Ceci est une ancienne révision du document !
Website: https://www.gog.com/game/into_the_breach
Price: $14.99 GOG (April 2020)
Blurb: “Control powerful mechs from the future to defeat an alien threat. Each attempt to save the world presents a new randomly-generated challenge in this turn-based strategy game from the makers of FTL.”
Into the Breach is a 2.5D turn-based tactics game in which your squad of three mechs is pitted against a swarm of underground-breeding bugs, the Vek. Each level is played in a limited number of turns on a chess board, sorry, 8×8 grid. Your goal is the eradication of the infestation, but mostly to survive. Are you ready to be overrun?
This is a game from the same developers as FTL (Subset Games). So be ready to fly by the seat of your pants! To be honest and upfront, I was expecting Starship troopers / Macross, but even with my slight disappointment (not at the game, but my own expectations), this is a winner. I am playing Mechwarrior and Battletech at the moment, and this completes the holy trinity.
Into the Breach has its own take on the familiar concept of tactical turn-based strategy, and mixes it up with a bit of anime, where building-sized monsters and robots deck it out. I hope these give you an idea of what you will get.
Graphics:
The game aims for the 16-bit era aesthetic and manages it pretty well. The “filler” pixel art is great. I say filler as these “cut-scenes” advance the story. Looking at the screen-shots do not do it justice, rather, once understanding dawns on you, the graphics are almost second-class citizens as the game play draws you in. That said, they are gorgeously well made, and you can see that a lot of effort was put into the game. The sprites of the war machines and the buildings and terrain somehow remind me of “Advance Wars” on the Gameboy Advance. There are no overly bright red, green and blues though, like that game, rather the colors are a bit muted and easy on the eyes if you plan on playing for a while.
Gameplay:
Remember when I pseudo slip-of-the-tongue mentioned a chess board? Well, the game feels like grand chess, only with more explosions. Some of the tiles are impassible, some contain your power buildings, which you can also damage. This already should have you pondering every possible move. On top of this, you are always outnumbered, and, like the series “Under the mountain” (1980s), your enemy will emerge from below when you least expect it. (This is not a ‘tanks of freedom’ clone!). You will have to be cunning and ruthless to make it at this game. Keep your eyes peeled for battlefield drops as these can help you turn the tide of battle. You will always find novel ways of doing things, for instance, when the pavement cracks and a monster is about to emerge, you can push another of his behemoth brethren on top of the cracked pavement, preventing him from emerging. It is in this “thinking-outside-the-box” maneuvers that a lot of the fun lies. There are also badges to earn for these types of maneuvers. The mechanics are kept simple, there is only move and damage. No to-hit chance or other factors you will find in strategy or war games, but you will need to strategise like a fox. Since you are going back in time to undo what has been done, time is on your side, and you can also redo your actions. Don’t be fooled into thinking you have unlimited do-overs though. There are optimised outcomes and figuring it out is part of the fun, even though, at first, it may seem hopeless. Other than unlocking badges, you can also unlock units / squads when you are into the game.
There are four islands, each with its own unique challenges, and, of course, a boss to fight. You need to keep your eye on your orange power bar at all times, as island-to-island power is not great, should you need it. Just be prepared to fail, and, if you don’t, you are a better strategist than me. Failure is how you learn, so do not take it the wrong way; embrace, adapt and overcome. (Now where have I heard that before?). You will learn a lot about yourself, as you have nobody but yourself to blame in this game.
Sound and music:
Remember I said the game feels like anime with giant robots and insects; well, the music sounds like it would be right at home in an anime movie. It is tense, yet it does not grind your ears; it just adds to the atmosphere. There is no relenting in the feeling the music confers upon you. Kudos to Ben Prunty. https://benprunty.bandcamp.com/album/into-the-breach-soundtrack (the same composer as with their previous game, FTL). For those of you who do not have the game, please go listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVaSEEdfmRI, and witness the taut tunes that are about to abuse your brain. The soundtrack is cheaper on steam than it is on bandcamp, and I would recommend getting it, either way. “The blast garden” is my current favourite, but there are so many top notch tracks here and not one doozie, unlike other music albums you may buy. The sounds could have been a bit more interesting, but since they happen all the time, I could also see that sharp sounds could get irritating very quickly. I suppose I would have just liked more variety?
Overall:
You may ask, why are you reviewing only a game from 2018 now? Well, it came to Windows in 2018, then to the Apple Mac, then to the Nintendo switch, and only now, in 2020, to Linux. There is so much more to this game than I have told you or you could glean from the screenshots. This game is so balanced, it could do ballet on the edge of a knife. I would definitely recommend that you go and get it now, while it is hot. (That said, this review may not be published for a few months, and I would bet that if you read this later, it would still be hot!).