What is... Into the Breach

 

Credit to Wallpaper Cave.

Strategy games are always something that are not for most gamers who want to jump right into action. But for gamers who love racking their brain, calculating every move to create the best problem-solving method, Into the Breach definitely is the best choice for you. First released in 2018 on PC, the game is now available on Nintendo Switch. It was developed and published by an independent studio called Subset Games. The game is the studio’s second release after releasing their hit debut game, FTL, in 2012 which is also a strategy game. Into the Breach won The Game Awards 2018 “Best Strategy Game”. I was browsing Steam when I saw it on the featured section with an “overwhelmingly positive” review. It immediately caught my attention, so I bought it and gave it a shot. Now what is Into the Breach? Allow me to walk you through my experience playing the game.

 

 

Try not to skip the tutorial.

Into the Breach offers a grid design turn-based strategy gameplay similar to the classic XCOM game. It provides a setting where humanity is being overrun by the invasion of giant insectoid aliens and the only way to fight against those monsters is to utilize giant mechs. Each mech will have its own unique skills. Players will also assign pilots who will control the mechs; like the mechs, each pilot will have their own unique skills as well. On top of that, players will be able to assign different weapons to fit the playstyle that they want. Therefore, it is important to mix and match every mech with the pilots to see which skills complement the other skills the best. 

 

There are a total of 8 mech squads but you will start with the Rift Walkers squad. Each squad will only have a maximum number of 3 mechs for you to use, each with their own unique ability and playstyle. You will be able to unlock more squads by spending achievement coins. Each squad will have their respective achievements for players to complete and to get a coin. On top of the squad achievements, there are other achievements that players can complete to collect more coins. With 8 different squads, 3 mechs on each squad, the game offers a total of 24 unique mechs available for players to try out on its grid-based battlefield! 

 

Spending coins to unlock new squad.

Now let’s talk about these giant insectoid aliens that serve as our main adversaries, the Vek. These creepy bugs are as formidable as our mechs and they are highly intelligent creatures with only one thing in their mind, to destroy everything they see in their path. Like the mechs, the Vek also has a distinct set of skills. Each Vek will have their stronger version called the ‘alpha’, which has a greater health bar and causes significantly higher damage. Bosses are the toughest opponents in the game, they wreak more havoc and should be stopped as soon as we can. 

 

If possible, kill two birds or more birds with one stone.

Speaking of wreaking havoc, let’s talk about the combat. Now this is where the fun begins, or should I say, the torture begins. Playing Into the Breach is like playing a game of chess because in every move that you make, you will have to bear whatever outcome it is that you will get. Play smartly then you are treating your brain to a satisfying result of a well-planned-chain-reaction-domino-like moves that will most often guarantee your opponents annihilated. On the other hand, any slight mistake as tiny as misclicking the grid will cause great loss to your next turn or worse yet, an immediate defeat. 

 

Assess yours and your enemies' moves.

Into the Breach offers a 8 x 8 grid map that acts as the battlefield. Thus, that makes it a total of 64 tiles that players can move their mechs around, the same goes to the Veks. As I mentioned, the game is turn-based thus players are given time to think and devise their game plan before executing moves, and again, so do the Veks. It is crucial for me to advise you that the game is not your average turn-based strategy game, the game is punishing for players who opt to make a quick move. I have a habit of quicksaving my game before making a move and then I will quickly load my game to my last saved file should I make an error in my move. The team behind this game clearly foresaw this cheesy move and they decided to not include a quick saving/quick loading option when your game starts. Not even an option to restart the round! So heads up, take the most of your time as there is no penalty in doing so, and find that eureka moment before you make your move!

 

Perfect victory is your indulgence, plan wisely!

 

Since the game does not have a quicksave/quickload and restart option, you might be wondering what you could do to make amends for your mistake. Nothing. That’s right, once the error is done all you can do is to watch and cringe as you see those giant exoskeletons destroy you. Into the Breach punishes players with its permadeath feature. Once you lose a round the game will end and you will have to replay all the way from the start which is what the game describes as visiting another ‘Timeline’ as part of the lore. To be fair, the developer did put a ‘reset turn’ option that will allow you to reset your current movement should you realize you already made an error or you are having a second thought. Beware though, the ‘reset turn’ feature can only be used once per round. This can be tweaked using a unique skill that you can find as you progress further. 

 

Collateral damage must be avoided lest imminent defeat.

 

I really admire the concept of ‘collateral damage’ that the game implements as one of its features. 

"Into the Breach was a response to movies and media where there would be a superhero fight—like Superman (Man of Steel) or Pacific Rim—where the whole city gets demolished, but no one cares because the good guys won," Ma explained. "No one notices the seven million people who died in that process, or even acknowledges that that happened. Our idea was more (a response) to general frustration with that trope." Justin Ma, Co-Founder of Subset Games (Craddock, 2017). 

As quoted from an article by David Craddock (2017) from Shacknews, Justin Ma, Co-Founder of Subset Games, really wanted to create an experience where collateral damage matters and that those marginalized citizens with their ruined houses and shelters in any superhero films or action films will play a crucial impact in Into the Breach. This leads us to the Power Grid game mechanic that we must turn our attention to.

 

Lookout for incoming massive damage!

The Power Grid is basically your health bar, but as envisioned by Ma, he and his team represent the health bar in a form of civilians’ buildings. These buildings are vulnerable to any sorts of damage that derive from our vicious battles against the Vek. Should these buildings be caught in the crossfire or receive direct hits from the Vek, there is a high chance that they will be destroyed and you will lose your health bar a.k.a Power Grid relative to the number of buildings destroyed. One building is equal to one Power Grid. Lose all Power Grid and you are forced to play another timeline, in other words, total defeat.

 

To wrap this article up, it is essential for players to take as much time as they want to strategize their game plan. As the adage goes, the best defense is a good offense. Into the Breach is not merely about attacking and defending, the element of sacrifice is constantly present and sacrifice is always an option for players to take. Whether to take the chance for their Power Grid to sustain damage or the mechs to soak up some direct hits. Each and every small movement will create a series of fortunate or unfortunate events. As I said, Into the Breach is like a game of chess; read your opponents movement, calculate any possibilities, every grid around you will offer you different approaches of aggressive or defensive maneuver.

Know your enemy. Understand their unique skills.

I enjoy the game very much, lore-wise, I cannot say much, the game tells its lore bits and pieces through short dialogues which I honestly did not really turn my attention to. Albeit that, the game offers an incredible replayability experience for players to experiment with countless possibilities of strategic plans. Don’t be afraid to lose the game, you can always restart fresh with another Timeline. Take a break, if you want a relaxing experience, switch the game to easy mode because even medium is already unforgiving. At least for me! I hope you can take your chance to try this one out! It is indubitably a great way to train our brain to handle systematic problem solving approaches!

 

 

Took me two hours to complete this timeline.

Reference

Craddock, D. (2017). Into the Breach Preview: FTL's Creators Pit Mechs Against Aliens in Post-Apocalyptic Warfare. Shacknews. Retrieved from https://www.shacknews.com/article/99108/into-the-breach-preview-ftls-creators-pit-mechs-against-aliens-in-post-apocalyptic-warfare.