Still better than Fez.
Still better than Fez.
I have a lot to say about Fez (mainly about why I'm not a huge fan, and no, I'm not talking about the dev here), but I don't know if I'll get to it because I don't have it on Steam!
Sorry about falling behind on this. I got distracted with other games and then got my wisdom teeth pulled. Might update tomorrow if I'm feeling up to it.
I hope you feel better soon, Pike!
Bow before the mighty Javoo!
Indeed. Life and health and stuff are way more important than a couple of random games. But just for the record, hugely appreciate what you've started here. Looking at a lot of games and giving perspective on things we probably wouldn't otherwise look at, or things we've been curious about but never bothered to take the plunge. So thank you
I hope you feel better soon, Pike!
Bow before the mighty Javoo!
Wow I forgot about this. Got busy playing non-Steam games (I know, right??) I am indeed a failure
TRAITOR!Originally Posted by Pike
Got busy playing non-Steam games (I know, right??) I am indeed a failure
Do you have a review for those non-Steam games you were playing?
aka X-Com: Less Brutal Edition, although let's face it, basically any turn-based tactical game that isn't X-Com or one of its spinoffs (like Xenonauts) is X-Com: Less Brutal Edition.
The game throws you into everything right away, letting you pick a squad...
breach1.jpg
and then customize different guys in your squad...
breach2.jpg
until you have four different guys with job classes and names of your choosing. (I just went with the default names they gave me but there is the potential here for glorious X-Com-esque customization.)
breach3.jpg
This is a turn-based tactical game similar to, well, X-Com as well as Frozen Synapse and other things in that genre. You have one turn to position your guys and then tell them what direction to face - you get a white cone indicating everything in their field of vision, so you can see exactly what they are able shoot at. Things like cover do matter, and your guys have a small handful of special skills depending on their class. However, the game automates shooting for you, unlike certain other squad-based tactical games.
breach4.jpg
All of your guys move on the same turn, which really gives me Frozen Synapse vibes more than everything. Once your guys are in position you hit the "breach" button to execute the turn. This gives you the ability to plan their actions as a group rather than individually.
breach5.jpg
After a successful mission you get experience based on how successful you were (I've yet to determine the variables for that - I think the time you take has to do with it?) and you can distribute skill points among your guys.
breach6.jpg
And that's the game. It's easier to learn than it sounds (or looks), and as the missions are short and quick it will probably infect you with One-More-Mission Syndrome. At least, it did for me.
It's certainly not the deepest thing in the world and you aren't going to find ~serious hardcore tactics~ here but if you want a grab and go squad based game that's based in the real world then it's worth a look. Save it for a sale, though - its full price is $14.99 and I wouldn't pay that much for it.
THE VERDICT:
- If you like turn-based tactics/squad-based tactics games then this is a decent enough entry
- It really doesn't do anything new but there's really nothing wrong with it, either
- Pretty easy to learn
- Good for picking up and playing for twenty minutes
- Probably worth picking up on sale if you like this kind of game
PIKE IS BACK! PIKE IS BACK!
Glad you're feeling better
Looks like X-COM minus the awesome X-COM-ness but with some potential for a sort of quasi-RPG "training" system. I don't think X-COM let you pick out who got what bonuses to HP etc.
Bow before the mighty Javoo!
It also reminds me of 'Doorkickers,' although that is more of a puzzle game.
This is a game where you are a skeleton. In fact, the story is that basically everything is undead.
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 16-37-23-97.jpg
It's old-school. It's really old-school. I mean, seriously, look at this picture:
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 16-38-15-18.jpg
It also likes to make fun of itself, and games in general.
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 16-39-37-73.jpg
Anyways, I clear out the quick initial cave and walk out into the bright sunlight of... oh my good lord what is this anyway? Dragon Quest? FF1?
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 16-41-10-69.jpg
The town comes with everything you expect. An inn (which restores your mana - HP is automatically restored after a successful fight), an item store...
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 16-41-17-01.jpg
...and, well, this guy:
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 16-42-59-81.jpg
Pretty soon I run into this chick who is really overly excited about this adventuring thing.
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 16-44-30-86.jpg
And she forcefully joins the party. No, really.
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 16-44-44-77.jpg
I'm not sure what she is, exactly. Some kind of mermaid snake thing?
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 16-45-34-99.jpg
TIME FOR THE OBLIGATORY SHOT OF OUR ADVENTURERS GAZING AT THE LANDSCAPE *cues up appropriate music*
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 16-45-46-02.jpg
I get to dig my way through my first major cave, which is full of undead things (like the rest of the game). Our hero has some words of wisdom about, well, RPG heroes:
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 16-54-55-51.jpg
BOSS FIGHT
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 17-04-03-52.jpg
One interesting thing this game does is that after every turn, the enemy gets 10% stronger. So the longer the battle takes, the more horrifyingly intense it gets. Suffice to say the boss gets to something like 170% power and it was TERRIFYING but we managed to take him down. Whoo!
Sage words from Sara:
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 17-06-24-73.jpg
And we reach the next town.
BoDVIIPC 2015-06-28 17-06-48-15.jpg
...I get that reference.
Overall this is shaping up to be a game with a lot of charm and some interesting mechanics that I haven't seen before. Don't go in expecting Straightforward Generic JRPG parody #384 because there are some neat things you can do. For example, after a character levels up, the game gives you two choices of new skills or perks that you can pick. This allows for considerable amounts of character customization after you're several levels in. Throw in an interesting combo mechanic as well as the "Enemies increase in power" thing I mentioned earlier and there's enough variety here to keep even the most seasoned veteran interested.
Also yeah, all those dumb video game references. I see what you did there, devs!
THE VERDICT:
- You should probably get it if you like old-school JRPGs from the 80s and early 90s
- I mean seriously, it's $2.99, you should probably get it anyway
- It's funny
- It has some interesting new mechanics I haven't seen before in this type of game
- The boss music is great. A+
I've only played like 90 minutes of Breath of Death but what I played I thoroughly enjoyed, it's just an old-fashioned NES-era JRPG.
At first I was kinda like "I dunno man, it might be too old-fashioned" but it grew on me really quickly. It's really easy to pick up and play. I think a lot of people on this forum would appreciate it, especially for the price.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
