Breached

Breached is about tasks. What you put in is what you get out. Navigating to your in-house grid to then scavenge for items needed to complete objectives may not sound fun, but it’s the systems behind the resource gathering, and the choice-based dialogue driving its narrative that sets it apart.

Breached is a fun little game that derives a good portion of its charm from its minimalist and mysterious story. The drone sections are fun, particularly in the beginning, and there’s just the right amount of strategy involved in the choices you make. It does get a little dull after the first playthrough, and you can theoretically beat the game in less than 90 minutes, but at £4.49/$6.29, it’s still a cheap little bite-sized game that’s likely worth your time.

With a length about that of a major motion picture, and a price to match, is Breached worth the cost of admission? It's a game that feels like an amazing demo for a full length title that never came to be. The building blocks are there for a better game. A more compelling narrative, or one better told could have really lifted what is on offer. Breached is good and pretty. There's just simply not much of it, and it never convinced me it was worth the grind to unlock all of its secrets.

Breached is an interesting game full of mystery and meditation but lacking in any substantial gameplay.

Breached is a game that tries to make its story cryptic enough to keep the player interested in replaying it, but its gameplay is too shallow and dull to make replaying seem worthwhile. It’s unfortunate that elements of the story are locked behind secret logs, and the disappointing endings only adds to Breached‘s problems. That said, perhaps some players may find something in here that I haven’t grasped, and may enjoy the short, relaxing nature of Breached. Unfortunately for me, Drama Drifter have attempted to cram a little too much story into such a short amount of time that it’s just too mud...

Alone, trapped, and in the middle of nowhere. Time is of the essence, or you will die. Can you save yourself, or will you be another faceless victim who never got to deliver his important message? Come see what Nkidu Games Inc has in store for you in Breached.

Luckily, Breached is a budget release at $7, which isn’t a horrible price point if you’re interested in checking out the story. However, I find it difficult to actually give this game a recommendation, as I had a hard time even bringing myself to play through it. I would highly recommend checking out the soundtrack, though, as it is legitimately excellent.

Breached is strong in how it uses the first-person perspective for storytelling, how it builds identification between player and protagonist by blurring the lines between them in a minimalist way. But the actual game systems struggle to keep up with the atmosphere and presentation. The weakness of its mechanical systems and the simplicity of its scavenger hunt undercut the experience a lot, especially on multiple playthroughs — even though multiple playthroughs is an intended feature of the game.

You are alone and isolated, woken unexpectedly from your cryogenic sleep. Your only friends are your lifeless drones and a backlog of journal entries. The desert is hot and barren, and the last signs of life were snuffed out long ago. Eight days of supplies. No fuel and no oxygen. This is your last stand.