Our author Patrick has tried the Amazon game Breakaway and shares his first impressions with you. Is the game for you?
Breakaway is a game from the Amazon Game Studios that is currently in the alpha phase. You can participate in this alpha for free and try out the game until this evening. During the test phase, you have eight different heroes to choose from. There are melee fighters, ranged fighters, wizards, and supporters. The usual class divisions that you also know from other current games.
How does Breakaway play?
After you download and install the game, you can participate in a tutorial. There, the controls are explained to you first. With W, A, S, D you control your hero from a third-person perspective. Special attacks are executed with the Q, E, and R keys. You control the camera with the mouse and can use your primary and secondary abilities with the mouse buttons.
In addition to these attacks, heroes also have the ability to set up special devices like ramps or catapults. Per round, you can build one device that supports your team with buffs or inflicts damage on the opposing team.
There are three different ways to win a round in Breakaway:
- One option is to get the game ball into the opposing base or their drop-off point. The game ball is called “relic” and can either be thrown into the drop-off point or carried.
- Option number two to win a round for you is to achieve a team kill. If the entire opposing team is dead at the same time, the round victory belongs to you.
- The last option is to play against the clock. When the round time is up, it depends on which half of the battlefield the relic is in. If it is on the opposing side, then you win. If the ball is on your side of the battlefield when the time runs out, and thus closer to your drop-off point, you have lost.
The team that can first win three game rounds wins the match.
First impressions of Breakaway – Every beginning is hard, right?
First of all, I can reassure you: The controls of the game seem much more complicated when reading than they are in the game. The tutorial prepares you well for the upcoming matches and shows you how to attack, defend, and “pass” the relic to friends. Once the main tasks of the tutorial are completed, you can leave the preparation and sign up for a “real” match.
Breakaway is played in a 4 vs 4 mode. As soon as enough players are found, you enter the champion selection. In the first round, I chose the character from the tutorial because I was already familiar with their attacks. This allowed me to focus better on the gameplay.
The first round began, and it only took a few seconds for the opponent to score the first point. I was just trying to orient myself – and then it already happened. Apparently, my teammates were also overwhelmed and still needed to adapt to the fast gameplay. Additionally, there was now a shop to upgrade your champion with items. However, the selection of items is manageable so that you do not spend too much time shopping.
Round 2 went significantly better. I hit opponents with my attacks and could prevent them from getting the relic to our drop-off point. The items from the shop were also noticeable. Already in this second round, I was able to apply much more of what I was taught in the tutorial. The controls are really easy and quick to understand.
Even though we lost the first match, you really felt “ready” for another round. The difference between bots and real players is also evident in Breakaway. Especially because the bots just stand around in the arena like statues and function more like training dummies.
The next matches went better
In the second and third matches, the level increased. Relics were passed to team members more often, and there was much more teamwork than in the first match. Teamwork is an important factor in Breakaway that decides games. By working together, you can more easily pass the ball to a teammate and advance towards the opposing base. As a lone wolf, the chance of winning is not particularly high.
My Breakaway conclusion after the first rounds
Breakaway is a game with fast, action-packed gameplay. The controls are easy to understand and do not hinder gameplay, which is a significant plus. The abilities of the heroes are designed diversely and are suitable for various play styles from support to melee fighter.
One issue is that the servers are located in North America. This is already mentioned when registering for the alpha phase. As a result, there are some lags in the game that unfortunately somewhat spoil the fun. It is possible that there will be different server locations in future test phases that will provide a pleasant latency in Europe.
Breakaway is a game for you if you are a team player who can’t really deal with “slow” gameplay. The various heroes bring variety to the game and are suitable for different play styles from aggressive to defensive. After the first impressions, Breakaway is a “easy to play – hard to master” game with a competitive factor.
Similar to Overwatch?
One way to describe the game is to compare it to other current games. Breakaway is a mix of Overwatch, Rocket League, and League of Legends. Various team play elements in an arena where you try to get the ball into the goal.
In contrast to Overwatch, however, it took me longer to “find myself” in Breakaway. In Blizzard’s shooter, I could grasp the various heroes more quickly and understand the concept behind them. With Breakaway, I needed considerably more time for that, which was related to the item shop, for instance.
Through the various items, you can specialize the champions in different stats (health, attack, movement speed, and so on). Which champions work best as tanks and which ones as damage dealers was not directly clear to me. However, with more gameplay experience, this should no longer be a problem.
While in Overwatch you can also play heroes as different “roles”, that is then more dependent on play style.
If you want to try the game, you should do so quickly. The free alpha ends today at 7:00 PM.
