# Squad Busters

Squad Busters is an online mobile action game developed and published by the Finnish video game company Supercell. The game was released globally on 29 May 2024 for Android, iOS and HarmonyOS.
The game is a crossover of other video games by Supercell, featuring characters from Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, Hay Day, and Boom Beach.

## Gameplay

Squad Busters is a casual strategy game in which the player uses coins to purchase chests to select new characters to join one's squad. The more gems one has in each round to other players, the higher in position one will be placed in which improves the chest given at the end of each round. Gems mainly contribute to the monthly season pass, unlocking more rewards.
The chests unlocked follow a specific cycle of 60 chests each with 36 common chests, 18 rare chests, 6 epic chests allowing everyone a fair chance in the game.
In the game, there are more than 44 monsters, 26 modifiers and 16 different spells; the modifiers are chosen randomly at the start of the game, while the spells can be unlocked as you progress through the game. A match consists of collecting as many gems as possible in a 10-player online match which can be obtained by defeating monsters, cutting down trees, searching bushes, destroying crates, obtaining coins and defeating enemies if you have more.
To start a match, you must choose between four different overarching game modes. The four game modes are Showdown, Gem Hunt, Duo Gem Hunt, and Squad League.
In Showdown, the goal of the game is not to get gems, but to be the last one standing, in a battle royale format. There are five players in this game mode. In Gem Hunt, the goal is to get the most gems, through a four minute time period, with ten players. In Duo Gem Hunt, the goal is also to get the most gems, but do so with a partner, whom you cannot attack. There are 8 players, and 4 teams. Lastly, Squad League is similar to Gem Hunt, but you get to choose which characters show up in chests. After you start a game, another modifier is added.
At the start of the game you are asked to choose between three random characters in your possession and to obtain other characters during the course of the match it is necessary to collect coins which can be found in the same way as gems. When the necessary coins have been obtained the player can approach one chest that requires a specific number of coins, which increases based on how many characters you have at the time, to again choose one of three random characters.
In the game the characters in your possession are in a group that is moved by the player all together, around the group there is an "attack area" in which if the group is stationary and in the area there is an interactive object, a monster or an enemy, will be attacked by the party. If three identical characters are chosen, they merge into one larger character called a Fusion.

## Progression

At the end of every game, you get a chest, which will give you an amount of a character, and an amount of "Portal Energy" respective to your placing. This helps you advance higher into the game, and unlock new worlds, with new characters and monsters. In the game, there are 39 characters that you are able to choose from chests. These characters can be unlocked through progressing through portals, and opening chests.
Opening chests give you a certain amount of a character. There are five different levels that a character can be: Baby, Classic, Super, Ultra, and Ultimate. To advance to the next level, a player must collect ten characters of the previous level. For example, to get a Classic, you must have ten Babies, and to get a Super, you must get ten Classics.
Getting higher leveled characters unlocks new abilities for the character, which can help you succeed and progress faster.

## Updates and changes

Since August 14, 2024, Items and MEGA units have been removed from the game for balancing changes. Players with these existing items have been refunded in coins and MEGA units have become skins in the process.
A new update, on December 16, which changed the way the game was formatted, three new "overarching" game modes were added. The player is able to choose one of these four, and a modifier would be added to it.

## Development and release

The video game was announced on January 31, 2023, and then had a limited release in beta version on February 6 of the same year only for Canada and then ended on February 16. Subsequently, in May 2023 another limited beta (Android only) was announced which lasted from May 22 until May 29 available only in Canada, Mexico and Spain.
Almost a year after the last beta, on April 1, 2024, "many exciting new features" were announced for the future of the game. Subsequently, on April 8 of the same year it was announced that the game will be available in soft launch from April 23 in Canada, Mexico, Spain, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Singapore.
On April 25, 2024, it was revealed that the video game will be released globally on May 29 of the same year.
In the video game there are 39 characters from Supercell products and Collaborations, 14 from Clash Royale/Clash of Clans, 16 from Brawl Stars, 3 from Hay Day and Hay Day Pop, 4 from Boom Beach and 2 from Transformers.

## Reception

Aggregate score :
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 72/100 |
Review score :
| Publication | Score |
| Pocket Gamer | 4.5/5 |
Squad Busters received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Pocket Gamer's Iwan Morris rated the game 4.5 out of 5. He described Squad Busters as a "good mobile game", praising its simplicity and graphics. He noted "if you don't like Supercell’s style then this likely won't sway you".

### Awards

Squad Busters received App Store Awards iPad Game of the Year.

## See Also

* Clash Royale
* Clash of Clans
* Brawl Stars
* Supercell