Your parents may have told you about the wonders of games like Asteroids and how amazing it was. You may be in your forties and remember a gaming system like the Vectrex, a system filed with classic arcade games in vector-based graphics. In 2020, the Quantum Astrophysicists Guild (TQAG), a video game publisher of various titles, invites you to get back into the neon-colored arcade action with Breakpoint, an ambitious twin-stick shooter coming to the Nintendo Switch. TQAG is working with studio Aesthesia to deliver the creative twin-stick shooter this year.
Breakpoint is a twin-stick shooter, which are a dime a dozen these days, but what sets Breakpoint apart from other twin-stick shooters is its focus on melee weapons, as opposed to lasers. Players will are sorts of melee weapons, from a hammer to an axe, including a neon-colored katana. With no ranged weapons, players get up close and personal to their enemies, blasting them to bits. Each moment is dangerous and exhilarating, and all XP earned goes tot he weapon, not the player. This mechanic creates the encouragement to use a particular weapon more to achieve victory. Breakpoint looks to be more than just a simple game, and the game features many layers of discovery, including wild new levels, weapons, and enemies. For those that are looking for competition, Breakpoint will have leaderboards.
Breakpoint is inspired by 80’s arcade classic, but also inspired my early 2000’s arcade titles that revolutionized the indie game scene, such as Geometry Wars. They are hoping to recapture that frantic, chaotic array of fun and pixelated chaos. The team at Studio Asethesia says, “We really wanted to capture the purity of retro arcade games, but mixed in with a few modern sensibilities. The melee weapons force you to weave through enemies and get up close and personal, while the weapon explosion system allows you to turn a tense situation into a huge comeback, leading to some really exhilarating moments.”
Breakpoint looks to launch on Steam and Nintendo Switch this Summer.