Played on PC
Suspicious Developments is no stranger to the industry; it is responsible for the highly successful indies Gunpoint and Heat Signature. If you look closely, Tactical Breach Wizards is a completely natural continuation of the ideas contained in previous projects. We will again have to storm rooms full of enemies. Only this time – with full three-dimensional graphics and from the perspective of a squad of special-purpose magicians.
Captain Price if he had been educated at Hogwarts
Call of Mana. Modern Mage Warfare
The authors don’t even try to hide that the main source of inspiration when writing the plot was the question: “What if we add magic to Call of Duty?” And, unlike the developers of Immortals of Aveum, they understand perfectly well that it is not worth trying to answer this question seriously. In the first mission, a brave squad of magician-seer Kaz and speedster Liv Kennedy parachute onto a tanker, clearing cabin after cabin. To demolish doors, instead of explosives, a special spell is used. And shooting terrorists in slow motion is replaced by tactics with an isometric perspective.
Before storming each room, there must be a short dialogue. The syllable is saturated with irony. The characters communicate with each other exclusively through witticisms. Any conversation always ends with a punch – and this has its own charm. The game treats its story with humor, but does not slip into parody. There is room for drama and even unexpected twists. You even manage to become attached to the team. The general mood is somewhat reminiscent of Guardians of the Galaxy – they seem to be goofballs, but at a crucial moment they can pull themselves together and save the world. Even the main menu involuntarily refers to the poster of the second film. Accident? Who knows.
The script copes with the main task with a bang – gluing together disparate puzzle levels into a coherent narrative. After all, structurally Tactical Breach Wizards is very trivial. Essentially – a set of rooms for assault, interspersed with funny scenes. The premises are not particularly intricate and, in general, are not much more complicated than the ascetic arenas in Into the Breach. At first, it generally seems that we are faced with a puzzle rather than a tactic. The first levels teach basic mechanics and require one correct decision. But the further into the forest, the more tools we have at our disposal.
Knowing where the enemy will go, you know in advance where to aim. So, the power of foresight is explained by the plot
It is immediately noticeable that among the entire five heroes there are only a few skills that deal direct damage to enemies. Basically, to neutralize the enemy you have to… push. This is exactly what the main arsenal is designed for, in different variations: throwing away or attracting one adversary or a whole group. Push them against each other, slam them against walls or throw them out the window – there are plenty of options.
However, the player begins the adventure with only two fighters, the group grows strictly as the story develops. New features are evenly distributed throughout the fifteen hours of playthrough. To the point where the last mechanic is revealed right before the final level. Each hero has a specific specialization. For example, Necrodoctor Banks is good at weakening enemies, and armored Dall is an excellent tank and battering ram rolled into one.
Battles are divided into several phases. The first is your move. Each squad member can move to a specified point, as well as execute a limited number of commands. Some skills only consume “action points” (only one is issued per turn), others consume mana (can be replenished by interacting with certain objects), while others are available in limited quantities for the entire battle. Certain skills allow you to replenish some of your resources, or give you a “free” move. For example, one of the heroes learns to automatically carry out his main attack on the same target that any other of your charges hits.
Correctly chosen angle of impact for chain lightning – and now the enemy squad is killed in full force
Having done everything that you consider necessary, you can move on to foresight. Before confirming all your decisions, you can see all the responses from enemies in advance. Are you satisfied with the result? Fix the round. Do you think you can play it better? You rewind any number of steps back and try a different tactic. And yes, you are allowed to use a rollback at any time. Accidentally poked into the wrong cell, or didn’t immediately notice an interesting connection that would allow you to clear the room in one move? No problem, go back a step and experiment. There is only one limitation – rewind works within one round. Once the opponent makes his move, there is no turning back.
Of course, such concessions will be met with hostility by any hardcore fan of the genre. Tactical Breach Wizards is really good for beginners. There is no unfortunate 95 percent chance of hitting. The game generally excludes any factor of chance and stupid error. It always highlights the result of any of your actions: where the enemy will fly, who he is aiming at, where he wants to move. Any failure is the result of your short-sightedness and poor planning. However, you have to try to fail here, at least at an average difficulty level. And you can change the difficulty at any time, which is why the “Skip level” option in the menu looks extremely strange.
During my entire playthrough, I only once drove myself into a difficult situation – in one of the final rooms, where I had to fulfill a tricky condition. It’s a shame that this kind of thing is rare in the game as a whole. The goals at all levels are almost the same: you need to either neutralize all enemies, or deliver all the characters to a certain point.
Lately, the clue board has become a popular mini-game.
They try to maintain our interest through a diverse combination of opponents: shooters, reinforced fighters, grenade launchers, some in armor, others resist being pushed, others are protected from weakening. Every second mission introduces new types of renegade mages, and at the same time tools for new paths to victory.
Characters arrive in the group according to the plot, but the choice of skills for development is entirely at your discretion. Growth in level, however, is only a screen. Experience is awarded after missions, but does not depend on your actions. By the end, all heroes will hit the leveling ceiling, which will allow them to develop about eighty percent of their skills. And this will determine what tactics will be available to you.
The only bonus for additional activities is the so-called “confidence points”. They are awarded for completing special tests in story missions and for completing optional levels. You can only spend them on alternative images for magicians. Some differ only in color, but some are funny. However, the secondary missions themselves are interestingly staged. If you didn’t have enough main company, then you can easily extend your gameplay for another couple of hours.
The results of missions, like any dialogue, always end in a joke
* * *
Tactical Breach Wizards is definitely another success for Suspicious Developments. The project was warmly received by both critics and players. It is elegant in its simplicity, and despite its apparent superficiality, it actually has depth. You have to understand that she is far from hardcore tactics – hardened fans of such entertainment may be left slightly disappointed. But it’s smart, thoughtful, and an overall great opportunity to try the genre or look at it from a slightly different angle.
Advantages:
- Simple mechanics that provide many possibilities;
- Lack of randomness factor… if you don’t like randomness;
- A fascinating story with healthy humor and chemistry between the characters.
Disadvantages:
- The goals at the levels in the main campaign are monotonous;
- Lack of a random factor… if you like randomness.
Graphic arts
The three-dimensionality, although honest, is low-poly. There is charm and style, but the visuals will not impress.
Sound
The sound design is completely unremarkable. There is no voice acting and the music is almost invisible. The only thing you will hear often is the “poof”, “whoosh” and “bang” of spells.
Single player game
Dozens of rooms that can be cleared in different ways. By outward appearances, this is a typical modern tactic, but this time experiments are encouraged and accidents are excluded.
Estimated time of completion
A dozen and a half hours for the main story and another five for additional tests.
Collective game
Not foreseen.
General impression
An exciting tactical puzzle where there are at least several keys to solving each problem.
Rating: 8.0 / 10
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