Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Battleborn is most enjoyable once you stop treating it like a straightforward first-person shooter. Picking one of 25 heroes is only the opening decision. Your character levels from one to ten within each match, and the repeated choice between upgrades means you can shape how that hero handles from game to game. That constant stream of decisions gives even familiar matches a little momentum.

The multiplayer modes have more going on than simply outshooting the other side. Capture is the cleanest place to start, built around holding points for victory points. Meltdown asks you to protect AI minions as they march toward a central incinerator, while Incursion turns the match into a layered push against protected enemy robots. In the latter two especially, you need to pay attention to minions, not just enemy heroes. Ignoring the larger battlefield can leave a mechanically sharp player contributing very little to a win.

Currency adds another useful wrinkle. You can spend it on stat-boosting items or on towers that attack, defend, or heal, and clearing edge camps gives your side access to stronger minions. This makes teamwork feel practical rather than ceremonial. A balanced group of characters has real advantages, and a coordinated team can turn small map decisions into pressure the opposition cannot easily answer.

The campaign works as a co-op companion to those competitive ideas. Its eight maps cycle through raid, defense, and escort objectives, and each can be attempted alone, though they are clearly built for up to four people. The shared-life system can create a harsh reset when the team’s energy runs out, forcing a full restart, so a failed run can sting. With friends, that pressure makes surviving a wave or finishing an escort feel earned. Solo, the same missions are less forgiving and less lively.

Graphics

Battleborn uses comic-styled graphics that suit its large hero roster and fast sci-fi action. The art direction gives the game a more playful, exaggerated look than a grim military shooter, which helps its mix of strange heroes, enemy minions, and galaxy-spanning conflict feel intentionally offbeat.

Story

The campaign frames its missions around stabilizing the Battleborn alliance before the Varelsi can threaten the galaxy. It is a clear, functional excuse to bring a broad collection of heroes into the same fight, and that suits a game whose real focus is assembling a team.

Do not come in expecting the story to carry the experience on its own. The campaign is structured around mission goals, with raids, defenses, and escorts doing most of the dramatic work. The threat from the Varelsi gives those tasks direction, but the memorable moments come from how your group handles the encounter.

That light touch is not necessarily a flaw. Battleborn has a lot of systems to teach, and the campaign is more effective as a cooperative runway for experimenting with heroes than as a reason to obsess over the plot. If you want character builds and team interplay to be the star, the story stays out of their way.

Overall Experience

Battleborn is a smart, crowded hybrid that asks you to juggle shooter aim, hero selection, match-by-match upgrades, AI allies, and objectives. That can feel messy at first, especially in Incursion, where winning depends on several moving pieces at once. Give it time, though, and the clutter resolves into a game where smart decisions can matter as much as a clean shot.

The strongest recommendation is for a regular group of friends. Co-op missions are designed around a four-person squad, and competitive matches reward teams that deliberately mix characters and react to the map rather than wandering into isolated duels. A player who wants a pure solo shooter may find the campaign’s restarts and cooperative focus wearing thin.

Its willingness to build multiplayer matches around minion management, defenses, and evolving hero builds gives Battleborn a personality that many shooters lack. Not every mode lands with the same immediacy, and there is a lot to absorb, but the payoff is a shooter with real tactical texture. If you enjoy learning a character and finding your place in a coordinated team, it is worth your time.

Retro Replay Score

7.2/10