Future Publishing
7th February 1992
Categories: Review: Software
Publisher: Impressions Ltd
Machine: Amiga 500
Published in Ace #055: April 1992
Breach 2
Though there's nothing particularly special on offer for die-hard RPG fans this month, the follow-up to the highly successful Breach is worthy of their attention. Set in the future with the player in command of a team of space marines, it's more strategy than role-playing, but the mix of the two genres is an appealing one.
Probably the best comparison is with that old favourite Laser Squad - Breach 2, however, boasts a considerably more sophisticated approach, with a smart isometric viewpoint, much easier command control and more involving missions.
In each mission scenario, the player leads his team through enemy territory, exploring rooms, collecting objects and doing battle with the alien hordes they encounter. In the classic RPG tradition, characters can be tooled up with a huge array of weapons and equipment, including rifles, rocket launchers and bombs, and all the characters come complete with individual attributes and abilities.
An added boon is that, should the player get bored with the multitude of missions available, they can create and edit their own. How many gamers will want to expend this amount of effort (designing a playable mission on any kind of game is no easy task) remains to be seen, however, and you may want to ask yourself if you're ever likely to make use of the feature.
But there are enough predesigned missions to make Breach 2 worthwhile, even without the editor, and on that score the game should at least be on the 'take a look' list for all RPG/strategy aficionados, if not a definite purchase.