Void Bastards was a lovely surprise when it first launched back in 2019 thanks to its comic book aesthetic, great sense of humour, and a satisfyingly immersive, sim-inspired approach to the roguelike genre. Rather than stick to its blasters, and go with a safe sequel, developer Blue Manchu has instead gone to the wild wild west (well, outer space’s equivalent, that is) and switched up the genre. Unfortunately, however, this new approach hasn’t completely paid off.

You play as the titular crew of Wild Bastards, a 13-strong army who take the fight to the maniacal Chaste, and his progeny who have managed to dispatch 11 of you. Suddenly, the remaining duo are rescued by the sentient spaceship known as The Drifter. Each of the 13 characters has their own weapons and abilities, and can be sent in groups of two to battle in the Showdowns — allowing you to swap between them at will.

Like Void Bastards before it, Wild Bastards retains the comic book stylings and roguelike approach. But this time around there’s an actual campaign with a set progression. You travel through various galaxies landing on planets to explore for new kit, crew buffs, and violent Showdowns. However, your bastards can fall out, meaning they won’t drop in together, leaving you to repair relationships over some beans.

But the Showdowns are where the game really tries to forge its own identity. Instead of the slow-paced, immersive-sim style of the first game where you would explore a huge ship, Wild Bastards' encounters are short, arena shooter segments. And while we love a good arena shooter, they feel like a step down from the previous game's offering. Most arena shooters are known for their frantic gameplay, but until you’ve got a few upgrades down you, it’s pretty much the same pace as Void Bastards.

While we think it’s great that Blue Manchu branched out for its follow-up, it’s both too different, but also not different enough. We would've loved to see the gameplay pushed a bit further to suit the arena shooting aspect more, or to have something more akin to its predecessor, complete with this game's otherwise great concept.

Wild Bastards is good, but it didn’t quite hit as hard as we’d hoped. That said, the studio's fantastic art direction and writing continue to shine through, enough to make this a title worth looking at.