Humanity is once again on the brink of destruction. In Breach, worlds are colliding as reality itself is stretched thin and the veil tears. All kinds of monsters emerge and lay waste to whatever stands in their path. Mages across the world are gathering in hopes of combating the coming storm, but will their combined effort be enough? I’m not sure, but we managed to try out this new title and our preview is in.
Breach is an MMORPG by QC Games that has a great many classes to choose from, and 6 to start off with. We are encouraged to try out as many as we want, but we are also limited to the amount that are given to us for free. The user abilities are laid out on the bottom of the screen, like a MOBA, and it provides for an easy handling of the controls. For the sake of this preview, I played as a Necromancer. Personally, I had a fun time swinging around a scythe and summoning minions to explode on command. My ultimate ability summons triple the amount of thralls I can have at a time. Brilliant meat shields, not so great at fighting mobs.
I’m not too keen on the plot at the moment, but we are introduced to the lore thanks to the opening cutscene where two god-like figures debate the nature of humanity. One builds a barrier between the worlds, but leaves enough magic for humanity to thrive in certain regions. Something between the beginning of civilization and the present has changed, and now the very same figure who separated the realms calls it a mistake. I bring the plot up, because we play for both teams it seems. We get to be the mages and the floating veil creatures. This makes for a dungeon master feeling, but I can’t help but wonder where I stand on the whole world-ending thing.
We tried out the group finder, and it works just like any other MMO dungeon/flashpoint/raid you may have tried out in the past. Four members make a party, but it didn’t seem to use an algorithm to see what the party composition should be. Tanks, healers, Glass Cannons, etc. We just seemed to be thrown together and mushed forward into the breach, hoping we hit the objective. I will give the game credit, though. The tutorial teaches you exactly what you need to know and how certain objectives work. Like, when you need to capture uplinks or how to gather rewards by completing objectives more quickly. I was distracted by fighting mobs, which I found more fun than actually completing the objectives.
Other than my more personal proclivities, the game could get a little messy. Enemies might occasionally get stuck inside invisible walls. Some animations took an extra second to fully load. Pathfinding for the AI was not too bad, except for when they do run into that invisible wall (usually on stairs). I had a wonky experience with the interacting key “F” for revives and loot boxes – but mostly due to my poor aiming. When you are downed, you actually can limp around to make yourself scarce and more accessible to teammates, and that’s a pretty good idea considering the fast-paced environment.
The soundtrack is pretty good. Some of it gets lost in the thick of battle, though. The main theme is distinct and it stands out, but there is a sound clip that plays when you complete an objective that (to me) screams the Mortal Kombat theme. I can’t describe it any better than that. Other than that, the voice acting is very good! The characters sound especially well done when they’re not grunting and letting out war cries.
I’ve only played the tutorials and one dungeon so far, but I do like the level design of what I have touched. It was not difficult to navigate the maps, and they look very cyberpunk. I don’t really know what genre I’d call it – there are tech mages, gun mages, necromancers, demon hunters, you name it. The actual illustrations with limited animation is also very appealing in the opening cinematic and post character creation. The level customization is welcomed and varied with a lot of different combinations, too.
I think we had a pretty decent experience of Breach so far. There is a level of frustration when it comes down to latency issues and invisible walls. Despite some setbacks, the game is fairly challenging and nudges players to act as a team. I like the concept, and I have been eyeing all the different classes. There is also an application of skill that reminds me of Guild Wars 2. That is a comforting thought, because the skills per class are limited to what is on your UI. I don’t need additional hotbuttons and extended toolbars. The only setback is there is less room for personalization. Sure, there are classes for days, but there is no character progression in skills and (permanent) perks.
Check Out the Breach Gameplay Trailer:
Breach is now available on Steam Early Access for $24.99.
I like to think of myself as the average Joe who grew up alongside video games. I have fun playing strategy games, RPGs, shooters, sandboxes, the whole shebang! Every game provides an experience whether it strikes you as profound, mundane, or someplace in between. I'd like to weigh in my two cents before you spend a single penny.
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