Bad North is one of those strategy games that manages to be both charming and merciless at the same time, but beneath its picturesque islands and minimalist art style lies a tense real-time tactics roguelite where every battle is a desperate fight for survival.
In this game, you are tasked with defending a chain of islands from relentless Viking raiders. You’ll command small squads of soldiers, make split-second tactical decisions, and watch carefully laid plans unravel spectacularly. At first glance, Bad North looks rather simple. The game strips real-time strategy down to its absolute essentials as you command a small number of squads across a chain of procedurally generated islands, defending your people against waves of invaders.
There are no tricky tech trees to master, no complicated resource systems, and no overwhelming unit management to worry over. You just point and click to take care of business. A single squad of infantry can hold a chokepoint, while your Archers can rain death from elevated terrain, and Pike units will completely shut down a landing point if they’re positioned correctly. The challenge comes from understanding how these pieces interact and making split-second decisions when your carefully planned defence starts falling apart.
And trust me, it will.
What makes Bad North so compelling is how quickly situations can spiral out of control. One mistake can leave an entire flank exposed, forcing you to improvise while enemy raiders torch buildings and overwhelm your troops.
The procedural island generation keeps encounters feeling fresh, while the roguelike campaign structure adds genuine tension. Lose a commander permanently, and suddenly every future battle becomes a little harder.
Fortunately, you do have the means to upgrade your weapons after each round, and in battle, you can send a squad to one of the houses to heal up, meaning any lost troops are replenished after a short time-out.
Visually, the game looks fantastic too. Its minimalist art style creates miniature battlefields that look like living dioramas. Tiny soldiers clash across lush green islands while fires spread through villages and waves crash against rocky coastlines. It’s clean, enjoyable, and surprisingly atmospheric.
That said, Bad North won’t appeal to everyone. Some gamers may crave deeper progression systems or greater strategic complexity over longer campaigns. And to be honest, battles can occasionally feel repetitive once you’ve mastered the core mechanics.
For quick strategic game sessions at the office or at home, Bad North is a classic that will have you trying to bounce back after each defeat. The game is available on Android, iOS, and Steam.
Game played and reviewed on the Samsung Galaxy A57 5G, check out the full review.
