Into the Breach is an extremely solid turn-based strategy game. And unlike many of these shiny little chess-likes, its story is pretty interesting too. The conceit is that the human race has been overrun by packs of massive bug creatures called the Vek.

The titular breach is a portal through time that human scientists have opened up. A team of three mechs are sent through the breach to try to defeat Vek forces at a series of strategic checkpoints across a number of islands with variable environments and objectives. As the player, you control the mechs. Each mech has a different special ability that can be used to damage and/or push Vek fighters around a gridded play space. The Vek are trying to destroy buildings on the map (which decreases the energy grid that powers your mechs and causes human casualties), strategic checkpoints (which will impact the reward you get from clearing each island), and your mechs themselves.

If you run out of power - read: if the Vek destroy enough buildings - you lose. If all of your mechs are destroyed, you lose. If you're able to kill all Vek forces or hold them off for a set number of turns, you clear the strategic checkpoint and gain the benefits earned from completed side objectives. These benefits can be anything from grid charges, which heal the damage taken from destroyed buildings, to reputation points you can use to buy upgrades at the end of an island, to power cores that beef up your mechs.

You can upgrade your pilots and carry some of these upgrades through multiple runs. Meanwhile, as you gain more experience, different teams of mechs whose abilities unlock new strategies and advantages become available to you, adding nuance to the game's progression loop. Into the Breach's difficulty level is adjustable, making the game far more accessible. Normal mode had me carefully considering each of my turns and still losing quite a bit.

The game shines in its varied mechanics from mech to mech. Like futuristic chess, each of your three pieces has their own strengths and weaknesses. In order to clear the increasingly difficult boards and stave off Vek invasion, you'll have to take advantage of the unique synergies that arise from using each team's abilities in concert. Into the Breach's genius also shines through in its evocation of sacrifice. Even when you think you've done everything right, the game challenges you to make difficult decisions.

Do I let the Vek attack that building full of innocent bystanders and damage my power grid? Or would it be better to step in front of the attack and lose my mech at a crucial moment in the battle? Do I give up on a bonus objective in lieu of making it farther along in my run? Or will that boon be crucial to success down the line?

For me, there's only so much joy that a self-contained strategy game like this can bring, but if that's your cup of tea. You won't find many better. I would recommend playing it with a mouse, if possible. Some of the controls, when mapped to a controller, can be tricky to differentiate and may lead to mistaken actions in the middle of intense battles where one wrong move can cost you your game. For instance, one time I accidentally shot a building and damaged my power grid when I had meant to move because I had selected my weapon instead of the movement trigger. Clumsy, clumsy Jonny.

Into the Breach is also available on smartphones and currently (as of 1/20/24) downloadable through the Netflix app. Not many downsides to this one besides the ability to make mistaken moves with only one turn reset per battle. Also, when you move a mech and keep it selected, you have unlimited movement resets. However, the second you click off the mech you were controlling, this option to reset goes away and you're stuck where you are. I accidentally let mistakes like these hamper my runs at key moments. Could just be a me problem, though. I'd be interested to hear what you think!

Perfect for picking up and putting down, Into the Breach is about as solid of a turn-based strategy game as they come. I had fun but didn't feel inspired. 7/10.

Where it shines:

• Turn-based strategy classic
• Accessibility features
• Cool art
• Concise story there if you want it

Where it fades:

• Unforgiving on mistakes
• Obtuse move resets
• Chess haters beware