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Breathedge - Russian Subnautica set in space

Jacob

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Grab the Codex by the pussy

It's in Early Access now, and I want it to be good. Yes, it's more similar to Subnautica than the shitty sandbox survival game of yesteryear, with zero G instead of diving, this being in space, so it shows promise. It's visually competent, and done in Unreal Engine instead of Unity. The humor in this game is unfunny, but will probably piss off SJW instead of stroking their ego, which from my experiences will be something that the Codex enjoys.
 

Unkillable Cat

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I like it for the humor. Unkillable chick that doubles as a multitool? Sure, why not! :D

It's still an Early Access title though, and people are complaining that currently it's painfully short.

Wishlisted, something to check on during the Christmas sale.
 

Zarniwoop

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Maybe it's just because of the particular LP I saw, but they could just as well call it CringeEdge.

The most millennial Youtuber ever, including PoodiePie:

 

Unkillable Cat

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So, against common sense I plonked down money for a game that's still in Early Access and gave it a go last night.

The obvious comparison point to Breathedge is Subnautica, so if you've played that you'll feel right at home here. Well... mostly. There are some key differences.

# In Subnautica you could always reach air by just surfacing, sometimes in a dramatic breaching manner. Not here. Your pod is the only safe place for air. You can later craft oxygen stations that you can deploy and contain a limited supply of air, so your travels are dependant upon you building a network of well-placed air pockets.

# Movement does not follow standard space physics 100%. You still need to worry about stabilizing yourself in space (there's a special command to do just that) but if you start moving in a certain direction and then use an accelerator to move faster in that direction, you'll lose the extra speed once the accelerator wears off.

# I've yet to see any vehicles, so currently it's just you, your spacesuit and whatever accelerants you can find.

# The visual aesthetic reminds me heavily of Alien: Isolation: It's a well-detailed and retro-ish 1970s/early 1980s style of interior decorating and household appliances. Computers are 8-bit (at best), newspapers are made of paper and there's a VHS player there to be used. The futuristic "magic technology" aspect of Subnautica is nowhere to be seen. The crafting station looks like something out of a garage and the crafting materials are almost post-apocalyptic in tone and style (electrical tape is an essential crafting ingredient, for example). Your tools break down frequently and need to be replaced.

# Currently there aren't any monsters or weapons in the game... but then again this is space, which is not known for being a rich, diverse eco-system full of interesting wildlife. The only hazards you currently face (beside suffocation) are extreme temperatures and radiation, though you can bludgeon yourself to death as well if you want to.

# As a result there aren't any weapons in the game either... at least not yet. There are tools that could double as bludgeoning and stabbing weapons, but there's also no stupid liberal agenda-based reason provided why there won't be any weapons in the game. Something to keep an eye on as the game develops.

# Breathedge uses the Unreal engine instead of Unity, meaning there's no pop-in graphical effects due to the engine being a piece of shit. As a result this game runs smoothly and looks fucking amazing. Don't be surprised if your first visit outside of the pod is just spent gawking at the scenery.

# Unlike Subnautica you're not utterly alone, at least one person will try to keep up a conversation with you, beside the chicken.

# The chicken... strange as it sounds it's easily the most interesting character in the game so far. It's a 'family heirloom' that's been passed down from generation to generation, and currently you're stuck with it. It's utterly unkillable (it doesn't even need oxygen!) and impervious to harm and acts as a "hazard defuser" tool. I hope that it remains a relevant aspect of the game throughout, one of Subnautica's main points was how utterly alone you were and it would be nice to have some company for a change.

# As for the humor and writing style... Subnautica's humor was a little subtle and quite cold, as the narrator was meant to be the voice of an uncaring computer program. Here the writing is noticably better, the narrator is much more human and he talks MUCH FASTER as the jokes come in hot and fast and cover a wide spectrum. They break the fourth wall, include plenty of memes and there are even some modern-day politics inserted into the game... though you'll quickly learn that the devs have a more literal meaning to "inserted" than the Subnautica devs ever did. Breathedge does not hide the fact that it's a satire of Subnautica (or the whole "survival horror crafting games" genre) in various ways.

# More on the humor, potty humor is omnipresent, to the point that there's a "Fly" command in the game that actually refers to your pants. You can take a piss at any time, even when you shouldn't. Especially when you shouldn't.

# The game is not as short as people think, though it is currently lacking in content. I mucked about for about three hours and it's only now that I'm starting to plot out longer routes and determining the best places to deploy oxygen stations.

Current opinion? If you've developed a Subnautica fix, this game's got what you need, and promises more. It seems to be at the stage where the gist of the gameplay is sorted out and they're currently adding in the levels, but two chapters are ready and available and should give people a good idea of what to expect. I feel like I already got my $15 worth, and what few downsides and issues I have with the game can easily be addressed (like how narrator messages immediately cut out to start playing the newest message, instead of letting the first message play out, then start the next one after a few seconds, like Subnautica did).

The most sane approach would be to keep an eye on this game and consider a purchase once it starts taking better shape, but also to keep your expectations in check. Subnautica had a huge gameworld, and it's unfair to assume Breathedge will try to match that in quantity... though based on what I'm seeing they may just match it in quality.
 
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Unkillable Cat

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:necro:

Is this vaporware? No, turns out the devs prefer to make few, large updates over lots of smaller ones.

They have a long post about how development is going, but the important parts you need to know are:

# The next update will arrive September 5th, and will add two chapters to the story.
# Both chapters are equal in size, and are about 6 times larger than Chapter 1. Each. That's a lot of new content.
# The game's price will go up by $5 on August 1st. If you're interested in buying the game, now you have a deadline (or something to keep an eye on during the Steam Summer Sale).
# Future regional prices (as dictated by Steam):

c594cbb933afc9d1eb88e280082b6491a2467203.jpg
 

Unkillable Cat

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Update: The new content has been moved up and will be deployed later today.

I, for one, welcome our new space poultry overlords.
 
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I'm thinking about picking it up at the current sale price. It's kind of a painful ask because I'm not a fan of 99% of "Survival crafting whatsit" games, but I really, REALLY fucking loved Subnautica. It probably depends on if Breathedge is low-grind like Subnautica, and if it manages to have fun exploration and interesting locations like Subnautica.
 

Unkillable Cat

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I gave the updated version a go yesterday, and all the previous points still stands, but with a few additions:

# In the year that has passed, they STILL haven't fixed the 'skipping-voice lines' bug. Meaning that if you're at someplace and the game has a lot to tell you, it'll skip over still-playing voice lines to start playing the next one. This happens FAR TOO often to be tolerable, and if it weren't for the voice line log in the inventory screen it would be a gamebreaker.

# Items break a little too quickly. The "durability"-stat is literally how often you can successfully use the item until it breaks.

# Currently Aluminum is the bottleneck resource, so make sure you check every asteroid for metal deposits and always have a drill at the ready to extract it.

# In direct contrast to Subnautica, the first area (and the start of the second) has a clearly-defined path that you're supposed to follow, in the right order. The game follows this path so strictly that there's virtually no deviation possible, meaning almost no time and no opportunities for exploration. The best (and worst) example of this is the 'corridor of ice' that leads to the rescue vessel. If you follow the 'stepping stones' in that path that have literal hot-spots in it you won't freeze along the way, but at the same time it's surprisingly easy to just skirt along the edge of the corridor and not have to worry about icing at all! (You still have to set up several oxygen stations to make the trip, though.) Throw in the dev-imposed blockades to ensure your item progression follows the same linear path, and those looking for the freedom of Subnautica may be somewhat disappointed. But note that this is just based on the first chapter (of the three currently available), I've yet to see the rest.

# As for whether the game is "low-grind", I'd say it's a little steeper in grinding in the opening steps, but still nothing to the point of tedium or nausea. Metal can be smelted into refined metal at a 4/1 ratio, but this is not such a good idea at the start - it isn't until late Chapter 1/early Chapter 2 that the demand for refined metal truly appears, and metal is always useful to craft new tools.

# Useful hint - you'll soon need storage container to hold all your stuff. To find the recipe, find the place where you found the oxygen generator then look out the door there (away from your shuttle). You should see a part of the Unnamed in the distance that was part of the ship's cargohold. Break open a shipping pallet there and grab a suitcase. (Don't forget the cassette and the underwear floating nearby.)

# The transition cut-scene between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 is still one of the funniest scenes in the game (so far). Chuck Jones would have been proud.

# Those that are gonna hold out until the game leaves Early Access - considering the dev's development strategy you're looking at a couple more years at the least. Subnautica was close to four years in Early Access, Breathedge is just a few weeks shy of its first year.

Overall? If you think Subnautica: Below Zero is currently just as good as Subnautica (even though it's lacking everything that made Subnautica special) then Breathedge will be right up your alley.
 

Beowulf

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# Those that are gonna hold out until the game leaves Early Access - considering the dev's development strategy you're looking at a couple more years at the least. Subnautica was close to four years in Early Access, Breathedge is just a few weeks shy of its first year.

Posts like yours, are what brings my attention to titles, I might have not heard of otherwise.
But I've bought into too many EA games that developers rushed to release, or simply abandoned.

I might buy it in EA though, but I'll give it some more time and check after a year where they're at.
 
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Unkillable Cat

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BTW, in case someone missed it: Breathedge is on sale for the next 17 hours, going for $14 on Steam and $13 on GOG (according to my numbers).

GOG is actually on point and has the new update available punctually, which is a plus.
 

Unkillable Cat

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Here's my post about Subnautica: Below Zero from earlier this year.

As for Breathedge, I've now managed to secure a Seaglide-equivalent mode of transportation, as well as a builder tool. The game is finally starting to 'open up' for me, after being clammed shut and forcing me to jump through far too many hoops. As my situation in-game improves more and better comparisons can be made regarding Subnautica, and one of the more interesting ones is how much harsher Breathedge is. In both games the biggest threat is breathing, but Subnautica mitigates much of that threat by the fact that one only has to break the surface of the ocean to be 'safe'. Breathedge has no such safety net; there are a few pockets of free-flowing oxygen here and there, meaning much of in-game travel revolves around making the trip between those places, planning for every twist and turn of the journey and setting up stationary oxygen stations at frequent intervals where needed... oxygen stations that have limited supplies and need to be refilled regularly.

I wonder if Breathedge will go one step further and provide a Seamoth-equivalent vehicle - one that functions as a mobile oxygen supply, especially. That could potentially upset the balance of the game, especially depending on when such a vehicle is provided.
 

Unkillable Cat

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Update: Chapter 2 of Breathedge loses the plot a little (what little there is of it). Due to the skipping voice-lines I actually had to spend 10 minutes in a safe environment to read the message log, just to figure out what the hell is going on. It boils down to reducing the ambient radiation by completing six seemingly random tasks, so that the player can reach a rescue vessel.

In terms of gameplay elements Chapter 2 introduces a space-bike that greatly speeds up travel (while promising a space car later on, the benefits (and headaches) of station-building, more environmental hazards, actual enemies and more exploring... and that's one aspect where Breathedge goes BANANAS in Chapter 2. I was working on my base when the game bombarded me with points of interest to visit, so when I finally started exploring again I had a dozen quest markers clogging up the UI. Worse than that, once I set out exploring MORE quest markers kept popping up, and now I'm looking at close to 30 of them!

I want to spoiler as little as possible, but sharing a few helpful pointers won't hurt:

# If you had set up oxygen stations in the starting area, consider dismantling them to recoup the Aluminum used in them. That is still the bottleneck resource of the game, despite everything. Oxygen stations become redundant as of the chapter change due to upgraded equipment and the clever strategic placing of 'autonomous oxygen stations' and Engineering Shuttles - these serve as 'checkpoints' throughout the area, and if you're venturing into unknown territory that is actually plot-relevant, you're bound to find one of the two.

# The game not only tells you when you're supposed to build your first base, but also where to build it. This is one part where Subnautica prevails over Breathedge, as the former game never tried to shoehorn the player into forced decisions in regards to base-building.

# The base-building mechanics in Breathedge are vastly superior to Subnautica's... but also somewhat more complex. Base structures come in three flavors: Leisure, Service and Garage, which are clearly marked by a heart, a gear and a rocket respectively. Certain modules can only be built in certain structures, like Leisure-based modules are what you'd expect from personal quarters, Service modules involve all the base management modules and the garage modules are all vehicle-related. Sadly Breathedge doesn't have the docking animations for its vehicles like Subnautica did, which is a Big Thing as it turns out.

# One of the first modules available in a base is a Research Station, which allows the player to research new stuff while also doubling as a crafting station. Currently the Research Station allows the player to cut some corners by offering upgrades in return for some resources, as well as an arbitrary study timer. The thing is, except for the two spacesuits that become available with this module, all the upgrades can be found in-game. Even the chewing gum. I ended up picking the most beneficial upgrades (max oxygen supply and boosters) and just chancing it on the others.

# At the time of this post, the only features from the original pod that I still cannot reproduce in a base is the cassette player and the suit closet. But since I've only found three cassettes so far I'm not that bothered by it.

# The toilet actually serves a purpose: Piss into it so that the stream hits the arrow that appears, and a gauge starts building up. Once it fills up a random resource will be generated. Useful, but remember that pissing drains your Drink-meter, so consider this a last resort if you manage to exhaust a resource.

# My biggest complaint regarding Subnautica during its development (to the point that I whined to the devs about it) was that the bases didn't have a 'Status Screen'-module that gave you stats on your base, so you'd know the fine details of how the base operated and its current status. Breathedge has that covered in a most excellent manner, to the point it makes the Subnautica devs look horrendously incompetent by comparison. By contrast, Breathedge doesn't have a Scanner Suite... yet. While it would be a wicked addition, it's also one of the trickiest one to implement.

# There are a LOT of collectible items. A series of posters, clothing, dolls, photos and other things that one can use to decorate. There's also plenty of furniture to find and scan. To find all of this stuff, consider every piece of wreck you find to contain something relevant.

# Another aspect where Breathedge trumps Subnautica is the design and appearance of the wrecks. I soon noticed that Subnautica was recycling game assets when it came to wrecks, they all felt very samey and clearly cobbled together by the same base designs. Breathedge actually has fewer wreck designs than Subnautica, but manages to cover up the samey-ness by adding much more personal touches. Like corpses. There was never a single corpse anywhere in Subnautica, but Breathedge has LOADS of them... and some of them aren't even human. And most of them died in a comically horrible manner. (My favorite is the one who tried to cryogenically freeze himself in a vending machine...)

# If you see a green laser line somewhere, Watch Out - that's a sentry turret in idle mode. Get too close and the beam turns red, so you better use speed and terrain to your advantage.

# While you can find a bike while exploring, I strongly advise building a new bike the first chance you can. Not only is there an achievement in it for you if you do, but a freshly-built bike goes much faster than the old bucket of bolts you find.

# In my opinion there are far too many tools, and not enough quickslots. Subnautica had five quickslots, but due to the "magic technology" of the tools there was rarely need to change what five items occupied the slots. Breathedge has four quickslots and ten tools at my last count... not including weapons or the flashlight. Get ready to do a lot of quickslot juggling, and often with the clock ticking away.

# Despite the game having oodles of quest markers and telling you what needs to be done, there were too many instances where I couldn't figure out what the game wanted me to do. I blame the information overload that the game unloads on the player early in Chapter 2, so vital details will be lost in the flood of voice lines. The fact that the player is working towards solving six seperate objectives simultaneously (in addition to harvesting resources, upgrading the base and just trying to survive) doesn't help either. Eventually the mess will resolve itself, but there's more than twice as much content in Chapter 2 than in Chapter 1.

UPDATE: Finished Chapter 2, and... in true Breathedge-style there is no Chapter 3, the game skips to Chapter 4 (which isn't ready), comments about how it skipped Chapter 3 and then rewards the player with an achievement. The End... until next time.
 
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Unkillable Cat

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Update time!

Breathedge's big 1.0-release will be on November 5th 2020.

Probably. Their own words.

So now you can enjoy gunpowder treason and outerspace freezing on the same day!
 

Unkillable Cat

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Update time again!

Good news: They've secured a publisher and the game will be coming to all major platforms.

Bad news: The game's been delayed until Q1 2021.

:negative:
 
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https://www.humblebundle.com/games/holiday-in-space

$14 for Breathedge and some other games, if anyone else has been eyeballing this game for a few years. I still haven't pulled the trigger yet since most of the rest of the bundle doesn't do a lot for me so it's basically $14 for Breathedge and Moons of Madness (Which I've heard iffy stuff on but it's probably worth a play) but I figure it's worth mentioning. Can definitely recommend Tacoma for $1 at least, I thought Tacoma was fantastic.
 

Unkillable Cat

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"Early 2021" means an ambiguous date in time centered around the last week of February - which could make the 1.0-release a nice birthday present for me.

Oh, and there's another price-hike incoming, so if you haven't grabbed this yet you may want to do so ASAP.

The only real downside is a gameplay change announcement: The player will have 25 more seconds of air at the start of the game. I'll admit that the start of the game can be harsh due to low oxygen reserves, but this may be too much.

Console conversions are going along nicely for the peasants, but there's more!

Breathedge will have additional localization of the subtitles and all game assets (textures, inscriptions, interfaces, and other stuff) into these languages at its release:
  • Spanish
  • Portuguese (Brazilian)
  • Polish
  • Turkish
  • Korean
  • Japanese
Breathedge is the only project where you can find a pack of dumplings translated into 11 languages! (although we have not tested this).

(INB4 huehues raging.)
 

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