Magically, its also a tactics game for people who love them like nothing else.
Its permissive and demanding; playful and tense.
Its globe-spanning plot covers conspiracies, PMCs, and brutal theocratic dictatorships.
It also features a traffic-summoning warlock named Steve wearing a hi-vis robe.
As all critical operations must, Tactical Breach Wizards story begins with a door getting blasted open.
Some bad dudes have a hostage, and Navy Seer are here to extract.
The Druid Mafias shrublord is wearing a ghillie suit.
Hes also tough, so Zans rifle isnt enough to take him down a single turn.
In the same way, youll be able to foresee the consequences of every action before committing to it.
But, once youve expanded your team and unlocked a few abilities, things become much more improvisational.
A finished mission means the feeling of having hit upon just one perfect outcome among many.
Youre an untangler, really.
Never have so many proverbial micro-USB cords been so gratifying to pick loose from their medusa-hair prison.
This is all supported by optional objectives.
Finish in three turns.
Defenestrate (verb: yeet from window) four enemies.
The flashier your wizards act during missions, the swankier outfits they can pull off.
Theyre presented as voluntary challenges, described as intended for players finding basic completion too easy.
But Id say this is the game selling itself short.
Such a bulging bag of rule-shattering wiz-tricks mean youll likely never even be tempted.
Just like those outfits, its about self expression.
This way, it incentivises you to use your entire toolset without relying on punishing difficulty.
A sacrificialInto The Breachplay.
Being swarmed by a seemingly insurmountable force inXCOM 2.
Here, nine out of ten corners I felt backed into were corners I gladly teleported to myself.
Mostly, I just felt let loose in a toy shop.
For context, Im not always tempted by intrinsic bits, especially if Im on the review embargo clock.
An evil priest that retaliates each time you attack his allies, but won’t defend himself.
A medic that can revive the dead.
A riot-shielded heavy with a gasmask that immunises them against your special knockback juice.
Tactical Breach Wizards nails this, by the way.
The writing quickly evolves from “this is funny” to “no, but this is actuallyreallyfunny”.
But actually I found TeeBeeDubss hidden profundity in, of all things, a menu screen.
By and large though, reader: this shit iswild.
A pre-emptive fear of missed opportunities, made sweet by a grinning, glazed-over sense of exciting possibilities.
Its not free of issues.
The same level editor the developer has, with the option to share your maps with others online.
Is this all window dressing?
But man, what an absolute treat of a window.
Do say “hi” on your way down.
