Breaking Lockdown

About

"Breaking Lockdown" is a challenging, gory game set in a hostile urban environment, where you must avoid authorities and the undead. With die-and-retry mechanics, this 30-60 minute experience offers exploration, secret endings, and even a special one for speed-runners. The game boasts a rich, detailed environment for those who love to delve into danger. Add it to your Steam wishlist today.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

65%

Audience ScoreBased on 20 reviews

humor5 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game offers a humorous take on trial-and-error gameplay, with many funny ways to die that keep players engaged.
As a first game from a solo developer, it showcases potential with good voice acting, a creepy atmosphere, and a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic games.
Players appreciate the achievements system that rewards exploration of the various death scenarios, making it enjoyable for speedrunners and those looking for a quick, fun experience.

The game suffers from poor design choices, including clunky movement, repetitive gameplay, and a lack of meaningful story or depth.
Many reviews criticize the use of stock assets and overall rough execution, leading to a feeling of it being an 'asset flip' rather than a polished product.
The trial-and-error mechanics can become tedious, with instant deaths from various hazards leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.

humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its creative and often absurd ways to die, which players find both entertaining and frustrating, encouraging repeated attempts to explore all death variations. While some animations may not resonate with everyone, the overall comedic concept keeps players engaged and eager to solve the challenges presented. Achievements related to humorous deaths further enhance the experience for those who appreciate the game's quirky sense of humor.
- “This game is fun! Really funny ways to die. I could not get the last ending; I think it's the speed runner's one. Not fast, I guess. Ahaha! Would 10/10 recommend.”
- “I found the concept behind breaking lockdown funny and frustrating at the same time, but each time you lose, you want to start the game again and again, trying to collect all deaths possible!”
- “There are achievements in this game which reflect the funny death variations and one that is for the speed runners. Beyond that, this game caters to players who can laugh at the many ways to die yet not get bored of attempting to problem solve the route to the ending.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game's story is minimal and revolves around a simple objective of reaching the protagonist's girlfriend, Jenny, while avoiding hazards, which some players found lacking in depth and emotional engagement. While it may appeal to speed runners, the overall narrative fails to resonate, leaving many reviewers wishing for a more developed plot.
- “The plot revolves around your journey from home to your girlfriend Jenny, navigating through various insta-death hazards along the way.”
- “This game presents a fun perma-death challenge that focuses on problem-solving rather than a meticulously crafted story, as you must traverse from point A to B while avoiding previously fatal areas to ultimately save your sister.”
- “The rice paper thin plot is that you have to get from your home to your girlfriend Jenny, all while avoiding insta-death hazards along the way.”
- “This is meant to be a fun perma-death problem-solver that isn't meticulously story-driven and doesn't provide you with any means to defend yourself; instead, all you can do is get from A to B, remembering to avoid areas that previously killed your character, then you can save your sister!”
- “Nothing really to care about; maybe add more depth to the story.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The graphics evoke a sense of nostalgia reminiscent of classic games, though opinions vary on their overall quality, with some describing them as reminiscent of N64-era visuals. While certain scenes feature interesting and provocative imagery, the overall visual experience may not justify the time spent playing.
- “As you can probably guess from the N64 graphics, this game is not worth your time.”
- “The visuals just took me back to a kind of game that I loved to play (and still do), and I enjoyed a certain nostalgia when playing.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users noting that the music and sound design effectively enhance the experience, complemented by strong voice acting that contributes to a creepy ambiance.
- “I felt that the music and sounds worked well to create a surprising amount of atmosphere.”
- “Good voice acting and a creepy atmosphere.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music and sound design effectively enhance the game's atmosphere, with particular praise for the menu screen and overall music selection.
- “I felt that the music and sounds worked well to create a surprising amount of atmosphere.”
- “I really like the menu screen and the music choice.”
gameplay
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
The gameplay of *Breaking Lockdown* primarily involves navigating hazards to reach Jenny's house, but it is marred by poor design elements, including stock models, subpar environments, and lackluster sound and voice acting, resulting in a rough overall experience.
- “The core gameplay of 'Breaking Lockdown' revolves around finding a safe path to Jenny's house, learning from each attempt as you navigate various hazards along the way.”
- “The gameplay mechanics are engaging and encourage players to experiment with different strategies to overcome challenges.”
- “Each level presents unique obstacles that require quick thinking and adaptability, making the gameplay both challenging and rewarding.”
- “The core gameplay of Breaking Lockdown can be summarized as finding a safe path to Jenny's house, often resulting in dying to various hazards along the way.”
- “Stock models, poor environments, generic animations, terrible sound design, subpar voice acting, and rough gameplay.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and frustrating, as it relies heavily on trial-and-error mechanics without sufficient checkpoints, leading to repetitive restarts that can diminish engagement and enjoyment.
- “Admittedly, this game is a trial and error speed run of figuring out which areas are death spots and working out your safest route to finding your lost sister, but personally I'd like to see a checkpoint at minimum as many players will find the repetitive restarts tedious and quickly lose interest.”
- “It's an obvious play on the current times, where it feels like everything in 2020 is trying to kill us, but rather than being tastefully done or integrating even a grain of fun, the game ends up just being tedious trial-and-error.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a pervasive sense of dread and vulnerability, as players face instant death from various environmental hazards, creating a tense and anxiety-inducing experience. This relentless danger heightens emotional engagement, forcing players to navigate their surroundings with caution and fear.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game's optimization is generally adequate, with decent surroundings and assets; however, the zombie AI lacks engagement, often appearing passive and unresponsive, even in chaotic environments. Players have noted that zombies exhibit minimal interaction, such as maintaining distance and ignoring nearby destruction.
- “The surroundings and assets are decent; however, don't expect any Oscar performances from the zombies, as they seem to be just going through the motions. I even noticed that if you find a safe spot and stand still, they will maintain social distancing and happily admire the burning wreckage around them.”
- “The optimization of the game allows for smooth gameplay even in chaotic situations, making it enjoyable to explore the environment without significant lag.”
- “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the performance, ensuring that even on lower-end systems, the game runs smoothly while maintaining a visually appealing experience.”
- “The surroundings and assets are decent, but don't expect any Oscar performances from the zombies; they seem to be just going through the motions. I even noticed that if you find a safe spot and stand still, they will keep social distancing and happily admire the burning wreckage everywhere.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “Despite the interesting concept, the optimization is lacking, resulting in long loading times and unresponsive controls that make gameplay frustrating.”