Broken Lines - Mini Review - Xbox

Developer Portaplay and publisher Blowfish Studios, Broken Lines is a story-driven tactical RPG that is set in an alternate WW2 timeline. In this turn based strategy game you control a squad of allied soldiers who have crashed in enemy territory.

The Story:

Your squad has crash-landed behind enemy lines in the heart of an alternate history Eastern Europe. With no intel or leadership to support them, these soldiers must fight their way back home before the horrors of war break them. Teamwork and strategy are paramount... Each soldier has their own personality and ideas on what needs to happen next. Some want to investigate what caused the crash that left them in hostile territory, while others want to lay low and wait for rescue. There are even whispers of desertion. You are the “unseen hand” that guides this ragtag group of soldiers to safety and possible rescue. Whether it’s as simple a choice as to which way to go next, or something as serious as how to engage their mysterious foes, every decision you make is serious and significant. Features: Story-Driven Gameplay - As your soldiers battle the mental strain of war, you’ll need to command them in combat— will they avoid the enemy, or go head to head with their foes?

Unique Turn-Based System - Combat is similar to that of a turn-based tactical RPG. Plan your turn in pause mode and watch your soldiers move when action phase starts. However, when new enemies and hazards appear, the game pauses to allow you to plan your reaction to this new change. Will you continue to charge forward or back off and seek cover?

Choices Matter - Choices you make will shape the story to your liking leading to different campaign endings. Choose wisely as your progression through the game will affect not only soldiers you command but also a whole region and everyone who happens to live here. But you should also keep in mind that your soldiers have their own opinions on what is good for the squad so you have to maintain balance between what you want them to do and what is good for keeping the squad in high spirits.

I really enjoyed the game, mainly because of the setting as I am a sucker for a good WW2 game. This game definitely gives me vibes of a casual X-Com like game, with similar mechanics and viewpoints, but the difficulty needed for newcomers to get to grips with everything on offer is much lower than that of others in the genre. You will get a fair amount of content out of it at a great price too! The narrative is cheesy at times but thoroughly enjoyable and the graphics suffice although they won't blow your mind. The game is nowhere near perfect but the combat mechanics, campaign and storytelling are well worth a playthrough. TOTAL SCORE: 8/10

Broken Lines was released onto the Xbox store on the 14th Dec 2022. It's playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles. The game is priced at £15.99 and can be purchased HERE. A copy of the game was provided for this review. A big thanks for that.