Much like how most of the best films in history are based on books of the same name, we can also see this effect in video games. Blood Bowl 2 is sequel to another game, that itself is based on a popular tabletop game from Games Workshop first released over 20 years ago. This long lineage has had some re-releases and new editions along the way, and has adopted itself to the Warhammer Fantasy world. With some classical fantasy tropes and races, you play a game of truly bloody football moving your characters strategically to get past the enemy line.

Here is my stream of Blood Bowl 2:

Whenever you have to transition from a strategy game to a video game, many seem to lose the feel of moving pieces and formulating your plan of conquest that you get from playing on a table, but this is not the case here. I never knew the long history of this game before playing and yet while playing the Blood Bowl 2 I definitely got the feeling of playing a tabletop, and that is what they were aiming for. Choosing your movements carefully, proper positioning, counting your action moves for maximum damage, it is all there. I was never good even as a kid at football games since I never really knew what I was doing, so because of that it was more difficult to understand the control scheme, but once I got it, the game really began.

While I was adapting to the control scheme, I did have time to check out the wonderful setting, which was just beautiful. It definitely feels like a medieval deadly football match. The stands are rickety wood, spears are blood stained, and the armor is shoddy at best. Because it’s really a football game, each team is represented well and each plays very differently, like the orcs are strong but slow, while the elves are fast but pretty weak.  The animations that play after each play are great to watch, as you get destroyed by your enemy. The graphics are great and it’s a pleasure as you watch your blood gush while that orc stomps on you and throws you like a rag doll.

For first time players to a football simulator, it might be a bit much to understand the mechanics of how to move, and how to attack, but to a seasoned Madden player, it will be much easier to get along. It’s not just football obviously, so when you move you then need to decide on how to attack each player and the resulting position of both you and your would be victim after you are done. This seems then to be a great middle ground for both the strategists, fantasy, and the football nerds because it has a bit of everything, and because of its good looks and humor, even those who wouldn’t normally play will be able to get something from it. I have seen some weird AI choices along the way, and the user interface could use some work, but overall for those who like this kind of game, it is a solid choice, especially for the lower price tag.