I'm going to be completely honest and say that while I'm a diehard Transformers fan, this is really only something you're going to want if you're also like me in that you've been collecting the pretty much "banned" Transformers titles on Steam (Such as Transformers: War For Cybertron, Fall of Cybertron, Devastation, Rise of the Dark Spark, etc.) and you're afraid these guys' license might expire and this will also go the way of those great games, or you want a simplistic turn-based Transformers game.

The thing that bugs me the most about this game right off the bat are the obviously extremely low production values when it comes to the graphics. The menus are generally static all throughout the game, with no dynamic interface design whatsoever. The in-game user-interface suffers from this to such an extreme that it's just extremely visually boring for a game that was released in 2020, and that even extends to the graphics used throughout the game.

The sound design is something that was rather irksome too, as a lot of the sounds themselves seem very stock in nature, like there wasn't a really enormous emphasis on making the sounds dynamic and unique for what was going on. The music doesn't really scream "Transformers" so much and sounds somewhat generic insofar as that goes, so there's really nothing that sticks out to me as impressive composition-wise. The voice acting? I don't really want to get into that but let's just say there's no modulation in the voices that really put you in the kind of mindset that "hey, these are giant talking robots." They just sound like people and it can be immersion breaking if you're coming from many other Transformers audio-visual media. Just not that great.

All in all, in comparison to the Transformers games that came before it, this is an extremely generic game where upon closer inspection of the developers' other titles, I see very little stylistic difference. You could put their rendering of Bumblebee from this game in their other games such as Get Packed: Fully Loaded, or Kingdom Majestic, Esper 2, Cake Bash or some other obvious ones and you really wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Flat, bright colors, generic sounds, generic music, just very little effort all around for people that were given license to make Transformers games when so many other studious are capable of it (we've seen it before, revisit that list of Transformers games I mentioned above).

I don't intend to refund it immediately as again, I've been collecting Transformers games for quite a while and this is no exception, it's more so an act of me trying to support a franchise I like even though this game is really, really not that great. This may change as I'm oftentimes a fickle individual. But enough about my inability to commit to decisions.

The point is, yeah if you want a distraction and are a casual fan of Transformers or just want a turn-based game to screw around in and you don't care about the characters, I suppose this can do the job for you.
If you're a hardcore fan, this game leaves much to be desired. It's just not very stimulating in the way the idea that I don't think there's anybody in that particular demographic who's going to eagerly rush out of bed on a Saturday morning to go play some TRANSFORMERS: BATTLEGROUNDS. I was simply eager to get out of it at .2 hours and hop on some Devastation instead.

If only this could transform into a better game.

[Edited for further input, 1 June 2021:]
In a casual conversation with someone about this game, they managed to perfectly summarize my feelings on it. It feels exactly like a mobile game. I feel that's an adequate descriptor for this game's quality. It should NOT warrant the price being so high or any DLC. All of that stuff should have came in the game by default to make up for the less than stellar quality of this game.

Really fun game, great for kids and adults. Easy to learn but hard to master, my son and i have had lots of fun battling the decepticons together.

I'm not a fan of the cartoon that this game is based on since I grew up in the 90s and loved the original series but despite that this game has a fun little story and the game play had some fun and unique strategy elements. I wouldn't buy this game unless it was on sale since it was short and left me wanting more or at least for a campaign where you play as Decepticons, but maybe one day they will add DLC.

I'm speaking as someone who's never played XCOM when I say this is a good game for people who haven't played it. It's streamlined, it's probably much easier, and it's still fun!

This feels like a mobile game without the ads and a very short story. After many years of waiting for a new Transformers game, this is just dissapointing.

A decent, fun to play xcom-lite that captures the look and feel of Transformers Cyberverse very well. Great fun to play with my daughter.

As an Air Commander, I demand more from my troops

Being one of the most intelligent Decepticons around, I had high hopes for Transformers: Battlegrounds. Unfortunately, the game falls short of my expectations.

Too simplistic for a Decepticon

The gameplay is repetitive and predictable, leaving little room for strategic thinking. The controls are clunky and unresponsive, making it frustrating to even attempt any sort of tactics. I expected more from a game that bears the Transformers name.

Graphics? Barely passable

Even the graphics, which should be one of the highlights of the game, are subpar. The textures are blurry and the character models lack detail. It's as if the developers put in the bare minimum effort to make it presentable.

Not worth the time, let alone the energon

In conclusion, Transformers: Battlegrounds is a game that does not live up to the standards set by the Decepticons. It's too simplistic for a Decepticon like me, and the graphics are barely passable. It's not worth the time, let alone the energon. If you're looking for a game that truly captures the essence of the Transformers, look elsewhere.

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Admittedly, franchise tie-in's can be bad, but this grid and turn-based battler is perfect for both kids entering into gaming and veterans looking for a nostalgic fun time! multi or single, it's good!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0eAKzlJGkw

This is a buy only if it's dirt cheap on sale title -- AND -- only if you love Transformers -- AND -- only if you love turn based games.

Otherwise, don't bother. It's not very good.

it's a pretty simplistic and basic "strategy" game that's barely one step away from a phone app