It looks like Tom ‘Gunpoint’ Francis may have another smash hit on his hands. Most of the big games sites have heaped praise on the out-today Tactical Breach Wizards, and having just spent an hour with its demo, their enthusiasm is easy to understand.
Like Yours truly, Tom cut his teeth writing for the UK’s version of PC Gamer magazine. As his PCG pieces tended to be quirky, witty, and exceptionally well crafted, it’s little surprise his games exhibit similar qualities. The dialogue in the TBW trial is top drawer. Before bursting into small, tiled battlegrounds dotted with exploitable cover and defenestratable foes, your spell-slingers exchange some priceless lines.
The ability to foresee imminent enemy actions, and rewind after making mistakes, ensures the puzzle-like engagements are pretty gentle at the start. However, as I’ve just discovered, later on the demo isn’t afraid of showing teeth if you get cocky/careless…
Based on this quick non-review and how good Gunpoint was I took a gamble and.. 12 minutes in I’m rather enjoying this.
Like Gunpoint and unlike Heat Signature it’s grabbed me immediately. Whether it sustains that will depend how many ways it lets you complete levels; it’s already revealed why some people class it more a puzzle game than a turn based tactics one.
I shall go back to it after dinner..
The puzzles are great and the cutscenes are genuinely funny. I found my self screenshoting a lot of gags, and then noticing the incredible background details in these scenes.
And, just like Frostpunk wasn’t a city builder, it is much more straightforwardly a puzzle game than the xcom alike it slightly presents itself as. There is no random chance and if you want to get some (not all) of the optional objectives (such as finish in one turn) then there is basically one correct path.
Like Cedric, I really liked Gunpoint but never got into heat signature. TBW has stripped out the “embrace chaos” mentality of those two games where part of the fun was successfully reacting to failure, and I think this has improved the quirky and inventive formula of Francis’s games.
After 9 hours and the ‘Lights Out’ Steam Achievement this is an easy game to recommend. It does offer plenty of options, particularly when replaying missions with different characters (each with their own unique abilities), and that this is offered and viable demonstrates the responsiveness of the game mechanics.
I’m taking my time with it, but every time I drop in for a quick level I stay for several. It’s a very good game.