The evil Vek’s intentions are signposted in advance allowing you to affect their outcome, and many of your mechs’ most interesting weapons allow you to push other units around the map.

Perhaps less obvious is the pivotal role positioning plays. The Bard presaged a lot of things in his writing but niche strategy video game titles would have been a stretch even for his powers.Īnd yet Shakespeare’s sentiment could not be more apposite here: Into the Breach is tactical warfare reimagined as a rogue-ish, turn-based puzzle game and it’s arguably the most addictive release on this list - no mean feat given Dead Cells is already here, hanging out on the corner and selling wraps of moreish Metroidvania crack for a few bucks a throw.

When William Shakespeare’s King Henry V coined the deathless cri de coeur, ‘Once more unto the breach, my friends, once more,’ he was, of course, referring to the body-strewn battlefields at the siege of Harfleur rather than an isometric 8x8 playing field populated by pixelated mechs and insectoid alien adversaries. At six it is FTL creators Subset Games' compelling sci-fi strategy. Let us know your experiences with the game, if it deserves its slot and what might have taken its place. To join the conversation simply log in to your Telegraph account or register for free here. Following our list of the 50 best games of 2018, we are now counting down our top ten releases across the year and reflecting on our time with each game.

Into the Breach free