Space roguelike Breachway is very much my type of strategy game. It has all the satisfying ship-building elements I love from games like No Man’s Sky and Starfield. But instead of forcing me to pootle around the stars myself, it lets me jump from location to location, engaging in interesting decision making and tactical combat reminiscent of the likes of the fantastic FTL. Launched into early access on Steam in September, user reviews are already positive, and now developer Edgeflow Studio details what’s coming during November.
The next Breachway update is currently targeted for mid-November, and Edgeflow teases, “Thanks to your feedback, this first update will be packed.” It also apologizes for a brief period of silence following the initial post-launch rush of updates for the roguelike. “We all felt the effects of intense work leading up to and following the release, so we took a few much-needed days to recharge,” it explains. “Now we’re back at full speed and eager to make the game better, fueled by all the incredible feedback you’ve shared.”
Perhaps the most exciting announcement off the bat is the arrival of a new playable ship, the missile frigate. As the name suggests, this craft is designed to unleash rolling salvos of missiles to barrage your opponents. Watching a full volley of rockets crash into an enemy ship is a supremely satisfying feeling, so I can’t wait to give this one a shot.
Edgeflow is also introducing a new system allowing you to unlock alternate starting ship loadouts, which should dramatically enhance the variety of runs by offering more ways to kick off your next attempt and enabling more unique builds. Both the ignite and shred mechanics are being adjusted to “make them easier to understand while expanding ways to strategize and combine attacks from different weapon types.”
On top of this, flak attacks have also been more dramatically reworked to address concerns that they feel too random. Instead of the wide damage range, they’ll now scale up as the enemy hull weakens, allowing flak to keep its identity as a high-damage dealer but with less reliance on big RNG swings. It should also further enhance its potential synergy with other weapon types.
These changes are “just the first step in a larger effort to create more synergies between equipment,” Edgeflow notes. Speaking to the adjustments to ignite and shred, it says that “Simplifying and generalizing these systems will lay the groundwork for more advanced and rewarding combos in the future.”
Additionally, the team says it’s “close to completing a proper end-of-run screen.” This will give you a better look at what you managed to achieve in a given attempt. It includes stats like the nodes you traveled to, the damage you dealt and blocked, the number of enemies you brought down, and your most impactful single turn. The plan is to expand this into a more fully fledged scoring system in the future, with the potential to create the likes of leaderboards and daily challenges.
Edgeflow Games is preparing to launch the next Breachway update in mid-November. “We’re grateful to have such a committed community helping us improve each step of the way in early access,” it concludes, “and we’re excited to keep this momentum going. Thank you for all your support.”
Does the great beyond call out to you? Tickle your lust for intergalactic exploration with the best space games. Or put your mind to the test in the best strategy games on PC.
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