Into the Breach

It was unfair alright, almost impossible, but against all odds i saved the Earth.
You're welcome.

Surprisingly addictive, tight little tactical game with neat pixel graphics and a great score. Short, but extremely replayable.

The gameplay and soundtrack are fantastic.

a very engaging strategy game, with some incredibly immersive writing to boot

A simple but effective turn-based tactics game with a heavy emphasis on combos. One of the few tactics games with fun and powerful support weapons (some of my favourites are the teleporter, ice generator, light tank, and ACID projector), and they are often stronger than purely damage-based weapons. Terrain plays an important role in gameplay as every tile provides a different effect, so even unit positioning matters. There is also a surprising amount of enemy variety, all of which have different stats and require different tactics to defeat. There are also plenty of unique mech pilots and loot with different stats and abilities to further bolster the number of strategies and replayability. Best of all, this game has a phenomenal user interface that clearly illustrates event orders - you will never be uncertain about what happens on the enemy's turn. With all these mechanics combined, Into the breach plays more like a puzzle game than a tactics game - everything from the tiles you attack, your positioning, the enemy placement, the environmental effects, knockbacks, your loadout, and the ordering of your actions must be considered to do well in this game.
There are some faults, however. Beware the usual tropes of roguelikes - high RNG dependence, unbalanced loot/pilots/mech squads, game overs wipe out all of your progress, etc. You cannot acquire new mechs mid-run, meaning you are pretty much stuck with your 3-mech squad for the entire run and have to use the same squad-specific strategies the entire time. There are only 4 islands + 1 boss fight island, and running through the same islands gets repetitive fast. The objective of every mission is to survive 5 rounds instead of killing all the enemies, meaning playing hyper-defensively is often the only viable playstyle. And in my opinion, blocking enemy spawns is too rewarding - it is pretty low risk and makes the missions go by way faster, plus it prevents you from experiencing more combat puzzles, the most fun parts of the game.
Overall still a fantastic puzzle game, but one that is pretty light in content for its price; don't buy it unless it is on sale.

Great puzzle, tactical combat, and mech game

I've played this so much that situations in my regular day to day that require basic resource management have me thinking in the way that this game operates. I keep coming back to it after a few weeks or even months of not playing, only to remember there's teams I've not got 100% on, and the illusive secret team that you can only unlock by playing as every other team that I'm still working towards...

I really want to like this game, and I have liked other games from this publisher and the genre. However, the roguelike elements of this game are more about punishing new players with "gotcha" moments, where your ignorance of the game mechanics is severely punished. Such as certain squad/mission combos are not winnable, though you can still unknowingly select them, but new players wouldn't know this until they figure it out through trial and error. The learning curve is more about "really?" moments of frustration than intuitive insight into how to play the game.

This game is an example of how we need an option between "yes" and "no" on steam reviews. If these types of roguelike games are for you, then I can see the appeal and there is surely a place in the genre for this and games like this. It's just not for me.

Good difficulty level - just hard enough for good solutions to feel satisfying, but without being too punishing. Nice soundtrack. Enough unlockable teams and equipment for a lot of variety to the gameplay and strategic approaches. Also really easy to jump in and out of for quick sessions

In some ways a step back from "FTL (Faster Than Light)", i can't deny that this game pulled me in with the fun strategies in the actual combat once i acquired a decent set of skills. I think the main issue is that getting to that point can take a while. Runs that span all the islands will usually get me there, but otherwise there's not much diversity in my options when it comes to dealing with threats. So combat becomes monotonous. The concept is really, really great though, and i would love to see a game like this, but with more strategic options. I really adore the style, animations and graphics too.

A fun but short tactical strategy game. It does not have the same replayable moreishness of FTL.

I beat the final level after 4 hours and ran out of fun around 8. Unlocking harder and weirder ways to beat the same levels you've already seen was not compelling to me. Still, what is there is polished and condensed to perfection.

A brilliant game of pure logic. You can see all moves in advance and make the best decision. Multi-dimensional chess, if you will.

I may have liked this game so much I played it to 100%....on three devices. The retro-minimalist style pairs nicely with the compact feel of the game. The map is small and you only have three moves to make each turn, but every turn still manages to be an engaging little puzzle to solve, and it's easy to drop in and out of games.

That was how I felt about it *before* they added Advanced Edition, so yeah, huge thumbs up.

This game made me feel something I've never felt in a game anxiety and emotion, to stop caring I had to quit but I couldn't, everyone should play this at least once.

Great game! Highly recomended for people who love tactical games. In addition all the puzzle lovers will appreciate it as well.

Underrated really fun strategy game. Starting squad is most boring in the game imo, if difficulty and gameplay is frustrating I recommend trying dropping to easy to prioritise unlocking squads and get a feel for the game, once you have multiple squads and pilots to try out different builds and playstyles for higher difficulties the game gets a lot more fun. Hits the same part of my brain as playing Chess, lots of intense calculation, playing Bombermechs squad on Unfair makes me feel like I'm playing 5D Chess.

A charming combat-puzzle game, every decision matters.

I can't express enough how happy I am I stumbled upon this game in one of "play this if you like xcom-2" videos on YouTube. This game is just amazing. You can beat it in several hours, but beating the game first time is not the point, because it's replayability is beyond the roof. You can try different squads, weapons, islands, objectives, enemies, pilots, maps, weather conditions, difficulty levels and it's truly addictive. This game is challenging or rather you can configure the run to be challenging and you'll be sweating trying to balance the outcome: dead pilot or failed objective or lost buildings.

As a side note I really like its' retro minimalistic design, this game is not eating resources and I can play for hours on my laptop while traveling.

Really solid turn based game. Prevent an alien invasion. Many games have copied the show next enemy move mechanic. Small levels that are like puzzles.

Love it! It's a puzzle game, where you control 3 mechs with various abilities. This game is much more about manipulating your position and enemy's position rather than dealing raw damage. That's what makes it a puzzle game. In the beginning of a run you select a group of 3 mechs. Each group has specific synergies. During a run you can further develop your mechs and pilots by unlocking their abilities. This allows you to tweak your game style/experience even more.

Tout simplement un de mes top 3 de tous les temps!
La profondeur du gameplay couplée à la simplicité de la proposition est tout simplement vertigineuse et incroyablement jouissive.

This game rocks if you enjoy slapping roaches with your flip-flops

this game has intense strategy and every move counts. its hard to get into just play on easy mode take your time don't get greedy. Once you get good you can enable the advanced features because they don't make the game harder but can be overwhelming if you enable them immediately. except for the advanced enemy's that shit is stupid i don't enable that the enemies in this game are annoying enough.

An interesting turn-based strategy game that almost feels like a puzzle at times. It may be unforgiving at times, but it's a solid formula to keep you coming back

this is such a great little isometric round based strategy game i really wish there was a way to play this against friends.

an extremely well balanced, well polished, tactical game. it's hard, but not too hard, and every map is a new and interesting puzzle to solve. each team of mechs is unique, and requires you to think in different ways to solve a decent variety of what are effectively map problems. i can see myself coming back and playing this again and again for many years.

I have avoided playing this game for years because it felt really complicated to play.
To be fair, I should have started way earlier because this game is short and it's great and the units are very easy to learn.
Overall I think I would give this game a solid 8-9 out of 10 and it is definitely a puzzle game master piece.

Highly recommended for those that are looking for a challenge or trying to find a short and fun game to play on the go.

Honestly didn't think I'd like it coming into it but tried it out because of all the praise

Great game, lots of variation, the gameplay strategy is difficult but simple. However like all games from this dev i'm currently cheaping out in easy mode

takes everything bad and boring out of the tactics rpg genre and delivers an insanely condensed, engaging, interesting experience with a lot of replay value

get it while on sale great game worth the regular price tag but if you see it on sale i would say cop it immediately

If you're even remotely a fan of strategy and still haven't played this masterpiece, seriously, what are you doing?

It is an interesting game. Challenging. Difficult. Frustrating at time. Not the kind of game that I like, but I won't deny that others might enjoy it.

very fun chess-adjacent roguelite, and i personally do not play chess so i don't feel like that's required to enjoy this game. props to the dev subset, i also super recommend their other hit: FTL

solid game, although it got a bit boring quickly for me personally

This is more a puzzle game than a roguelike and an unforgiving puzzle game at that. If you make even one mistake no matter how tiny, you may just as well start a new run because recovering from mistakes is not possible in this game. If you are a perfectionist like me I highly recommend this game. First, not missing a single objective on an entire island is greatly rewarded and second, you pretty much have to play perfectly if you want to win.
One good thing is that as long as you don't make mistakes there is always a way to "win" no matter how confusing or impossible the board state looks like.

This is an extremely great game. Do not sleep on this one, and don't be fooled by the low graphics. Also, I would caution against thinking this game is like other tactics games or an X-Com like. The first 2 runs I played, I died because i didn't realize how much of a puzzle game this is, and the point is not to kill everything you see. As soon as you play the game to save the power grid and not conserve health or kill enemy units, you will get better and have a ton of fun.

Technically I "beat the game" in a couple hours. But, it took me a long time to get 100% achievements. It was super fun and rewarding grinding out all the game has to offer.

I recommend anyone remotely interested to get this game. There are great guides to help if it is challenging to grasp. See my screenshots if you struggle with "Distant Friends"

Makes you feel like the best chess player in the world, but its actually because you know what move your opponent is going to play next.

Also endless squads and achievements for replayability.

Addictive mind-melting fun. This game makes you feel like the smartest and stupidest person ever simultaneously. Lots of strategic depth and different options for squads gives this game near-infinite replayability. 5/5

This is one of the best turn-based tactics games I've ever played. Since all enemy attacks are telegraphed and all actions are deterministic, each turn becomes almost a micro-puzzle where you need to protect all the buildings and complete the objectives. (It's possible that elements such as the type of enemies spawning are random or seed-based, but all actions taken by both you and the enemies are completely deterministic.) Perfect play is possible but occasionally you will have to take some hits, and then you need to figure out what you can afford to lose. Some mech squads seem better (or at least easier to play) than others, but overall the game seems really well-balanced too. Despite everything being predictable, the game remains challenging, especially on higher difficulties. Especially with the Advanced Edition content enabled, there are lots of variables to keep track of and it's easy to make a mistake unless you're paying attention -- but I love that things nearly always go wrong because I made a mistake, not because RNG decided to be a jerk, and you even get one turn-reset per mission if you realize you screwed up. The mission generation keeps things fresh and interesting because there's lots of tactical elements to recombine in new ways. Overall, this game is fantastic and if you enjoy chess, turn-based tactics, or even puzzle games, I recommend giving Into the Breach a look.

Subset Games just doesn't miss. Both of their titles on Steam (Into the Breach and Faster than Light) are immensely replayable and have strategic and fun gameplay. In this game, you spend turns commanding your team of mechs to destroy, disable, and disrupt the kaiju-like vek who are seeking to wreak havoc. There's an incredible amount of replayability in the wide variety of mechs, pilots, weapons, and abilities you can find throughout the game. I highly recommend this game for anyone who enjoys puzzles and turn-based strategy.

Faster paced strategy combat. Having apx. 5 turns per map in various, tightly knit combat events is very effective at keeping the game fun as well as having all of your decisions matter as a player. Solid variety of moves and character ability pools as well. The item and description lists are not encyclopedic by any means, but if you liked Advance Wars or Unicorn Overlord, grab this! Especially if you see it on sale.

The value is very much here at its full price (I bought it a little under $20 USD).

i was not prepared for how stressful this game would be like sometimes id stare at a turn for 20 minutes wondering what to do as if actual civilian lives are at stake

Excellent game for someone with a busy schedule. Mech teams have very straightforward mechanics that you can learn in a single mission, but can master and refine over the course of many campaigns. I've put a lot more time in this game than most of the AAA titles I own.

Tons of fun, great gameplay dynamics. Perfect for casual player that like turnbased strategy pixel art.

This little tactical puzzle solver is great fun. The art style and music suck you in and the gameplay loop is enjoyable and challenging. If you like playing to unlock stuff to play again but different, this is definitely your jam.
Plus look at the little bots, they're so fucking cute <3

Perfect mix of FTL, Starship Troopers/Ender's Game, and Battletech

In order to defeat the bug, we must first understand the bug.

its very fun and low price and fun and also low price and fun

I bought this game because i wanted something like Final Fantasy Tactics on the GBA.
And boy, i'm not disappointed!
Got hooked from the start, replays are fun with the squads you can unlock.
Buy it if you like strategy games.

Challenging turned based game with a rogue-lite twist. When you fail to protect the energy grid of an island (measured by building damage of every mission) you take one of your pilots back in time to start again, and take advantage of their levelled up battle experience in the next squad.

Complete achievements for each squad to unlock coins and get new mechs (this is not DLC the coins are built into the game).