. It feels like an oversight to me.

In Squad Busters, there’s currently no built-in chat system within the game itself. However, there is a feature to create parties and team up with players. The twist is that this option is mostly redundant except for the duo mode. To put it simply, having multiple players in one party can still lead to conflicts since you can all attack each other. There’s no text-based chat available either; only emojis are provided as an alternative.

The game hosts the lively Pinata Festival each week, which is a short-lived team activity requiring five participants to gather Pinata sticks from the matches. However, since there’s no built-in chat system, people looking for teammates must resort to external platforms like Reddit, Discord, Facebook groups, and so on, often sharing their links repeatedly. This can be a beneficial opportunity for clans but proves to be quite a hassle for individual players.

Is Squad Busters a pay-to-win game

At its initial release, Squad Busters was heavily skewed towards pay-to-win mechanics. However, following the update in June 2024, the game has significantly improved towards a more balanced free-to-play model. While generating revenue is crucial for business continuity, it should not compromise the quality of user experience.

In the game Squad Busters, you have the freedom to rejuvenate the shop multiple times, allowing you to purchase and fully stock all characters if you’re prepared to invest some funds. This is reminiscent of Clash Royale, except that when you play Clash Royale, you receive a chest in addition to your purchases.

This time around, there’s a change – the game now only uses one type of currency, which is Gold. You can accumulate this gold by playing frequently, but it may not be sufficient to purchase characters from the shop on a regular basis. As a result, those who spend heavily or are referred to as “whales” will gain a substantial advantage if they aim to fully maximize their accounts quickly!

Star Chests pose a challenge for budget players as it’s difficult for them to collect the required 500 Star Tokens. This advantageously favors those who can spend more money, enabling them to swiftly enhance their in-game rosters.

Final Verdict

Following a long wait since the game’s release, I can now express that Squad Busters has noteworthy potential. Yet, it’s clear that the game needs work, particularly in terms of implementing the widely desired community features promptly to enhance user experience. It seems that Supercell, a leading name in mobile gaming, is aware of the business dynamics; however, Squad Busters struggles to sustain an active player base and foster meaningful community interaction.

For a brief gaming spell or if you prefer a relaxed, occasional playstyle, Squad Busters could suit you well. However, if you’re looking for a game to dedicate significant time to and become a primary choice on your mobile device, Squad Busters might not be fully developed enough at this stage.

Squad Busters Review by GamingonPhone

Gameplay Mechanics – 9
Character and Environment Design – 9
Graphics and Music – 9
Controls and UI – 9
Replayablity – 5
Free-to-Play Elements – 7

8

Good

As a gaming enthusiast, I can vouch that Squad Busters offers an engaging PvP experience, boasting a solid gameplay mechanism tailored for casual gamers. It holds promise of emulating the popularity of Brawl Stars, but there’s still a lot of ground to cover on its journey!

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2025-02-10 11:12

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