Battle Shapers is now out on Early Access. Read on to find out whether or not the futuristic sci-fi roguelite FPS game is worth your time and money.

Battle Shapers Review Overview

Battle Shapers Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Exceptionally Fun Gameplay Excellent Progression Great Value For Money Responsive Developers	Explore Or Miss Out No Multiplayer Underwhelming Story

Battle Shapers Overall - 86/100

Battle Shapers feels extremely polished, even for a game in Early Access. While its story is a bit generic and its sound effects are pretty average, they’re easy to look past, thanks to its incredibly fun gameplay and Megaman style theme. Its graphics look great on a powerful PC and when paired with its fitting soundtrack, leads to an overall great experience. Priced at only $24.99, this game has incredible value for its cost and is definitely worth your time.

Battle Shapers Story - 7/10

I personally wasn’t too big on the story of this game as it’s essentially a reskin of the same unlikely hero, good versus evil type of story we’ve come across a thousand times before. While I do think that single player games should have better stories, Battle Shaper’s underwhelming story isn’t a deal-breaker at all considering how good the other elements of the game are. While the worldbuilding is pretty good and the setting is phenomenal, the overarching narrative simply fails to spark interest.

Battle Shapers Gameplay - 10/10

Battle Shapers is fun, and I mean extremely fun. Even after roughly 12 hours of gameplay spread across two days, I haven’t grown tired of it at all. Its movement and gunplay feels a lot like Overwatch, while the combat shares similarities with Doom games. After tweaking some of the bindings to my liking, everything felt natural and responsive. The rogue-lite elements ensure that no two runs are the same. There’s only one difficulty and it’s pretty challenging, especially the boss fights, but not to the point where you feel like the game is unfair. The game features a wide variety of unlockable weapons, abilities, playstyles, and enemy types, which further boosts the game’s replayability. Progression is great and you’ll definitely feel your character get incrementally stronger, the more time you spend playing as her.

Battle Shapers Visuals - 9/10

The game looks absolutely stunning on a powerful PC setup. However, it’s worth noting that the requirements are pretty high, with my mid-level RTX 2060 powered setup struggling to consistently run the game smoothly on high graphics settings. Playing on medium settings was completely fine with me though, as the game still looked pretty good. What pushes this rating up to a 9 is its execution of its distinct theme and art style. The game took me back in time and got me reminiscing about the Megaman games I used to play on my PS2, right when I got home from elementary school. The character models, map design, and other visual elements really work to immerse you in its futuristic, robotic world.

Battle Shapers Audio - 9/10

I have mixed feelings about the game’s audio. On one hand, the soundtrack is perfect for the game and definitely gives off the futuristic, robotic, Megaman-esque vibe. However, the sound effects, although functional, seemed a bit average to me. Something I have grown to be more critical of as an FPS veteran is the sound of gunfire. The sound of weapons firing in Battle Shapers sounds more like a generic sci-fi pew-pew-pew rather than full-bodied sounds that make you feel powerful.

Battle Shapers Value for Money - 9/10

Priced at only $24.99, Battle Shapers is very affordable, and gives you an excellent game that’s only bound to improve. While it’s not free-to-play, it’s a lot easier on your wallet compared to the typical $60-$70 we’re usually asked for in exchange for quality video games. Should you be a fan of FPS, roguelikes, or futuristic themed games, do yourself a favor and get this game.

Battle Shapers Review: A Blast From The Future

Battle Shapers succeeds in providing some of the best single player FPS gameplay I have ever experienced. Everything feels great, from movement, to gunplay, to ability casting. For a game still in its Early Access build, it doesn’t feel like it’s lacking anything at all. Even with the average sound effects and the subpar story, players are bound to have a blast thanks to how well built the rest of the game is. Whether you’re gunning down foes with powerful sci-fi guns or smacking them around with your gigantic left fist, Battle Shapers excels at making you feel fast, powerful, and capable of dealing with the hundreds of corrupted robots thrown at you.

The game is set in New Elysium, where a once flourishing city is now run by evil Overlords, each residing in towers that you’re tasked with liberating. The places you’ll find yourself in, along with the designs of the enemy units and bosses, look like something you’d find straight out of Megaman, but with a modern twist. There haven’t been many new FPS games out there that share a similar art style, in contrast to the realistic modern military shooters we get dozens of annually, which adds to Battle Shaper’s value.

As you get deeper with each run, you’ll be growing more powerful thanks to the game’s roguelite elements, either getting new random weapons, abilities, or Core Enhancements (perks). Exploring alternate routes is also highly encouraged as these often reward you with the in-game currencies or unlock new things for your character, especially the routes with simple puzzles you have to solve using your movement abilities.

The game’s difficulty isn’t adjustable so you’ll really have to suit up for the challenge. While fighting groups of minions isn’t all that challenging, it’s managing your resources and getting swarmed that you’ll have to worry about. The name of the game is hit and not be hit as it’s very hard to recover health, with health packs being pretty tough to go by. You have a shield that behaves much like they do in the Borderlands games, with shields serving more like body armor rather than actual shields, protecting your health bar until they break. Unlike health, shields are abundant and can be found in chests, or earned by hitting exposed opponents with your melee, very similar to the Glory Kill feature in Doom. The Overlords also occasionally “retaliate”, affecting the battlefield by buffing up enemy units or deploying projectiles or traps to try to kill you. While it’s not too hard to get through the mobs, it’s the bosses you have to worry about as they hit really hard and you’re bound to die a lot before you get it right. The enemies also get stronger with each Overlord you beat.

Progression in Battle Shapers is also really well-thought-of. With each run, you’re able to accumulate two types of currencies - Credits and Turinium. While Credits are only usable in the run you earn them in, Turinium carries over and is used to upgrade your character in between every run. Thanks to this, you’ll be growing stronger the more you play the game. Moreover, each boss will give you a core the first time you beat them, and then upgrade the said cores for all the other times you defeat them. These cores are responsible for your playstyle and Core Enhancement options, which drastically change how you approach combat.

What I would say is the flaw that really sets Battle Shapers back is its story. The game follows your character Ada, a first generation Shaper or robot, as she liberates the once glorious city of New Elysium from the evil Overlords, rogue Shapers who have taken over the city and corrupted it. While they added in a few things that make the story somewhat unique, the entire plot is just so generic. Despite that, we have to remember that the game is still in Early Access. Hopefully the story will develop that layer of complexity that it desperately needs somewhere down the road.

While the game isn’t perfect, its flaws are drowned out by the greatness in everything else about the game, including gameplay, progression, design, etc. For FPS and Roguelite fans, this game is an affordable yet excellent addition to your collection.

Pros of Battle Shapers

Things Battle Shapers Got Right
Exceptionally Fun Gameplay Excellent Progression Great Value For Money Responsive Developers

Exceptionally Fun Gameplay

Battle Shapers’ gameplay is some of the best I have ever experienced. Its movement and gunplay feels very similar to Overwatch, with movement not affecting accuracy, a spammable jump feature, flashy abilities, and a variety of guns, each with their own unique behaviors, effects, and overall feel. The gameplay, on the other hand, shares similarities with Doom, in the sense that you clear out large rooms with waves of enemies to eventually get to a boss. You start off each run by picking which tower you’ll attempt to liberate first.

The game eases you into its complexity, with you starting out with only a gun, and then slowly earning all the other mechanics you need like your dash and abilities. You’ll then be picking which tower you’ll want to liberate first, each inhabited by a powerful Overlord you’ll fight as bosses eventually. As you blast your way through the hordes of enemy robots, you’ll gain useful upgrades to help you in your journey. These upgrades can take on the form of a health pack, weapon, ability, or core enhancement (passive perk). The longer your run goes on, the more powerful you get, with higher level weapons, abilities, and a ton of Core Enhancements. Luckily, the game continues to be a fun challenge as your adversaries will also be more difficult to deal with for every tower you liberate, since your run won’t end when you liberate one tower.

In my opinion, the game’s difficulty, which you can’t adjust in any way, is just right for the game. It’s not a walk in the park, but it’s not overwhelmingly difficult either. Clearing out areas filled with the Overlord’s minions isn't really hard. Keeping your HP high enough to survive a boss fight is the real challenge in Battle Shapers. You’ll need to be on your toes though as some enemy units can be pretty tricky to deal with, while some you have to prioritize dealing with first, like that super annoying robot that spawns tiny little robots who try to blow you up along with them.

All of the Overlords are pretty challenging, with some being even more so than the others. One thing I loved about the game is that whenever you die, especially in boss fights, it’s always your fault. You would never feel like you didn’t deserve to die since you’ll always be able to determine what led to your death, like using your dash too early or failing to hit that last second reflector shield. While the bosses hit really hard, they telegraph their attacks well and give you just enough time to react accordingly. The challenge that the Overlord fights present is the type that makes you want to keep trying, and not rage quit like some of the outrageously difficult bosses in gaming. Defeating an Overlord doesn’t only feel rewarding, it also literally rewards you with a core, which you can use to upgrade your character and completely change the way you approach combat. It’s a pretty cool concept how you harness the Overlord’s powers for yourself each time you defeat them.

While on paper, the concept of repeatedly clearing the same towers with the same bosses you’ve cleared before sounds extremely repetitive, it is. Despite that, I haven’t grown tired of it at all. The game introduces new elements into the game as you get stronger like stronger enemy units, new weapons, abilities, and cores to try out. While you’re essentially doing the same thing over and over again, the game gives you more tools to play around with and tougher opponents to eliminate. You’re also able to do some pretty cool, creative stuff later on in the game, like Magnetizing your foes and having them attract the projectiles meant for you.

Other than combat, the game incentivizes exploration, with alternate pathways always leading to new abilities, upgrades, or at least some of the currencies useful for your journey. There’s a lot of puzzles, obstacles, and platforming in between fights.

Excellent Progression

Progression in this game is great. Before each run, you’re able to use your Turinium to purchase new weapons, abilities, or upgrade certain elements of Ada, such as a holster reload feature, dash cooldown reduction, or beefing up your shield/health bar. As we have mentioned before, the game eases you into its complexity, unlocking all the important features within the first hour or two, and then slowly but incrementally getting stronger and unlocking new stuff.

The different cores you unlock by defeating the Overlords significantly change how you play the game. The cores you have equipped affect the pool of Core Enhancements you’re able to pick from. For every time you defeat a boss that you’ve already defeated before, it upgrades the existing core you have that is tied to that same Overlord, giving you more Core Enhancement options or the ability to set it as your primary core, which grants you a new Core Ability.

The unique and well-thought-of progression system paired with the fantastic gameplay makes this game dangerously addictive and extremely replayable. The game is able to consistently integrate new things to ensure that things don’t go stale. Factor in the randomness brought upon by the roguelite elements and you’ve got yourself an amazing game.

Great Value For Money

The game is only $24.99. Sure, the game has its flaws. But $24.99 for an extremely fun and polished game that you can play for hours on end without getting bored is just a no-brainer.

Responsive Developers

As I was finishing up with writing this review, the game started updating and I read the patch notes. Apparently, they worked on a patch that reduced loading screen times by 20%, and improved performance on lower end PCs. The game is only 10 days old as of now, and they’ve already fixed one of my biggest concerns with the game. Of course I tried it out, and it did in fact improve the loading screen times. My frames also stopped dropping when fights broke out, an issue I was particularly annoyed with during my initial playthrough.

This goes to show the devotion that Metric Empire has in providing its players the best game they are capable of doing. They listen to community feedback, act quick, and consistently improve their already outstanding game. As the game progresses out of Early Access and into its official release, I have no doubt that Battle Shapers will be even better than the already great state it’s currently in.

Cons of Battle Shapers

Things That Battle Shapers Can Improve
Explore Or Miss Out No Multiplayer Underwhelming Story

Explore Or Miss Out

Something I didn’t like was how there’s little boxes all around the map that contain Credits or Turinium. These are pretty easy to miss, and you have to shoot or interact with them to get what’s inside. While I get the point, it’s annoying how you kind of have to scan the room you spent the last 5 minutes fighting robots in, just to look for these boxes so you wouldn’t miss out on some precious upgrade materials. In my opinion, it ruins the pace of the game. You go from dodging energy beams and blowing things up to going around looking for these boxes. Oftentimes, I forget to scan a room and I feel like I missed out since I didn’t spend two minutes going around looking for money.

No Multiplayer

Battle Shapers does not have multiplayer, nor do the developers plan on implementing any such features. It just seems like a bit of wasted potential as games like these are usually loads of fun with your buddies. It’s just so easy to imagine playing this game on multiplayer, and I feel like the game would definitely garner more exposure and popularity should multiplayer be integrated. Despite that, the single player experience is still extremely solid and I understand that adding in multiplayer to games can be really complicated and difficult to execute.

Underwhelming Story

As we have mentioned before, the biggest flaw in Battle Shapers is its story. The story is just so generic. To prove my point, look at what happens if I replace the unique words Shaper and Overlord in its plot description with the word robot which, essentially, is what they are. “The game follows your character Ada, a first generation robot, as she liberates the once glorious city of New Elysium from the evil robots, rogues who have taken over the city and corrupted it.” Tell me you haven’t heard a similar story before.

Is Battle Shapers Worth It?

Definitely!

Battle Shapers is selling for only $24.99. With everything that I’ve praised about this game, I think it’s obvious where I stand when asked if the game is worth it. The flaws are hardly noticeable considering how much fun you’ll be having with its top-notch FPS gameplay. The game’s difficulty is perfect, being challenging without getting its players hardstuck for too long. Additionally, there’s so many weapons, abilities, and core synergies to try out and upgrade that you’ll always be having a reason to grind.

Battle Shapers Overview & Premise

The game lets you play as Ada, a first generation Shaper. After being reactivated from a very long rest, you are tasked with saving the city of New Elysium from the evil Overlords who have taken over the once glorious city and corrupted its inhabiting robots. With your arsenal of powerful weapons, abilities, and stolen Overlord powers, you attempt to liberate the city and save its future.

Battle Shapers Trailer

Battle Shapers Announcement Trailer

Battle Shapers Early Access Launch Trailer

Battle Shapers FAQ

What Are Battle Shapers System Requirements?

Battle Shapers has the following PC system requirements according to its Steam Store page:

Game8 Reviews

Battle Shapers Product Information

Title	BATTLE SHAPERS
Release Date	October 3, 2023
Developer	Metric Empire
Publisher	Metric Empire
Supported Platforms	PC
Genre	Action, FPS, Roguelite, Sci-fi
Number of Players	Single player
ESRB Rating	Unrated
Official Website	Battle Shapers Website

Steven V. Santos

A big fan of video games in all its forms. Especially passionate about competitive esport titles (LoL, DOTA 2), shooters (COD, CS), and sports games (NBA 2K, EA FC, UFC). Self-proclaimed NBA 2K GOAT.