Netflix’s push into gaming may not be a roaring success, but it seems to be slowly building out its game library. I just got the latest game to join its ranks, and I think it’s an absolute must-play on both iOS and Android.
The game in question is Into the Breach. Released in February 2018 on PC, this turn-based strategy game meets roguelike (where elements of the game are randomly generated every time) across the other platforms such as the Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. In July of this year, it was added to the Netflix gaming roster, meaning Netflix subscribers like me could download and play it on Android phones, iPhones, and iPads at no extra cost.
I did just that, and I’m hooked.
Life is an infringement
Into the Breach was created by Subset Games, who also developed FTL: Faster Than Light, another roguelike game based on piloting a spaceship that runs from enemy forces to the safety of a friendly fleet; it is one of my favorite games and is great on my ipad mini. So aside from the rave reviews, I had high hopes for Into the Breach.
Fortunately, simply searching for the game in the App Store or Google Play Store will bring it up and mark the Netflix version. A quick download later and logging into Netflix on some devices, and I was in.
The Vek, a race of giant insect-like monsters, have virtually destroyed humanity, and to turn that around, a team of mechs must go back in time and defeat them before disaster happens. It’s like Edge of Tomorrow crossed with Pacific Rim.
Into the Breach immediately grabbed me with its menu music composed by the simply brilliant Ben Prunty. A brief low-fi pixel art style intro explains that the Vek, a race of giant insect-like monsters, have virtually destroyed humanity, and to reverse a team of mechs must go back in time and defeat them before disaster strikes takes place . It’s like Edge of Tomorrow crossed with Pacific Rim.
As for the action of the game, it’s all turn-based, meaning there isn’t a lot of pressure to make strategic decisions. But there is certainly pressure to make the right moves. The short tutorial explains that players are given a trio of mechs to use to defend certain targets and delay a seemingly unstoppable attack from Vek for several turns before completing the target or the monsters retreating…for now.
This seems simple. But just like a chess game, Into the Breach is less about freeing a board of enemies and more about outsmarting rivals and choosing to sacrifice a unit to achieve a goal.
What’s interesting here is that players are told what each Vek monster’s next move is, be it attacking a mech or hitting a civilian structure. That’s the challenge of weighing whether one of your units can withstand a hit and still have enough hit points to survive the mission, or if you can withstand the hit on your power grid, which decreases with each attack on civilian power generation buildings and the game is over when it reaches zero.
Sometimes you have to make the tough decision to damage or even kill one of your own units to take out a swarm of Vek, which makes you win the mission but potentially lose a skilled pilot. If this happens, a pilot will be replaced, but it won’t be the seasoned veteran you had before.
All of this makes for a game that you think you’ll dive into quickly, but can completely absorb you. I found with with FTL, so was ready for the “just one more go” nature of Into the Breach.
Unlike FTL, which is only available on the iPad for mobile gamers, Into the Breach works pretty well with access to a mix of smartphones. It’s very easy to use on my iPhone 13 Pro, despite my concerns that it feels a little cramped, and it plays pretty well on my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. But if you can, I’d suggest giving it a spin. give like and iPad mini, which strikes a nice balance between screen space and portable form factor,
Regardless of which mobile device you play Into the Breach on, I force you to try it. It won’t cost you anything if you have a Netflix subscription, and it’s a great way to get more out of the service than just waiting for the next episode of Better Call Saul or another season of Stranger Things.
And I really hope Netflix adds more great indie games to its service, say the excellent Bastion, because while people may not be flocking to Netflix’s game library just yet, I still think there’s a lot of potential here.
0 Comments