RoguedexPart 4 (Dec 2025) · #1 of 1 in that tierWatch the moment (0:01:39)
Bad North: Jotunn Edition
- Developed by
- Plausible Concept, Oskar Stålberg
- Published by
- Raw Fury
$14.99
Bad North is a charming but brutal real-time tactics roguelite. Defend your idyllic island kingdom against a horde of Viking invaders, as you lead the desperate exodus of your people. Command your loyal subjects to take full tactical advantage of the unique shape of each island.
Consensus
B71.4/100
Steam players93.3% positiveVery Positive14,361 reviews
Metacritic ↗72/100Users: 7/10
OpenCritic ↗71/100
VG Insights estimate ↗≈346K copies · ≈$3.1M gross
What creators say
What players say
A minimalist real-time tactics roguelite by Plausible Concept (published by Raw Fury) where you command up to four squads to defend procedurally generated diorama islands from Viking raiders, with permadeath for your commanders.
Bad North is widely liked by players (Steam 'Very Positive', about 93% of roughly 14.4k reviews) mainly for its striking minimalist art, readable terrain-based tactics and quick, low-stress sessions. Professional critics were more lukewarm: Metacritic sits at 72 (Switch page; PC 74, Xbox 65) and OpenCritic at 71 with only 46% of critics recommending, spanning Nintendo Life 9/10 down to Destructoid 5.5/10 and TheSixthAxis 5/10. The recurring verdict from both camps is 'brilliant core, thin content': it is short (roughly 4 to 12 hours), has few unit classes and enemy types, and little reason to replay. The free Jotunn Edition update (July 2019) added commanders, traits, items and skills and improved replayability, but the game is essentially finished and has had no major content since; newer Steam reviews still ask for more classes, a harder difficulty and a level creator.
Players love
- Minimalist low-poly diorama art and sound: islands stained with blood as battles go on, small details like shields turning toward incoming arrows
- Broad-stroke control scheme: you position squads, not individual soldiers, so it is easy to learn in minutes yet still tactical
- Terrain matters: cliffs, ramps, chokepoints and beaches on each procedural island shape where you defend
- Rock-paper-scissors between infantry (shield), pikes (anti-brute) and archers, with special skills, produce tense and satisfying last-second saves
- Slow-motion / pause-friendly flow feels more relaxed than typical RTS games
- Short, jump-in-jump-out sessions; a campaign does not overstay its welcome and suits Steam Deck / Game Pass play
- Emotional attachment to named commanders whose permadeath carries weight
- Jotunn Edition's extra commanders, traits and items added welcome variety for free
Common complaints
- Very little content: only three troop classes with a single skill each and a limited enemy roster; many players say they saw everything in a few hours
- Low replay value for a roguelite; one campaign clears most of the content and there is no other game mode
- Late-game giant archers / ballista-like units are a common complaint because they out-range and crush most units with no clear counter
- Difficulty curve is lopsided: the early campaign is trivially easy and the late game spikes sharply
- Perceived randomness (enemy landing spots, item and commander luck) can make late losses feel unfair
- Minimal unit control leaves you unable to fix AI behaviour, such as odd target choices and chasing fleeing enemies; hard to notice squads dying
- Full price ($14.99) is often judged too high for the length; widely recommended on sale or via Game Pass
- Shallow upgrade and preparation options: several reviewers say there are too few meaningful ways to spend coins, so it feels like a 'mini game' for the price
Can feel tedious
- The first quarter of a run is easy and slow, with little challenge and upgrades only after several coins are earned; restarting after a loss means replaying that stretch
- Repetition sets in after a few hours because of limited enemies and units
- Abilities must be placed the instant enemies land, which some find restrictive rather than strategic
- Feels 'like a mobile game' to several reviewers (it has iOS/Android ports), with lots of unused screen space and vague mechanics
- Losing to late-game archers after a long run, where skill cannot fully compensate
What's unique
- A real-time tactics game stripped to its bones: four squads, no base building, no resource micromanagement
- Procedurally generated tile-like islands where geography is the main tactical resource
- Permadeath campaign of commanders across an archipelago with a pursuing fleet, a roguelite structure applied to RTS
- Houses you can lose or save: coins come from protecting villages, tying score and economy to defense
- Serene, meditative tone contrasted with brutal, blood-stained outcomes
Players want
- More unit classes, skills per class and enemy types, especially on higher difficulties
- A difficulty beyond Very Hard and/or a hold-out / endless style mode
- Larger unit caps (players suggest 6-8 squads instead of 4) and bigger maps
- More meaningful upgrade and preparation options so coins buy real choices
- A counter or rebalance for the late-game heavy archer, plus more island variety
- A level creator / mod-style tooling and DLC-style content expansions
Summarised from Steam reviews and community discussion.
Steam tags
WargameVikingsTower DefenseReal Time TacticsSurvivalAction RoguelikeMinimalistRTSAuto BattlerWar
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Tier list Part 4 (2025)
Bad North is a real-time tactical roguelike where you command small armies to defend islands from Viking raids. He is drawn in by its cute visuals and vibe, and finds it visually and mechanically unique. However, he feels the core strategy is shallow and repetitive, and that it would have worked better as a non-roguelike. The roguelike layer is minimal, runs are long, and it is slow to get interesting. He still recommends it to fans of simple tactical games, but places it in C tier.
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