Squad Busters, Supercell’s first new game in seven years, suffers from mixed reviews, receiving an average of three stars on Android only one week after its release.
From time-tested classics like Clash of Clans to recent blockbusters like Brawl Stars, Supercell is used to being in the limelight in the mobile gaming industry. After years of reaping multiple awards and a steady presence in the top-paid game rankings, the Finnish game publisher has been a household name worldwide.
Despite their success, Supercell issued a heartfelt letter late in 2023 expressing their regrets about how far behind they are in the current mobile game industry, especially considering that their last game release was Brawl Stars in 2017.
These sentiments fueled the much-awaited release of their first new game in seven years, Squad Busters. Beyond that, the new multiplayer game also tapped Hollywood figures for the game’s advertisement video.
But perhaps the biggest marketing tactic of Squad Busters is drawing familiar figures from existing Supercell games as “characters” in the mobile party game. If you’re a dedicated Supercell player, you’ll see familiar figures such as Clash of Clans’ Barbarian and Brawl Stars’ Shelly in the new game.
However, it seems Squad Busters couldn’t live up to the hype of some players as it received an average of three-star reviews on Android or Google Play Store. This average score results from the tug-of-war balance of five-star and one-star reviews on the platform.
Among the most salient concerns of some Squad Busters is the “repetitive” gameplay. Even if the worldwide version launched with varying Battle Mods and maps, players are still “locked” to play only one game mode.
Meanwhile, some players want more “multiplayer” gameplay for party queueing. As of now, even if you use the party code to queue up with your friends, you’d still play the classic game mode and be forced to battle each other in the rankings.
Beyond the lukewarm reviews on the Google Play Store, the game also seems to struggle to keep its momentum on Google Search. The Google Trends line for Squad Busters shows a steady decline in public interest since its release.
While the reviews are mixed during its launch week, many players who enjoy the game only hope for more engaging content and polish in future updates.