Come on now, Reignbreaker. Medievalpunk?! It was only last week that I was getting confused by -punk phrases, now we’re going back in time. I suppose it makes sense. We are, quite literally, fighting authority. Still, I have to wonder where it ends. Will we eventually reach Neanderthalpunk? Perhaps one day, we’ll play as a caveman, with a mohawk, hunting down a giant mechanical mammoth with a brightly painted bone club. Actually, that sounds pretty sweet. So carry on, I guess.
Anyway, strange fantasies aside, I found myself warming to Reignbreaker almost from the get-go. Games can make a variety of good first impressions. Some do it through gorgeous visuals, others through a story hook. Reignbreaker did it through gameplay. It just feels great. There’s nothing spectacularly revolutionary, but the movement, controls and general feel is tighter than a queen’s corset. The progression, however, is decidedly strange.
Short Live The Queen
The title, Reignbreaker, suggests what the plot might be about. There’s something reigning over the land, and it’s our job to shove its crown where the sun don’t shine. Specifically, we’re after the Queen of Keys, a mysterious figure broadcasting a strange signal that brings people under her influence. When that doesn’t work, there’s always cash. She’s also obsessed with keys, to the point of designing robots around them. Our hero, Clef, breaks free of this signal and proceeds to hunt down the queen. A nice little touch is that the game labels her the ‘antagonist’, ’cause that’s what she is to the brainwashed.
Reignbreaker‘s reign breaking takes the form of an isometric action-RPG roguelike. The standard trappings apply. We can punch, dodge and launch a long-ranged attack. Reignbreaker works hard to make each of these fun. Punching and dodging feel almost thought-controlled. Taking damage is almost always our fault. Then there’s the long-ranged attack, courtesy of a motorised javelin. There are a variety of different javelins, with different effects, keeping things interesting. I grew fond of one that stuck sticky bombs to enemies, so that I’d always be inflicting damage.
The core combat is modified by trinkets that we nick from vaults belonging to brainwashed figures. To unlock them, you need to fight in little gauntlets called ‘lockdowns’. These trinkets can drastically change things. For example, there’s one that allows you to pull in enemies with a slam move, so you can then blast them apart. There are four different types of vault, with different focuses, and they’re randomised run-by-run. That usually results in you needing to think on your feet, as you cobble together what upgrades you can get. It adds enough spice to help individual runs stand out.
Anti-Monarchy
Speaking of Reignbreaker‘s vaults, interacting with each one starts a chat with the owner. Each owner feels quite different. The queen’s surgeon, for instance, is desperate for her attention, even as he gets none. The writing is okay in the broad strokes, but it does descend into smug quipping a bit too often for my taste. Still, the visual design on the characters is great, and the reveal of the true nature of the queen is well done. Enemy design is solid too. I’m not usually too hot on robots as enemies, but there are constant new designs that unfold as you play.
The general look and feel of Reignbreaker is great. In true ‘-punk’ fashion, bright colours are splashed everywhere. Clef herself is one of the main sources of colour, which ties neatly into the themes of anti-authoritarianism. Soundtrack’s a hit too, with the music being appropriately fast paced to keep you in the mood for destruction. I do think the level design is a touch drab, though. It doesn’t really change as you progress, making everything feel very similar, which isn’t great for roguelikes.
Then there’s that progression. Reignbreaker does something very strange. Whenever you beat a boss for the first time, the run just ends. You need to start again from scratch and beat them – or their fellows – again. I’m honestly not sure why. It kills that ‘this run could go right to the end’ feel that’s integral to roguelikes. Whenever a really promising run got cut off, I felt cheated. Especially as not much changes between bosses. New enemy types creep in, true, but we’re still fighting in the same arenas. It feels strangely artificial. Like Reignbreaker doesn’t want me reading ahead, so it just snaps the book closed.
Reignbreaker – Stylish, Rebellious Fun
Still, it didn’t stop me coming back. For example, I usually aim to stop playing review games at about eight, so I can relax before bed. Well, eight came and went when playing Reignbreaker. I always needed to clear one more room. It’s due to the combat, I reckon. Chaining together a storm of attacks and dodges feels great. The boss fights make the most of it too. It’s just good, old-fashioned fun, helped along by a plethora of neat touches, like the solid music.
It’s not a particularly long game, mind. I beat it in about six and a half hours, which is pretty slim for a roguelike. It was about the right length, though. Any longer and I feel the progression gating and identical looking rooms would have begun to grate. As it is, Reignbreaker is a stylish and very enjoyable way of putting your boot up the backside of royalty.
