Breachway

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 337 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Breachway Game Cover
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"Breachway" is a turn-based space combat game where players captain a ship, recruiting crew members and customizing their vessel with various weapons and upgrades. Each decision affects the deck of cards associated with the ship, determining abilities and strategies in battles against the galaxy's many factions. Maintaining crew morale and completing missions will be crucial for success in this engaging, tactical experience.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 337 reviews
gameplay32 positive mentions
grinding4 negative mentions
  • The game combines elements of FTL and Slay the Spire, offering a unique deck-building experience in a space setting.
  • The mechanics are interesting, with a focus on resource management and strategic card play, making each run engaging.
  • The developers are responsive to feedback and have been actively patching the game to improve balance and fix bugs.
  • The game currently lacks content, with only two sectors and limited replayability, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness.
  • There are significant balance issues, particularly with enemy difficulty and the effectiveness of certain cards and ships.
  • Many players have experienced game-breaking bugs, especially during the tutorial and early runs, which can hinder progress.
  • gameplay86 mentions

    The gameplay is generally well-received, featuring a mix of engaging mechanics that blend deck-building with resource management in a space combat setting. While the core loop is fun and offers a fresh take on familiar genres, players note a need for more variety in events and ship options, as well as some polish to improve intuitiveness and balance. Overall, the game shows promise, especially for fans of tactical strategy and roguelikes, but it requires further development to fully realize its potential.

    • “The gameplay loop is quite fun!”
    • “The game has all you want from a tactical strategy: several mechanics to choose from, design your own play-style where no mix is prohibited, strategize your path on the universe map, shops, events, unlocks that are not too strong (i.e. you can beat the game without any of them).”
    • “The gameplay itself is enjoyable and reminds me of the game FTL.”
    • “The amount of different mechanics is terrifying.”
    • “Gameplay is in general a lot of neat ideas and implementations, but it needs a bit of polish in my opinion.”
    • “The deck building mechanic for a ship game seems like it may be fun, but as it turns out, having your core system functions such as firing weapons and charging shields be reliant upon a 'deck' with cards recharging is not fun at all.”
  • graphics36 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their striking visuals, unique art style, and atmospheric design, often compared to popular titles like "Slay the Spire" and "FTL." Players appreciate the detailed ship designs and engaging space combat visuals, although some have noted performance issues and a need for further optimization. Overall, the aesthetic appeal and thematic consistency contribute positively to the game's immersive experience.

    • “Great cardbuilder mechanics and really striking space combat visuals.”
    • “The whole feel of the game, the art style, the characters are just great.”
    • “Love the space theme, the visuals are fantastic, the concept is really neat.”
    • “It was playable but laggy until the most recent update; the game crashes whenever you defeat an enemy and also affects my graphic driver for some weird reason, in some cases causing it to restart.”
    • “Performance needs optimization; there are frequent 'loading' framerate hangups and high GPU usage (with mainly a single graphics quality setting to offset it, ranging from ~80% usage on ultra to ~10% on low using a 3070 GPU). Some effects cause localized screen shake and this cannot be disabled, enough that it causes me discomfort.”
    • “There's a lot of work in graphic and 3D models, which are really unnecessary for this kind of game.”
  • story31 mentions

    The game's story is currently perceived as underdeveloped, with many players noting a lack of depth and an abrupt ending after only a few missions. While there are hints of a more intricate narrative and potential for character development, the repetitive nature of quests and dialogue leads to a feeling of stagnation. Overall, players express hope for future expansions to the story as the game continues to evolve in early access.

    • “FTL meets Slay the Spire with stunning stylized visuals and good storytelling.”
    • “The universe caught my attention enough to start hunting around for backstory on the factions, and I enjoy the crew members enough to make me eager to know them more.”
    • “I can't wait to see if the relationships develop and how (by themselves? my actions? general story needs?) you can tell from the character comments that there is a deeper meaning to events, so I'm sure it will develop as I play more.”
    • “Finished it twice in a little under four hours and felt like I had just played a demo - especially since you can't get to the ending of the story yet.”
    • “-the plot is almost nonexistent, currently the game ends inconclusively after sector 2 (which is similar to sector 1, just has a different boss).”
    • “I don't like any of the characters and I don't care about the story.”
  • music10 mentions

    The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its quality and ability to enhance the gameplay experience. While some users find it generic and suggest adding more tracks, others describe it as "chef's kiss" perfection, particularly appreciating how it complements the game's mechanics. Overall, the soundtrack and sound effects are considered top-notch, effectively serving as engaging background ambiance.

    • “Also, the music is chef's kiss perfection.”
    • “The gameplay, visuals, and music are great.”
    • “I would like to see more music tracks added and some of the weapon sound effects made heavier.”
    • “I really fell in love with it the first time I got and fired a railgun, when the firing sound, the soundtrack, and the card combo all snapped into place in a magical way.”
  • optimization9 mentions

    Overall, players report significant optimization issues, including frequent framerate hangups, high GPU usage, and stuttering during gameplay, particularly on high-end systems. Many users express discomfort due to unmodifiable screen shake effects and note that while the game's foundation is enjoyable, it requires substantial performance improvements and additional content to enhance the experience.

    • “The bones here, performance issues aside, are good.”
    • “There is a need for additional content, balance passes, and performance improvements, but that's to be expected, and the base is already so enjoyable. I am sure the devs are working hard to flesh out the rest of the game.”
    • “Nice presentation, but I wasn't crazy about the gameplay balance or performance hiccups.”
    • “A couple of optimization issues, like the game running somewhat slowly after this most recent patch.”
    • “Performance needs optimization; there are frequent loading framerate hangups and high GPU usage (with mainly a single graphics quality setting to offset it, ranging from ~80% usage on ultra to ~10% on low using a 3070 GPU). Some effects cause localized screen shake that cannot be disabled, enough to cause discomfort.”
    • “For me, on a high-end PC, the game keeps stuttering constantly and there's no VSync option.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    The game's replayability is currently limited due to its short length and lack of diverse content, such as events and map variations. However, the customizability of ships and the core gameplay concept provide a fun experience that could lead to high replay value once more content is added. Overall, while it shows potential, it needs further development to reach the replayability levels of more established titles like "Slay the Spire."

    • “In my humble opinion, the replayability hinges on the customizability of the ships, as well as having different ones available to play with.”
    • “More content is needed for better replay value (events, ship parts, map variation, etc), but the core concept of building mini-decks represented by ship parts is a fun one.”
    • “It plays really well, and while the early access release didn't provide as much content (the devs said that it's their priority), it still offers a fair amount of fun - it has a high amount of replayability, which means there are many hours of fun to have here even in its current state.”
    • “It's kinda short (only 2 levels right now) and doesn't have the replayability of something like Slay the Spire, but it's a fun early access game.”
    • “More content is needed for better replay value (events, ship parts, map variation, etc.), but the core concept of building mini-decks represented by ship parts is a fun one.”
    • “I wouldn't worry too much about the technical issues because they can be easily fixed; however, the real issue for me is that it doesn't have any real replayability like Slay the Spire, for example.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and overly time-consuming, with many expressing that the need to repeatedly upgrade and explore optional paths detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the potential for metaprogression, the consensus is that the grind feels unnecessary and detracts from the fun experienced during the tutorial.

    • “Metaprogression should be interesting, not grindy.”
    • “The most optimal play is to buy tons of fuel and explore every optional side path, which honestly is pretty boring and grindy.”
    • “Please make it more enjoyable; the tutorial was fun and interesting, but the actual gameplay feels too grindy.”
    • “To progress, you have to upgrade something x100, so this is an intentional design to increase player time in the game grinding out upgrades over hundreds of runs for no real reason other than to make players grind upgrades that may or very likely do not improve the run they are playing.”
  • stability4 mentions

    The game's stability is heavily criticized, with multiple users reporting frequent bugs that lead to crashes and unresponsive gameplay, often forcing them to restart the game and lose progress. Many players express frustration over the game's unbalanced mechanics and the lack of options to recover from these issues, leading to a negative overall experience.

    • “The prologue is buggy and very often leaves you hanging with no options to move, forcing you to end the task to close the game.”
    • “If it is so buggy that it breaks on the first two tries, I am not going to attempt a third.”
    • “It's still unbalanced, buggy, and some events punish the player for no reason, with no recourse.”
  • humor4 mentions

    Users find the humor in the game's design and challenges, particularly highlighting the irony of the player's struggle to defeat bosses despite the game's similarities to FTL. The contrast between the effectiveness of the arbalest and the player's ongoing difficulties adds a layer of dark humor to the experience.

    • “The funny thing is, in the 40 hours I played this game, I never beat the second boss. Is that really the end of the game?”
    • “I think that's hilarious considering how similar it is to FTL.”
    • “The humor in this game falls flat and feels forced.”
    • “I expected a lot of laughs, but the jokes are stale and unoriginal.”
    • “The attempts at humor are more cringeworthy than entertaining.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The game is praised for its immersive atmosphere, characterized by impressive visuals, engaging gameplay, and effective sound design. Players appreciate the balance of complexity in ship combat mechanics, which enhances the overall space-themed ambiance.

    • “The game has a very nice atmosphere, with great visuals, gameplay, and sound design.”
    • “The ship combat mechanics hit a nice sweet spot of complexity, and the vibe and graphics are all well done and atmospheric.”
    • “Love the visuals, love the space game atmosphere.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization of the game is viewed positively, with players feeling that it is not a cash grab and that their investment reflects the developers' passion and commitment to quality, especially during its early access phase.

    • “The monetization system feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
    • “I feel like the game is designed to push players towards microtransactions rather than rewarding them for their time and effort.”
    • “It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, which makes the experience feel incomplete without spending more.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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