Bedlam can brag of great world-building and exceptional art-work reminiscent of Jean Giraud, Gimenez, Liberatore or Peter Chung. The game's tone is that of 2000 AD comics (specially Judge Dredd), and takes place on a setting inspired by post-apocalyptic classics like Damnation Alley, Mad Max and Gamma World. It's a small well-written game that works around its limitations as best as it can somewhat succeeding, but also, somewhat not. As the player you drive a gargantuan vehicle across the wastes transporting a cargo of people, seeking the promised land of (pretty much) Mexico. It starts meagerly equipped but fills with weaponry, fighters and buffs along the way. Your crew include 4 types of defenders. Your resources are meat, energy, oil and passangers. It's all these promising things about Bedlam that leave you wishing for depth after you actually play it, for all its parts are painfully simplistic. Cover and terrain features are poorly implemented, for the arenas where you battle are barren squares without variation. After only 2 runs Bedlam starts feeling repetitive and would've benefited from set battles interspersed with the random ones. Differences between factions are slight and null between you and your opponents since you all share the same weaponry, roles and buffs. Tactics devolve quickly to using one that you feel comfortable with and your 2 preferred combatant types. Simple management of your Dozer's Energy and your fighters' Damage can easily see you through most runs. Saving spots are iffy. Quit a game and you may find that past events were not recorded, loosing your gains. Freezes during busy battles happened at least once per run. Where the skirmish style of combat works in Banner Saga in Bedlam feels claustrophobic since futuristic weaponry is in use. Bedlam is a nice thematic product filled with atmosphere that could be a good graphic novel or movie, but I found a tad too simple in its strategic scope and mechanics as a game.
