Broken Edge brings a 1v1 sword fighting game in the Virtual Reality space, and I am always a fan when a developer tries to bring something different to the medium. However, sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t, so did Trebuchet strike the right spot?
Release Date: November 17th 2022
Developer: Trebuchet
Publisher: Fast Travel Games
Price: £10.99
Reviewed On: Meta Quest 3
* Code Provided For Review *
I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!
As mentioned this is 1v1 sword fighting action game, which is something that VR is lacking when it comes genres of games. Where this might sound like something that could be quite simple to learn, its the mastering that becomes essential.
This is because the game has nine different characters to chose from, each one comes with their own positives and negatives – which makes it all feel well balanced. The reason you have to master these, is each character comes with its own moves and gestures used to active skills, that could be the difference in winning and loosing your duel. As part of these duels you will also damage each others swords and they clash, so you can gain an advantage and should aim to strike to opponents sword as close as possible to the hilt, with the tip of your weapon. Of course trying to do this could leave your body open for a strike – so you really have to time these correctly.
Each has their own way of Awakening their swords, my favourite class the Duelist will have you moving back and forth to keep your sword Awakened, then for example; with the Knight you will have to keep your weapon almost stationary to charge it up. When this is activated if you can get your strike in on the other persons body, this will give you an instant win – this is a lot harder than it sounds though, so you do get a feeling of accomplishment when you do it.
On top awakening your sword, each class comes with additional abilities, that will require different poses and movements as well. These abilities are shared across all characters. These include putting up barriers, breaking the other persons sword instantly and regenerating your sword quickly. As aforementioned these all require different poses per character, so I would recommend giving them all a try, and then settling on one or two that are your favourites – as it does get confusing trying to remember which poses and for each character.
I found it best way to try and learn the characters is in the dojo and then in single-player. This is because if you choose to wet-your-toe in multiplayer, you will very soon be defeated. With this in the mind I found the single player was best for learning, but not something you will want to return to often. However, there is one character locked called the Tyrant and you will need to complete solo-mode to unlock it, and this can be tricky to do, as you learn your best character.
The games main appeal is the multiplayer duels. This is something that might be a breaking point for some, but honestly give it try even if this is usually your cup of tea. My experience with the multiplayer has been nothing but positive, I’ve had no issues finding a game at any point, and everyone I have dueled with have been super helpful in giving tips for my class.
One thing I really loved about Broken Edge was these duels take place in a small area, this had allowed Trebuchet to use no artificial movement. Meaning you will be walking back and forth in person in order to advance and re-treat when needed. It’s all about physical movement from walking, dodging and posing, which really sucks you into the experience and gameplay.
PRETTY AND UNIQUE
The stages and your enemies are made of pastel-colours, and the environments look a bit simple in design. But, that this allows for all the little details in the characters shine and your opponents stand out against the backdrop – and for me it looks pretty and totally unique.
You are the dragged into the battles and world with the great use of audio. The team have made the correct choice for the music and swords clashing together, this is all the game needed to work. My only issue I found was when in dojo you have to read all the prompts, I just feel like some sort of voice over would have been a benefit to the game.
COMFORT
* Broken Edge also has a mixed reality mode on Meta Quest 3, check out my micro-review
THE VERDICT
Summary
Broken Edge is a game that when it all comes together perfectly can make you feel like a dueling master, however, the learning curve is steep. With the dojo and single player duels being a great stepping stone for learning which character class is your favourite and mastering it before heading into the multiplayer. The online duels can become intense, as you start to learn the importance of your abilities and using these at the correct times and come up against skilled players. But, I have found everyone is very friendly and will give you tips as a new player, and although I usually don’t venture into multiplayer games that often, something in Broken Edge keeps pulling me back.
