The indie game gem Into the Breach knows how to tantalize Android gamers by bringing in an exceptionally improved mobile version complete with the meaty Advanced Edition expansion delivered on your favorite Android phone. This Netflix Games version comes with a new mobile-friendly UI and suitable touchscreen controls, makin git one of Android’s best games. And as part of the exclusive deal with Netflix, you can knab the full download at no extra cost if you already have an active Netflix subscription.
Into the Breach will see you break out into some classic sci-fi mech fighting strategic action to fend off the latest alien invasion, the Vek. But piloting your mech to save humanity is no simple task, so we’ve taken it upon ourselves to guide you on how to navigate through the deadly conquest with our latest tips and tricks guide.
Getting started with Into the Breach on Netflix Games
New playthroughs require choosing a starting time traveler (note: you unlock more characters as you play and earn achievements), selecting your pilot’s name, and a combat squad. Once you’re ready, tap Start Game.
The next screen will allow you to select a difficulty level; new players should choose Normal and deselect all boxes under Advanced Content.
Note: The unfair difficulty and advanced content options are new with the Advanced Edition update. Tread carefully.
Map overview
Starting fresh means, you won’t have the whole map unlocked. You’ll need to play through the first island to gain access to others.
Parameters are displayed at the top and contain statistics recorded for each island (or timeline).
- Corporate Reputation: The number of reputation points you currently hold. Reputation points are used to purchase supplies once you’ve cleared an island.
- Reactor Cores: Points used to upgrade your mechs; access the upgrade function by tapping on the mech icon.
- Power Grid: Displays the power grid level, which is your overall win condition; you’ll lose if it reaches zero, and the level will reduce if any powered buildings are damaged during combat.
- Grid Defense: Displays how well a building can resist damage; the higher the percentage, the better the resistance is. You’ll have the option to upgrade the defense once the power grid is full.
- Saved people: The number of people you saved in the timeline (the island). Higher difficulties will result in more people that need saving!
The island will have missions for each section, and every mission will place you into a separate battle. Completing missions nets your rewards and will grant resources; allocatable resources are shown as an icon on that location. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to complete every mission on the island, so prepare to pick and choose which mission rewards you’ll benefit from the most.
How battling works in the Netflix Games version of Into the Breach
Before getting into the intricacies of the battle mechanics, we recommend checking out the combat simulation to familiarize yourself with the basics. This section will explore how battling works in the Netflix version of Into the Breach. Just remember, like any turn-based strategy game, you have infinite time to analyze and maneuver your attack and defensive formations — be ready to adapt your strategy when the situation calls for it!
Movement and grid mechanics
Battles start on an 8×8 grid (64 tiles in total), and units can move around each tile every turn, performing actions on the environment or against other units. You cannot move your units after acting (such as an attack), so plan out your positioning beforehand.
To move your units around the grid, tap or drag the mech towards the selected tile. To redo your positioning before acting, tap on Undo Move.
Deploying your mechs
The mechs can be broken down into types with strengths and weaknesses. Mechs can be categorized in a weapon type, range, and movement (how many spaces on the grid can it cover).
Examples of starting mechs and performable actions:
- Combat mech: Close range mech that will punch an enemy unit on a tile adjacent to the mech. Punching will also knock the enemy back by one tile; this activates the pushing mechanic, in which the enemy pushed into each other can be damaged, or you can push an enemy away from a building it plans to attack. Remember that you can change between the weapons the mech uses with the attack; this may influence the weapon effects to cause push, damage, or both.
- Tank mech: A mech that shoots projectiles in a line and will collide with the first unit/object it hits. Due to how easily the attack can be blocked/interfered with, your positioning will matter the most to get the best line of sight on your target. Watch out for the line of sight check (highlighted orange pathway) and select the object you wish to aim your attack.
- Artillery mech: A mech that shoots out a projectile that can arc over a building to attack an enemy. Hitting a target with enemies and mechs next to the target will result in them being pushed to another tile. You can use the artillery strike to push the enemy in harm’s way (like in the case of the tutorial to drown the other enemy units) or to buy time. Be wary that the artillery mech should only be operated from range, and it is unable to attack enemies adjacent to the mech.
How turns work
- Enemies will move first and plan out an action.
- Once the enemies have exhausted their turns, you can move your units and act such as using an attack.
- After completing your turn, select End Turn to move on to the enemies’ turn, which will return to your turn afterward.
- Hovering over the enemy units will show which action they plan to take after your turn finishes, so always use this information for your game plan.
Tip: If you’re ever stuck, tap on Reset Turn to redo your previous turn, but you can only do this once per battle.
Taking advantage of enemy AI patterns
Enemies will only perform a certain number of actions; they will either attack a nearby unit or prioritize damaging the environment. Once an enemy starts targeting buildings, you will need to change your formation to protect any buildings nearby so you keep the power grid online. Otherwise, it could be game over.
Be ready to intercept the attacks
New waves of enemies can spawn between turns, so be prepared to change your tactics after snuffing out the enemy’s AI pattern and destroying them; you can monitor the health bar by hovering over the enemy unit right before attacking. But if nothing else, interrupt the enemy’s attack by pushing them/away from their target.
Completing the objectives
Your objectives are displayed top right. You’ll only have so many turns to finish a battle requiring you to be at the top of your game with turn management. To view your bonus objectives tap on the turns box. Bonus objectives, like protecting a unit, destroying an object, or killing an enemy before fulfilling a condition, will also pop up to incentivize the gain in extra resources (used for upgrades).
You’ll also automatically lose if your power grid reaches zero, so it’s best to consider this your overall health bar. Your mechs also have individual health bars, and if enough damage is sustained, your mech becomes knocked out for the rest of the fight. Mechs automatically repair damage after battle.
The Advanced Edition update is included with the Netflix Games version of Into the Breach
The Advanced Edition serves as an expansion to the base game bringing in additional content and modes like new mechs, missions, weapons, enemies and bosses, mission objectives, pilots and abilities, and an Unfair difficulty mode. But the biggest kicker is that it is an entirely free update that’s neatly packaged with the Netflix Games version. So players who’ve previously played the base game will want to start a new game and tick the advanced content box to get this loaded into their playthrough.
Into the Breach is an outstanding tactical title
When Netflix announced the addition of Into the Breach as the first mobile port for Netflix Games, we knew Netflix hit it big by knabbing this indie strategy gem for its library. Netflix subscribers will find out quickly why it’s one of the best Netflix games on Android and will want to acquire this spectacular Sci-Fi tactical turn-based strategy game for their collection. And if you’re interested in checking out this gaming gem, download Netflix’s Into the Breach through the widget below or head on to Netflix Games to begin installing.
