Overboss Review (PlayStation 5)

Rating: 6.2
Author: Jim Smale

by Jim Smale · August 19, 2024

Overboss Review, You are a Boss. You’ve always been a master of monsters, a builder of dungeons, and a hunter of heroes. For many years, you’ve competed with other Bosses in contests of prowess and villainy. Now it’s time to emerge from the underworld. It’s time to shape a new land and bend it to your will. It’s time to claim your crown as the ultimate OVERBOSS!

Overboss Review Pros:

Decent graphics.
520.5MB download size.
Platinum trophy.
You get the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game.
Strategy gameplay.
Three game modes – Solo score, Solo campaign, and multiplayer local.
Tutorial mode which is optional.
Local score history which acts as a leaderboard for each game mode.
Three difficulties – Easy, medium, and hard. This sets out how many retires you get before the definitive game is over-screen.
Fast loading times.
Handy sheet sheet menu using the touchpad.
The goal of the game is to place terrain tiles, monsters, dungeons, etc, and score points.
Having the same monster type in a row will give bonus points and make them a mob.
Put the same terrain types next to each other for bonus points.
Portals can be placed so you can move monsters around.
One rule you use a lot is you have to place a monster on an empty tile if you have space and a monster.
The game plays out on a grid-based island and you place tiles and monsters.
Find and place crystals to get a bonus like get an extra point for every Dungeon you have on the map.
A lot of shortcut menus for help and hints.
Matches or games are round and at times you can choose to end the round early or carry on.
Not all monsters that come with a tile go on that terrain type.
Every round two of your tiles in the market (tile selection area) will disappear and two new random ones will appear.
When playing the campaign, the world you are in will have a set of objectives for you to complete.
A lot of the time the game goes from strategy to a more puzzle-type game.
Your goal is to place terrain and monsters in a way that you score the most points.
Completed objectives in the campaign mode will flash up and fill in the mission entry.
You can replay worlds in the campaign.

Overboss Review Cons:

You cannot remap the controls.
No real game options.
Doesn’t have online multiplayer or leaderboards.
The tutorial just tells you the basics then says at the end that for all the good and more in-depth stuff you have to read menus and figure it out yourself basically.
The game doesn’t play how the tutorial days so you are basically starting again but with a bit of knowledge.
It’s all very slow from new tile generation to the general pace of it all.
The help menu is not always helpful as it would be better to have a list of tiles and terrain types to identify them for when playing the campaign.
The campaign feels more luck than skill half the time.
The game just needs a speed-up option!
In the campaign, there is no Reroll for the terrain tiles.
There is potential but it just lacks basic needs to make it a more engaging offering.

Overboss:

Official website.

Developer: BlanketGames, Brotherwise Games

Publisher: Forever Entertainment

Store Links –

PlayStation

7/10

Graphics - 7/10
6/10

Sound - 6/10
6/10

Accessibility - 6/10
6/10

Length - 6/10
6/10

Fun Factor - 6/10

6.2/10

Summary

Overboss offers a mix of strategy and puzzle gameplay with decent graphics and a manageable download size of 520.5MB. The game is available for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and it even includes a Platinum trophy for dedicated players. There are three game modes to choose from: Solo score, Solo campaign, and local multiplayer, with an optional tutorial mode to get you started. The game also features a local score history that acts as a leaderboard for each mode, and it offers three difficulty levels—easy, medium, and hard—which determine the number of retries you get before the game ends. Fast loading times and a handy cheat sheet menu accessible via the touchpad add to the convenience.

However, Overboss has its drawbacks. You cannot remap the controls, and there are no real game options to customize your experience. The game lacks online multiplayer and leaderboards, which could limit its replayability for some players. The tutorial is basic and leaves you to figure out the more in-depth mechanics on your own, which can be frustrating as the game doesn’t always play as the tutorial suggests. The pace of the game is slow, from new tile generation to the overall gameplay speed, and the help menu isn’t always useful, lacking a comprehensive list of tiles and terrain types. The campaign mode often feels more reliant on luck than skill, and there’s no option to reroll terrain tiles, which can be limiting.

The core gameplay involves placing terrain tiles, monsters, dungeons, and other elements to score points. You can earn bonus points by placing the same monster type in a row to create a mob or by placing the same terrain types next to each other. Portals allow you to move monsters around, and placing crystals can give you bonuses like extra points for each dungeon on the map. The game is played on a grid-based island, and you have to place tiles and monsters strategically to maximize your score. Shortcut menus provide help and hints, and you can choose to end rounds early or continue playing. Not all monsters that come with a tile can be placed on that terrain type, adding another layer of strategy. In the campaign, each world has a set of objectives to complete, and you can replay worlds to improve your performance.

In summary, Overboss has potential with its strategic gameplay and various modes, but it falls short in several areas. The lack of customization options, slow pace, and reliance on luck in the campaign mode can be frustrating. However, the game offers a solid foundation with its core mechanics and could become more engaging with a few improvements.