Badland: A Let's Play Diary
So tonight I did a Let's Play run through the first day of Badland. I had no idea what to expect from the game and I have mixed feelings on the matter. First off there isn't an active tutorial in any section of the game, but you can take a look at a sort of mini tutorial in your menu that maybe updates sometimes? There is no background to this game at all. None. What am I? What is this sootball thing and why do I care? Don't know. Why am I trying to get through this level? Who knows? What are any of these objects called? Nothing.
So you fall out of a glowy trashbin thing and you start flapping around, and then you have to do ... stuff for reasons. The artwork is very pretty and you feel like there might be more to this story at some point, but sadly you would be wrong. The gameplay is interesting and some of the puzzles are pretty challenging.
The soundtrack for Badlands is subtle and understated. As I mentioned before the game wants you to think that it's going somewhere, but this one is all about the gameplay and being pretty. Now I did go back and looked up a trailer of the game after the fact and there apparently is a story to go along with this that is kind of adorable, but unfortunately that story is not integrated into the gameplay at all.
Apparently you are playing a clone... clones..... legions of clones? That are native to this lovely environment, but that environment has become hostile and it is up to you to rescue them. I'm afraid that the reality of the game is more of an excercise is watching clones die in a plethora of horrific ways that make you feel like a terrible person.. while trying to manage to get a few of these derpy little guys to safety.
Conclusion: If you want to see and hear cute things get mutilated by saws, exploded by sticky pinecones, squished by various elements, and otherwise crushed or maimed as you try to explore the different levels of the game you will love this game very much. Some of the levels are easy while others take a bit to work your way through. It's a very fun and derpy game with delightful visuals, a low-key soundtrack, and zero plot.
Watch DutchessVenom and I make fools of ourselves playing Badland Here:
