QCF: Broken Lines (Steam)

hen deciding to review Broken Lines I was unsure why I was so interested in playing it. I am not good at all at strategy games of any kind, and I have very little interest in war themed entertainment. Then I realized what it was that drew me to the Steam digital game released by Super! Publishing. I thought back to other games that tackled turned based strategy in an alternate timeline of war in the twentieth century, and I was eager to see how the developer PortaPlay would approach this hybrid of RPG and tactics. I was happy to find out that Broken Lines takes influence from strategy games from the current generation and the recent development of mental state mechanics of newer independent role-playing games to create a solid entry into the genre. A story that sometimes misfires and AI that can frustrate does not take too much away from a challenging and satisfying experience.

Using the environment as cover and camouflage is the key to victory

Two planes hovering over the enemy territory of Eastern Europe in 1944 suddenly are shot down and crash land, leaving most of it’s occupants dead. Only a handful of infantry emerge from the wreckage, unsure of any survivors and without any objectives, missions or leadership. Veterans and recruits come together to find any signs of life and struggle to locate a way to escape as an unknown and gruesome enemy, silent and mysterious hunt them down. The troops will explore the terrain utilizing their environment, tactfully eliminating the opposition while also inadvertently uncovering the origin of a most sinister plan. The squad will be able to choose to aid the townspeople throughout the mission or turn their back to them and seize their resources for their own survival. Difficult decisions such as this will dictate the morale of the troops and can lead to strained relationships within the group and their composure taking a hit. Composure plays a very important part of completing the campaign; however, I will need to step back and explain the mechanics more in depth for it to make sense.

Each solider's route can be mapped out ahead of time, and changed before entering combat

As I had mentioned in the introduction, the concept of the mental state of characters is an important aspect of gameplay. Unchecked it can lead to objectives being abandoned as well as characters leaving the squad. Throughout each mission the group will collect salvage and supplies that will be needed to survive through the campaign. Supplies will be consumed and can run low very quickly, leading to low rations and lowered composure for the battalion. Throughout my initial playthrough two of the soldiers left, presumed to be missing or dead. Characters can also die in gameplay with the option to be revived only once on normal difficulty and higher. Characters who cannot be revived will be permanently gone for the rest of the campaign. If the squad has less than three soldiers remaining at any time, the campaign will end. So many factors can play into the success or failure of the objective that it can be at times very overwhelming. I even overlooked doing random encounters that would have possibly provided additional resources, simply because I forgot it was an option. Dialogue options in between missions are also important and should not be overlooked, as it will build on the dynamics of each character’s relationships and can unlock new traits to use in battle.

The troops will panic if under intense pressure or close to death

On the surface the gameplay seemed very daunting from the start and took some time to become accustomed to the deep mechanics and strategy required to progress. Yet, after playing through the story and starting a second playthrough I began to see all the layers and procedures required to master the art of war. But honestly, novices should try to look at dropping that difficulty because it can be a real bummer at times. Fortunately, in the settings players can tweak various parts of the game to change AI behavior making a suitable challenge for newbies and veterans which is very appreciated and necessary for my playthrough. Using the environment as cover and camouflage is one of the first things a new player will learn, but the enemy can make use of it as well which can lead to the battle feeling one sided at times. Other elements such as gas, smoke, fog and elevation will need to be considered while roaming the map to find the objective. Movement initially felt difficult for me, as I tried to comprehend how to move from point to point as well as utilizing abilities and combat without being overrun with opposing forces. The game offers options for this as well, pausing the game once contact is made with the enemy allowing for the player to rethink and replot paths of travel and strategies before combat begins. It’s also important to note that loadouts, abilities and weapons can be switched out between missions to allow for different strategies and combos to play out during combat. Traits can also be earned through story progression and will allow for each character to have a unique impact on the fight. I actually forgot about equipping traits for most of my first playthrough, which may have caused some of the stress and challenge during my time with the game. Characters while in combat will automatically fire at the enemy unless directed to do otherwise through the use of abilities and if a solider is close to death they will panic and will not be able to utilize their abilities until healed. The character’s avatar on screen will show the level of damage and their condition throughout gameplay and any afflictions will be shown on the interface as well.

Combining abilities and traits in battle can help players gain the upper hand

Enemies will become difficult and will show more military prowess as the story proceeds, and more intimidating forces will try to tip the scale of battle. The player will need to balance the use of supplies and salvage and upgrade their weapons as well as their abilities to stand a chance at survival. The branching storyline will allow for different scenarios to play out as the player decides which path will lead to their escape, or their demise. Some missions will be more combat focused, where four or five soldiers will be required to start the encounter. Not one play style is more effective than the other; using cover and sneaking can lead to less firefights but will lower the chance for more supplies and salvage. Charging into battle and using aggressive tactics will be possible but can lead to possible loss of soldiers during combat. There are many ways to approach each scenario, and the game will lend itself to multiple playthroughs to see what can be achieved or lost.

Enemies can come from all directions and also have abilities and weapons that can be challenging

I was very surprised with all the depth of this game and the challenge that it presented, but with the ability to change and customize the adventure for all types of play styles and experience levels. It may be demanding to those not as versed in tactical gameplay but with some patience and experimentation the payoff is worth the investment. The story does not do much to enhance the experience, but it also does not take anything away. The mechanics are worth jumping into the game and I hope to see more of this style of development from PortaPlay in the future.