Break the Loop

About

Break the Loop is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Mastodonte and was released on May 16, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

"Break the Loop" is a turn-based strategy game where players form a team of four heroes from a selection of 12 and travel through time to defeat an abyssal monster threatening humanity. Create a personalized timeline by choosing from various random events, including treasures, merchants, and multiple-choice dialogues, to gain power and prepare for the final battle. Strengthen your heroes by utilizing their unique skills and passives.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews

gameplay11 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features a charming art style and smooth animations that enhance the overall experience.
It offers a unique blend of mechanics, combining elements from popular roguelikes like Darkest Dungeon and Slay the Spire, resulting in engaging and strategic gameplay.
The diverse roster of characters and their abilities allow for interesting team compositions and synergies, making each run feel fresh and rewarding.

The game suffers from balance issues, particularly with certain bosses that can feel unfair and punishing, detracting from the enjoyment.
There is a lack of variety in runs due to limited enemy types and events, which can lead to repetitive gameplay over time.
Some mechanics and tooltips are poorly explained or translated, causing confusion and hindering the player's understanding of the game.

gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
53%
10%
The gameplay is praised for its unique mechanics, challenging roguelike elements, and engaging turn-based tactics, reminiscent of titles like Darkest Dungeon. Players appreciate the depth and diversity offered by character abilities and the strategic energy system, although some minor bugs and unclear tooltips have been noted. Overall, the game provides a rewarding and addictive experience, particularly for fans of the genre, despite some controversial mechanics and a steep difficulty curve.
- “Fantastic and relentlessly challenging roguelike with some solid mechanics I haven't seen elsewhere and combat difficulty I would liken to Darkest Dungeon.”
- “A fun roguelite turn-based tactics game with clever gameplay mechanics and a roster of unique characters to experiment with.”
- “Every character has their own mechanics and available upgrades, which make the game very diverse and allows you to fine-tune your team to your own playstyle.”
- “My only nitpicks are some minor bugs (not every ability and capsule does exactly what it claims to do), some unclear tooltips (presumably due to translation errors), and a controversial mechanic on the final boss on the eldritch timeline that - in my opinion - is both downright unfair and unbalanced.”
- “- if you look at the global gameplay stats you can see that (on 14.09.2024) only 18.9% of the players beat the game.. so basically only 1 in 5 steam players managed to finish this game on normal difficulty.. wonder why?”
- “The game mechanics are not too complicated, though they need some getting used to.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their solid quality, charming art style, and smooth animations, with many reviewers highlighting the cute, comic book-inspired visuals and effective pre-fight artwork. However, some note that while the graphics are appealing, they do not introduce anything particularly new or innovative. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's whimsical and quirky atmosphere, despite some concerns about repetitiveness and gameplay balance.
- “It's such an awesome game, I really like the art style of it!”
- “+ the graphics are awesome and the animations, both idle and active, are very well done.”
- “The characters are quirky, the art style is super cute with its 90's cartoon aspect, and the animations are really smooth!”
- “Don't let the graphics put you off or fool you; this is a tactically crunchy game with some whimsy, sure, but also a lot of dark humor to it.”
- “Plus, don't even get me started on the art style, which is so cute, and the animations are really smooth!”
- “Visuals are simple but effective, with some great looking pre-fight artwork and cool action animations.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by a blend of quirky, subtle slapstick and dark comedy, enhancing the overall experience without overshadowing its tactical depth. Players appreciate the comic book art style and the amusing character and enemy designs, which contribute to a visually engaging and funny atmosphere. Additionally, humorous in-game events, like the "ptw vending machine," add to the charm and enjoyment of the gameplay.
- “Combat is fun, I like the comic book feel to the art style, and I enjoy the quirky humor.”
- “The way battles start, the character and enemy design, the death animations... every visual aspect is basically 10/10 amazing, original, and funny in a subtle, thoughtful slapstick way.”
- “Don't let the graphics put you off or fool you; this is a tactically crunchy game with some whimsy, sure, but also a lot of dark humor to it.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
Overall, the game offers enjoyable experiences for the initial runs, but many users express concerns about its long-term replayability. While the variety among characters adds some replay value, it may not sustain interest over time.
- “The characters are all different enough to bring variety and replayability to the run.”
- “I enjoyed my time with it; enjoyable for a few runs, though I worry about replay value.”
- “Just don’t expect longer-term replay value.”
- “While not a problem for the first few run-throughs, it does not bode well for longer-term replay value.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
Players report significant challenges with optimization, particularly in the second zombie world, where they struggle to progress despite experimenting with various team compositions and strategies. This has led to a frustrating experience, with some spending extensive time on a single level.
- “I spent 1 hour clearing the first world and almost six hours trying the second zombie world, dying repeatedly while experimenting with different team combinations and timeline optimizations.”
- “I spent 1 hour clearing the first world and almost six hours trying to complete the second zombie world, dying repeatedly while experimenting with different team combinations and timeline optimizations.”
- “The optimization in this game is frustratingly poor; it feels like no matter what strategy I try, I'm met with constant setbacks.”
- “I find the optimization mechanics to be overly complicated and not rewarding, making the gameplay experience tedious.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The story is considered minimal and not the primary focus of the game, with quirky characters and a charming 90's cartoon art style. However, some players find that the lack of clarity in item effects can disrupt the overall experience, detracting from the otherwise consistent narrative.
- “The characters are quirky, and the art style is super cute with its 90's cartoon aspect. The story may not be the main focus, but it adds a charming backdrop to the gameplay.”
- “The characters are quirky, the art style is super cute with its 90's cartoon aspect, but the story isn't much to write home about.”
- “Sometimes this makes the effects of an item or ability hard to decipher, but mostly it's just jarring and takes you out of the game story, which is annoying because it's pretty consistent across the game.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game has been noted as somewhat subdued, which may not resonate with all players.
- “My only real gripe is that the music is a bit sedated.”