Take some magic, some battle royal elements, and sprinkle a little avatar (The Last Airbender) on top and you get Spellbreak. This multiplayer spellcaster game has one of the most accessible battle royal modes we have played but it has so much more to offer. In an interview with Proletariat’s Co-Founder, Jesse Kurlancheek, he let us know that Spellbreak is a game that has a BR mode and not just a BR itself. Like many games these days, Spellbreak is constantly evolving and turning into more of a platform.
When I first tried Spellbreak, I was immediately hooked to the gameplay and the art style. While playing the Battle Royale mode it instantly felt more accessible than other games. There was a certain amount of tension that was absent at the beginning of the match and that is a good thing. The ability to search and scavenge in order to increase the power of your gear and magic felt really different from looting for weapons in other games. I feel like you have time to get a lay of the land before you jump into an intense battle. Being able to start with a ‘weapon’ of your choice is a great change. The ability to start with a weapon and play style that you are comfortable with is a welcomed change in the genre.
The gameplay feels very natural here. I think that anyone should be able to jump in and do well in their first few games. For me, there seems to be less overall tension which aids in the game being more accessible. Certain mobility options and abilities allow for players to escape unwanted encounters and recover. There were times where I found myself wandering around the map for extended periods of time with no other combatants in sight but that is not unique to Spellbreak. It can be left up to the luck of the draw. Of course, as the gameplay area shrinks, things begin to get a little more hectic but by this time, you will be better equipped for battle.
There are six different elements that you can choose from and they all play differently. If you want to play and be a little more accurate with your shots, you may want to use lightning or wind elements. If you want to deal more area of effect damage, the ice and toxic elements are the ones for you. What really makes combat unique here are the combinations that you can create with the various elements. Combining wind and lighting will create a lighting tornado that stays on the playfield for a few seconds. Toxic and fire will create an exploding gas cloud. When playing with a team, the combinations that you can create are ‘limitless’. You can also use your enemy’s attacks against them so there is a lot of strategy that can be implemented here.
While reviewing the game, a new game mode, Clash was added. Clash is a team deathmatch mode where two teams of 9 fight to reach the score limit first. Once you are exiled, you drop back into the map and you will need to collect all of your gear again. There are no consumables in this game mode in order to keep the time per game to a reasonable time. Things can get really hectic here but there is a ton of fun to be had. This game mode is also great practice for the last few rounds of the Battle Royale mode. There may need to be some tweaks made when it comes to scaling various aspects of the games for this mode but overall, it is a lot of fun.
With the addition of new game modes and a quest system, Spellbreak continues to improve on the base game. Proletariat has done a great job at creating a platform for a game. They have left a lot of space for expansion in the future. The art style is beautiful and bright. There are a ton of character skins to unlock but I wish that a single character could be customized with more detail. A lot has gone into the making of Spellbreak and the future is looking bright for this title. We can’t wait to see what comes next.
