Into the Breach

Having played Into the Breach for over 50 hours, unlocking all squads, beating the game on Normal and Hard multiple times, I think I can finally weigh in my thoughts on this game. Into the Breach is an excellent game that is so close being a perfect game, but it falls short on just a few things. I will touch up on them after highlighting all of the good things about this game.

The gameplay, artstyle, and mech designs in this game amazed me. I LOVE the way this game looks and plays, and I especially love the squads. If you think you'll like something like this, definitely get it because Into the Breach is amazing at what it does. Balance-wise, the developers did a great job with this game compared to FTL, so I have to commend them for that. It's overwhelming at first but intuitive level solutions become clear with more experience. I can't really say much more about the good parts of the game because as a game, it's VERY good.

Now for the bad...

This game's lore/story is pretty upsetting. The time travel shenanigans feel pointless to the story and the ending doesn't give you much of a sense of satisfaction once you beat the game. In fact, even the final mission is pretty underwhelming. There is no big bad superboss like in FTL, and that disappointed me greatly. The final level is in all honestly pretty easy if you have a decent squad. FTL's story was simple, but a complete story. Into the Breach, on the otherhand, has some really cool beats for a nice story that could have a climactic ending, but we never get that. Who is the commander we play as? What happened to planet Earth? Who are the pilots? Where did the mechs come from? None of these questions are answered and I think it holds the game back from what could have been a very powerful story with a satisfying, definite conclusion. I know it wasn't this game's goal, and that's fine, but I still felt like it detracted from my experience of the game.

The mech balance is pretty terrible. Rift Walkers, Hazardous Mechs, and Secret Squad are a complete joke. I won't comment on Heat Sinkers beacuse I hear they're a great squad if you put the time in to learn them. I will throw a less popular opinion and say that I felt like Frozen Titans was pretty terrible, too. Meanwhile, Bombermechs and Mist Eaters are extremely overpowered and I found myself winning on Hard mode with them with absolutely no difficulty. Come on, Subset... This is the same problem FTL had. I get that this is an Advanced Edition problem but this exists in the main game, too. Mech squads either range from amazing to terrible and I wish there was a little more balance here. Rift Walkers are also really boring and there's almost no reason to play them once you've unlocked something else, unless you're like me and pick Zenith Guard and Hazardous Mechs for your next two squads... lol.

Finally, the music. Ben Prunty did a great job on this soundtrack, and I've always been a huge fan of his, but... The uniqueness isn't there. Sure, the music SOUNDS original, but the individual tracks are all very samey in their choice of instruments, structure, and song progressions. More could have been done to improve the soundtracks like use different synthesizers, pianos, etc. for each island. It's not a big deal and the music is great, but it all kind of bleeds into itself.

That's all I can say about Into the Breach. The gameplay is amazing, there are just a few aesthetic/thematic parts that I think could have been done better. The final fight is really underwhelming and short, and it feels like it almost doesn't matter how far you get since you just fight basic Vek for the whole game. A few squads should have been tweaked to keep up with Advanced Edition. Bombermechs and Mist Eaters can take care of things like moths just fine, but Rift Walkers are completely hopeless against AE content.

The game left me wanting more, and not in a good way this time. I really wish Subset would create a more expanded game similar to this or FTL, with an actual story and lengthier gameplay.

playing this game, modded or not goes so fucking hard that godzilla had to make a game that ripped off the core gameplay. this shit fucks unequivocally hard

Fun and quick grid strategy game. The way the turns are handled makes each turn into a puzzle to find the most optimal option available. Each run feels a bit different, giving a good reason to come back for more beyond the achievements. Fans of mecha and kaiju will most likely enjoy the aesthetic. Fans of grid based tactics games will feel right at home.

Intense. Every action should be thought out. Basically every round is a puzzle that you can spend minutes to solve. Kinda reminds chess in this regard.

One of the best rogue-lites i have ever played, this game at first glance is pretty simple but the overall depth with a combination of pushing enemies around and having to consider what sacrifices you are wiling to make to accomplish the mission. I finally managed to finish a run on unfair difficulty and i do have to say it is pretty fair but it just doesn't give a fuck to giving you any peace, so please if you are on the edge of getting this game... get it, it's a experience you can't get anywhere else

Simple, solid game design that provides interesting puzzle-like complexity as it progresses. I'm still coming back to it years later!

Single most elegant game I've ever played. Why 'elegant'? Because it does so much with so little.

Quick, easy, fun and incredibly replayable. 10/10

With several upgrades, has the potential to become just below a top tier game. Why just below? Because while the core mechanics of the game are fun and unique, in its core, it feels like playing chess against bots and in the beginning you don't really get the feeling of battling because you need to think slowly as if you're solving a puzzle. But after getting used to the mechanics (after about 10 hours of gameplay) the game starts to feel really fun and replayable. Right now, I'd say its a solid game with just enough content, but I feel like more content such as more disoverable secrets, more islands could increase the quality of the game by about 3%, which might seem like little but is a lot. Then again, you could just mod the game so not the biggest problem. Max play time is for vanilla, I think 100 hours.

Fun tactical rogue like game. There is a lot of possible build.
Some fight are realy hard depending on the weapons you have.
Mech synergies are interesting to try out.

Fantastic game, has options for brutal difficulty without being insurmountable at any point, with endless possibilities for strategies and tactics

Both Into the Breach and FTL are great games, simple yet hard, have depth in it and decent replayability. Best wishes to devs!

Turn-based RPG with grid movement and the same difficulty as FTL. Definately enjoying the time travelling storyline.

One of the best turn-based strategies. Definitely challenging though, you shouldn't buy it if you're looking for some chilling game

Probably the best indie game I've played in a while.

It's an excellent combination of a rogue alike and turn based strategy, with a satisfying action to the moves. If you like taking Attacks of Opportunity in Dungeons and Dragons, this will be your game.

Great tactical turn-based game. Lots of replayability, and very challenging if you want it to be.

Beautiful, simple looking but deep and fully thought strategy game. Excellent.

I love this game so much! It is the turn based game that I measure all other turn based games by. I'ts simple, easy to learn, and yet endlessly challenging. I want another game from Subset.

Isn't it great when you go into a game with extremely high expectations and it's even better than you thought it could be? A more worthy follow up to FTL could neither be imagined nor hoped for. A deep and fun strategy game with the perfect amount of story and writing to get you through. PLAY IT!

Great game to have to the side of work. Bite sized strategy that waits for you to think. Enough variety for a large amount of playthroughs.

It's like chess but with lasers, robots and time travel.
Also great music and sprite work too.

Incredible. How these dudes followed up after FTL with a completely different turn based concept is amazing. 10/10. I hope they make another game.

Really fun if you like tactical grid based games. I'm not a super fun of mechs, but here they fit quite well. Recommended!

I get that this game is objectively good and all, like really smartly designed, but it's just been so disappointing going through the motions of "hey that was pretty fun" to "FUCK what did I do wrong this time?!"

Yeah, you can learn the enemy's AI, but when Normal feels too punishing and Easy feels absolutely pathetic (beaten on my first attempt despite never having gotten past world 2 on Normal), I don't feel any incentive to find out the attack patterns and what I'm supposed to do and what not.

Not to mention the underwhelming roguelite elements. Even 10 hours in every run is starting to mesh together because I never get anything that feels worthwhile or game-changing, and you can pretty much beat the game with your starting equipment.

Would not recommend, even if you like puzzle/strategy. I feel like there's probably better stuff out there.

Edit: Something more to add onto - I would LIKE to get good at this game. I like chess, and puzzles, and this game as said earlier does seem generally well-designed. But it just lacks excitement. It feels like there's no actual reason for me to come back. Usually when I die and make progress in a roguelite, it still feels fair because I can usually trace it back to a risky decision I decided to make earlier, but sometimes even just dying to RNG doesn't phase me much.

But in this game it so often feels like I have no idea what I'm doing wrong and it just isn't fun. As stated earlier there's just no excitement, thus no actual reason for me to get better at the game.

It seems hard at first, but then it becomes easier once you understand the mechanics. It's a neat little puzzle game disguised as strategy. The game is deeper than it appears on the surface.

istg the people who complain about this game being too rough just don't know how to tackle a difficult game. This isn't just going to allow you to walk all over it, You need to use the environment to your full advantage and use the resets and undo's very VERY wisely. Though at first the game feels like climbing a cheese grater, The learning curve is so smooth and masterfully created. Causing giant chain reactions and a fuckload of dead veks is so satisfying. The way this game WANTS to punish you really reminds me of cruelty squad, Accept it's more like a hard slap on the wrist for fucking up a turn instead of the barbwire whip that cruelty squad uses.

Not really that fun. Like a few other reviews have said I feel mildly gaslit by this game. It's pitched as a turn-based strategy game but plays out much more like a harshly difficult puzzle game. Progress feels slow and punishing with numerous different failstates and limited player options. Which is completely fine if that's what you're looking for. But as someone steeped in Advance Wars and Fire Emblem the lack of any kind of slack here, and the unfair-feeling AI which can spawn and move units on the same tun, it's just not that enjoyable.

I have no doubt that if you're looking for a unique puzzle game, and want a meaty challenge it could be good. But it feels like a bit of a letdown for me and not something I'd really recommend to turn based strategy fans without a lot of caveats.

boring, tedious, painful.
gameplay is the darksouls of snake. and not in the fun way.
other games did this concept better. like Crying Suns

gameplay is more about getting your random puzzle to be executed flawlessly within 3 or 4 turns. if you are that kind of autistic, I'm sure this is a power trip for you but I got this kind of fill from my abusive parents growing up, I don't need more domestic abuse.

Recommend it, delivers on the promise. Tactics are fun, challenging enough even on Normal difficulty. The beauty of the puzzles increase further as you unlock new type of mech squads. RPG elements are also enjoyable, the resources needed for upgrades feel scarce, but in a good way, like the decisions you take do matter. Again, puzzly nature of the game makes accessing new weapons and upgrades a non trivial and interesting thought exercise.
Oh, and one more thing, the atmosphere and soul of the game are surpisingly fresh and authentic, e.g. the pilots of the mechs have unique personalities and e.g. poingantly comment when you pull off an impressive move.

Completed my first run fairly quickly. Game seems good, but there seems to be a lot more to unlock still and play around with. And even after that... the gameplay itself seems quite fun, which is a good sign even after unlocking everything you may still want to keep playing. I've only played a couple hours though so time will tell if it gets old and if so when.

Another notable detail I like, is that both victory and defeat seems naratively consistent, which I always appreciate when a game (And especially a rougelike/rougelite) does. Gives every run a distinct context and a certain amount of narrative weight attached to it that won't get robbed from you win or lose.

Fun tactical game that makes great use of pushback mechanics, letting you kill units in a lot of different ways. But the main thing that's just awful is the way the A.I. plays. This is robot chess if the other person playing could constantly cheat. There's going to be a bunch of times where it's impossible to do things well. Easy difficulty is a snooezefest, Normal is 50/50 of being either actually feeling like regular gameplay or secretly being Hard mode. I still find the overall game fun, but given how often it bounces between being fun and frustrating, it's is a poor balance.

countless hours on switch. pc is even better. enjoying it all over again on deck. truly underated chill pick up and go relaxing puzzlr. hard too

limited

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☐ Good
☑ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☑ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☑ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☑ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☑ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☑ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☐ Average
☐ Long
☑ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☐ Worth the price
☑ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☑ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

Fun turn based strategy game. I find myself saying "One more mission" when I should be getting off. I would start on easy mode for your first playthrough as it can get very difficult very fast. The music is amazing one of the few games I prefer to listen to the soundtrack rather than other music. If you are into turn based games that require MASSIVE brainpower I would recommend you add this to your library.

Great game. Kind of feels arcade-esque, something you can play a round of when you have some time.

Reviews are gaslighting me - this game...isn't good? Most mech powers are useless. The upgrade system is almost entirely unused because power cores are obscenely rare, and the battlefields are so messy that trying to dredge any kind of strategy out of them is worse than having a tooth pulled.

I am flabbergasted at how unfun the game has been so far. Just a real letdown.

I know it's from the same guys who made FTL, but it's really, really, really, shit, by comparison. There's a reason people don't really talk about this one.

I feel like I was lied to about hows this game plays. If there's a specific way you want me to play, why give me options?

It's a nifty idea, but it seems too bogged down in being a tech demo for what the devs thought a cool game might play like - instead of a fun video game instead. Just skip it.

I'm addicted to this game. I would love it even more if it supported mods though

I love the devs, but this game just aint for me. I've tried to like it, but it just frustrates me. Just when I think it's checkmate for the bugs, I forgot about something and I'm fucked.

Would sacrifice my entire squadron again for a building that was going to resist the hit anyway.

Great little rogue-like with simple but challenging mechanics. It sometimes feels unfair, but that's just the difficulty ramping up and forcing you to make tough decisions. A good little gem to keep installed on the Deck for quick sessions.

Has similar problems to FTL in terms of RNG dictating way too heavily how much fun you're allowed to have, but in a different area--the enemy A.I. Either the Vek allow you to actually play the game or they all spread out and attack separate buildings while you're helpless to stop it. It's still really enjoyable and addictive, and the tactical combinations and overall strategic thinking are some of the absolute best in the business when it all clicks, but I'll be damned if Tactical Breach Wizards didn't make me realize just how badly I want the ability to take back my entire action more than once a battle here.

Into the Breach may be one of my favorite games I have on steam. I 100% completed the achievements and unlocked everything possible. I had a blast with the turn based combat, and loved learning the different strategies required to make the different teams succeed. I had this game installed on an old laptop I had with me when moving around for college, and this was my go to game when waiting for the internet service provider to come set up our new place for the semester. Best 15 bucks I ever spent on a game. When I finished it I was left wanting a sequel

Amazing game. Perfect example of a modest game loop honed to near-perfection

Fantastic strategy game. No frills regarding the graphics, like a chess game but with mechs.

It's really good strategy. If you dislike this genre, because you like flawless gameplay, this is best strategy for you.

Into the Breach makes me feel smart. I'm not solving puzzles with a clear answer; I'm dealing with unique situations with a tool kit I've built up over the course of my run. I'm also a fan of Invisible Inc for the same reasons; Into the Breach is a lot more bite-sized for shorter spans of play. I will be coming back to this one for a while.

I was very excited when I heard a new game from the makers of FTL was coming out. But this is a very strange deviation. Like FTL, it's a rogue-like and brutally hard. However, this time it's tactics-based and reminds me a lot of Advance Wars. I tried playing it and couldn't get past the second level. Plus the story makes it feel like you haven't made any progress in the game. I think these types of games should have some kind of "easy"/"casual" element for those who aren't good at games like this.

Bought this game based on the reviews of others, who all praised it so highly. I agree with all of those reviews! This is a great, fun, inexpensive game that works perfectly on the Steam Deck. For the price of the game, especially when on sale, its hard to not get your money's worth. At 20 hours I am about half way through what I am looking to complete in the game.

Would heartily recommend. Is like robot chess in the sense that everything has its abilities, some of which are very different than what the others are. Mastering any one of the mech's comes down to not only knowing its abilities, but looking at how to harness them.

Great game. Would recommend. Works great on the Steam Deck.

The hype is lived up to. Great tactics game play set in a beautifully scaling rouge-like atmosphere. The rouge elements make it a little easier to digest than some other tactics games I'm used to (Mario Rabbids, Persona 5 Tactica, Wargroove) and the replay-ability seems endless.

Explode bugs. Punch bugs. Burn, blind, and bury bugs. Zap Bugs. Splash bugs. Throw bugs. Freeze bugs. Sludge bugs. Turn bugs on each other. Consign bugs to oblivion. Make friendly bugs. Over and over and over again.