Summer of Kaiju: Into the Breach review (Nintendo Switch)

As a kid, I spent summers watching old Godzilla VHS tapes from the local Blockbuster. Since then, I've associated the sweltering season with giant monsters flattening cities into rubble. In that spirit, I'm doing a series of kaiju-themed posts for the dog days of June and July...

"Into the Breach" is a turn-based strategy game that pits your team of mechs against an apocalyptic invasion of the Vek, a race of giant homicidal insects attacking for unknown reasons. Each turn, you maneuver your three mechs and use their abilities to prevent the Vek from destroying the last vestiges of civilization. Allow too many hits on civilian buildings, and it's game over - all you get to save for the next run is one pilot, who time travels to the past and back into the breach.

I enjoyed Subset Games's first game, "FTL," for its use of the roguelike format to force desperate decisionmaking. The design of "Into the Breach" is even more elegant - the game tells you exactly what the Vek will do (right down to the turn order of each monster) and how your planned actions will affect their attacks. Despite this perfect information, you always feel outnumbered, outgunned, and outflanked in the game's claustrophobic 8 x 8 tile battlefields. 

Each battle feeds you a buffet of bad options. Do you damage one of your mechs to block a city-flattening attack from a huge wasp? Do you use your shield ability to protect the mission objective or a city full of innocent people? Do you concentrate fire on the boss-like Alpha Vek or deal with its minions? Whatever happens, it'll be your choices that decided the outcome, not some random number generator (one of the main problems with "FTL").

"Into the Breach" is available on the Nintendo Switch, and it's the best platform to play it on. The game is perfect for 10 and 20-minute sessions, enough time for a tense battle or two while waiting for a plane or riding on a train. If you're in the mood for a pitched battle against mutant insectoids, I highly recommend it.

Rating: 84/100