Spellbreak is the latest in a long line of Battle Royale games to launch into an already saturated market. But does it have enough to set it apart and stand out in a genre that's been lingering around so long now, it's starting to smell like it's on the turn?
Spellbreak has been developed by Proletariat and to their credit, they have spent a lot of time and care creating Spellbreak prior to launch. With extensive beta testing and really listening to player feedback to shape a polished product prior to the launch date (Sep 3rd 2020). In fact Spellbreak does a lot of things very well.
The main thing I love about this game right out the gate, is it's commitment to letting players decide on what platform they want to play at any given time and to be able to play with friends regardless of their choice of platform.
How many times have you had to consult your friends in the past to check which format they are going to buy on, to ensure you can connect and play together. Especially in the current age where homes tend to have multiple platforms on which to access games.
I really hope this becomes a precedent for many developers moving forward, however I fully understand this is a different business model to a more traditional straight forward physical or digital purchase .
This is a Free to Play game with in-game transactions that supports Cross Play and Cross Progression. In other words, I could play a few matches on my Xbox with a buddy on his PS4, then continue via my Switch on the commute to work (if we ever commute again).
Cross Play can be double edged sword however; as console players piss and moan about Keyboard and Mouse players having an unfair advantage and PC players whine about controller aim assist. But I have no intention of digressing to that topic in this review.
So on to the game, it's a Battle Royale, so the premise is tried and tested if completely unoriginal. You drop into a map either solo, duo or trio and fight it out on an ever decreasing map area, until only one player, duo or trio is left.
Spellbreak tries to differentiate itself from all the other similar games via its aesthetics and attacks.
You play as a mage, as the title may infer, you start as one of 6 elemental classes:
Flame, Frost, Wind, Lightning, Stone, or Poison/Toxin. You are equipped with a gauntlet that channels your chosen element into one of two attacks.
A primary attack is your staple, firing off a blast of whatever element is assigned and a Sorcery, an ability tied to the element on a cooldown. Each element's sorcery is slightly different, for example the toxin gauntlet sorcery emits a big plume of gas at the target location.
Now this is where it gets interesting,as you are able to loot and equip a second gauntlet from chests scattered around the spacious gameplay map. This second gauntlet can be of any of the the other elements and furthermore, the elements can interact in many ways.
Continuing on from my previous example: If I were to find and equip a fire gauntlet, I could then use it to ignite my stinky poison gas cloud turning it into a ball of Dragonfire that deals additional damage over time. (in fact Fire/Toxin seems to be the meta in game at the moment.)
These combinations are fun to experiment with and the map is so large you are afforded enough time to gear up and play around to find what best suits, before heading into the fray.
In addition to gauntlets, you can also collect and equip Amulets, Boots, Belts and Runes.
Each is available in different flavours and different rarities, to enhance different aspects of your character:
Amulets: Mana
Belts: Armour/Shield
Boots: Movement
Runes: Utility ability
The graphics are one of the key attractions to this game and it really does look gorgeous. The art style is very reminiscent of BOTW with its cell shaded, slightly anime look and feel. The game moves and responds well. I didn't notice any frame rate issues, even when things got a little cluttered and frantic on screen. So it seems to be well optimized.
I reviewed this on Nintendo Switch, but have also played on PC and PS4 and there is not much difference with the aesthetics between them, in that respect they did a wonderful job.
My biggest gripe with the Switch version is that it lacks Gyro support.
I know its a "love it or hate it" feature, but I am firmly in the love camp. I will often purchase a game on Switch as opposed to any other format purely for gyro support. So this really seems like a lost opportunity.
Overall this is a really well produced game, a good amount of thought has gone into it, a lot of listening has been done and the end result really is a great game. It's just at a time when the market is so saturated and possibly at the tail end of the trend. If this had been released one or two years ago I'm sure it would have been a surefire hit.
I feel we are now at the point where there are so many battle royale games, they're pretty much interchangeable and players are numb to them. A game has to do something really different entering the genre to be noticed and successful, "Fall Guys" is a prime example of this. While Spellbreak does make a discernible effort in this area, I'm not sure it's enough. It will definitely attract players but I don't see enough here to stop the gradual attrition.
Spellbreak is out now on PC via the Epic Store, PS4, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. Its free to play so why not jump in and experience a few matches for yourself!
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