Wardrum Review

Since I started writing for Jump Dash Roll, I’ve played games that combine just about every genre imaginable. Blue Prince is a roguelike built around puzzles instead of combat. Martha is Dead is a hyper-violent horror focused on photography. Headquarters: World War II plays like XCOM, except its battles involve hundreds of soldiers and outdated weapons systems. 

I never expected to review a turn-based tactics title that’s also a roguelike and a rhythm game. But that’s what Wardrum is, and surprisingly, it works. The game isn’t perfect, — its soundtrack in particular is disappointingly weak — but it’s undeniably unique, and taken as a whole, generally worth playing.

The easiest way to describe Wardrum is by comparing it to custard with bacon and maple syrup. On paper, that combination sounds awful. In practice, though, you’d be surprised how well it comes together. Rhythm games, turn-based tactical titles, and roguelites are all sit on completely different ends of the gaming spectrum. Yet each ingredient is essential to Wardrum’s overall experience. 

You won’t necessarily realise that during the opening hours, though. The start of the game — and every subsequent run — is surprisingly conventional. You begin by taking control of a four-person warband that looks ripped straight out of Conan the Barbarian.  Your goal is to survive increasingly difficult encounters while gradually upgrading your squad. Early battles play like a simplified Baldur’s Gate 3, albeit with rhythm-game inputs layered over every attack and buff. Miss too many beats and your effectiveness plummets. Lose the entire warband, and you’re kicked back to the title screen with a small amount of currency for permanent upgrades. Survive long enough, however, and Wardrum eventually evolves into something much more interesting.

Once you push beyond the game’s repetitive opening environments, its different genres finally begin to gel together. The initially simple rhythm prompts become more demanding, enemy types grow more varied, and environmental hazards start complicating encounters. The combat never stops being fundamentally turn-based, but it becomes faster-paced, more tactical, and considerably more engaging. You’re always only a few mistakes away from losing an entire run, meaning you can’t simply spam attacks and hope for the best.  

That constant tension helps Wardrum avoid the biggest issue many of its inspirations suffer from: mindlessness. You have to adapt your strategy constantly, paying close attention both to enemy behaviour and the rhythm mechanics layered over every action. If you fail to keep the beat, your run can collapse almost immediately. Ignore enemy compositions, and the same thing happens. Yet because death never costs you too much progress, failure rarely feels punishing. Wardrum is refreshingly concise, too. This isn’t an 80-hour obsession designed to consume your life. You can comfortably see most of what it offers in a handful of hours. 

That said, the game still has some notable shortcomings. For everything it does right, Wardrum ultimately remains an above-average tactics game bolstered by a couple of genuinely clever gimmicks. Its soundtrack, however, is aggressively mediocre — which is a major problem for a rhythm game with “drum” in the title. There are surprisingly few memorable beats, and it’s entirely possible to ignore the music altogether if you’re simply watching for button prompts. 

The same problem applies to the narrative.Despite sharing some structural DNA with games like Hades, Wardrum’s story is entirely forgettable. There are no standout characters, compelling themes, or moments that stick with you once the credits roll. 

That’s frustrating, because the core gameplay really is strong. Unlike so many indie hybrids, Wardrum can’t simply be dismissed as “like another game, but with…” Its mechanics genuinely carve out an identity of their own, blending genres in a way that feels inventive rather than gimmicky. 

Unfortunately, the weak soundtrack and bland narrative stop the game from becoming an easy recommendation. Instead, it settles into the category of “worth trying if the concept appeals to you.” If you can overlook those shortcomings — and the repetitive early levels — you’ll likely have a good time. Wardrum is the gaming equivalent of pineapple on pizza: unusual, divisive, and occasionally messy, but surprisingly enjoyable for the right audience.