Into the Breach

This game is like a backscratcher; it scratches that itch in ways inexplicable. I've been playing this game on and off, and having now completed all achievements, I feel qualified to post a review. The basic premise of the game is as follows. Using your three mechs, protect the buildings on the map from the enemies' attacks. You can do this by simply killing the enemy units, manipulating their positions, and/or changing the direction of their attacks. The vast array of team compositions the game offers you leaves no strategic possibility unexplored. [b] A FAIR WARNING. [/b] This is very much a pure puzzle game. It's a wonder how that is not one of the genre tags. A situation can have multiple solutions. Oftentimes, there will be only one. Sometimes, if you're unlucky, there will be no ideal outcome, and you will be forced to take damage. Fortunately, you do not lose immediately upon the destruction of a building, but you can only take so many hits before it's game over. It may take a considerable amount of time for you to find the optimal set of moves in a given situation. In that respect, it's not dissimilar to chess. Inevitably, such puzzle games are not for everyone. Furthermore, the possibility of situations with no ideal solution arising due to the random nature of the game seems to be a push factor for some. For me, that is not a bug but a feature, and adds to the strategic dimension of the game. It forces you to think about positioning (which really does matter), learn how to manage unpredictability, and exercise damage control abilities. But again, such puzzles games are not for everyone, and that's okay. I bought this game on sale. Now, I would have happily bought it at full price.

One of, if not the single, best games I've ever played. It has great replay value, obviously, and is great for playing in short bursts and when you want to play just a couple minutes or not have to remember the story up to this point. A very tight and focused experience that I would say is a masterclass in this type of game. Just a top tier game.