Into The Breach is a pleasant surprise from Subset Games. The game harkens back to the tactical days of old like Shining Force and Final Fantasy Tactics. The premise of the game is both classical and modern. You command a group of three time travelers that are tasked with trying to save the timeline and stop the Vek invasion. The kicker, if your mech takes too much damage in combat the pilot dies, similar in fashion to a Fire Emblem game.
The level design is fantastic. Each island has its own variant of Vek to fight as well as different environmental issues to content with. Using these distinct elements to your advantage will help lead you to victory.
The combat system is straight forward and easy to pick up. If you have played any of the tactical RPGs mentioned in this article then you can pick up and play this game quite easily. Where Into The Breach excels is in the difficulty. The A.I. is fantastic and it will punish you if you truly don’t plot out your turn. The tactical part helps this mechanic shine you have to ensure that your objectives are met as well as not forgetting friendly fire will come into play, for your units as well as the enemy units. Lose too many buildings, and your defense grid will be depleted causing the timeline to collapse. When the timeline collapses, the game will end, however you get to choose one of your pilots to keep with you to use in your next attempt at the timeline.
Overall this game is a great treat for those that are eagerly waiting for Fire Emblem to come out in July. For fans of tactical RPGs, I highly recommend giving this game a play through, because once you master the mechanics, the game becomes really fantastic.
