Fun, with far more depth than it seems.
Breach and Clear is a turn-based strategy game in which you control four members of a squad of your own design. While there is no over-arching story, the game offers plenty of scenarios and challenges to overcome.
Pros:
- 3 types of gameplay ("Terrorist Hunt," "Bomb Defusal," and "Escape Plan") across 35 settings (in 7 campaign scenarios). That's 105 levels in the core game. Also: 7 specialized squads, dozens of unlockable weapons. Several personnel types (Medic, Intelligence, Weapons Sergeant, et al), each with their own perks and preferences.
- Many welcome details, such as first-person perspective views using number keys and the ability to drag and move paths that have already been placed
- Thoughtful, often complex level design, with a clever mix of random and strategic mob placement, offer challenge and extend playability
- Permadeath option (yay!), and a "Memorial" area where you can view your fallen heroes
Cons:
- Tutorial is so bare-bones that B&C has an unfair reputation for being shallow, when it's just that players are never taught correctly about the deeper features and functions available to them.
- B&C's rating system, from 1 to 4 stars, is based mostly on how fast you complete each level, instead of also factoring in the number of survivors at a level's completion.
- Rarely, soldiers refuse to open doors, and enemy AI can be wonky.
- There is no real story to speak of.
The Bottom Line:
It may sound like I'm complaining, but I'm really only nitpicking. This is a solid effort that provides a lot of hours of fun. It's just that Breach and Clear is so close to being a really special, great game that it feels like a bit of a shame that the developers didn't feel the need to take better care of it after the birthing process. As it stands, though, B&C is a very, very good game, but one which requires some time, online research, and experimentation to truly see its depth. (Condensed from my Steam review)
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