Publisher Super.com and developer PortaPlay have announced today that Broken Lines, an alternate-history World War II title, will be coming to the Nintendo Switch and Windows PC in Q1 2020. Featuring a narrative-driven tactical experience, players will take charge of a group of soldiers that have crashed their plane and must now survive deep behind enemy lines.
In this alternative version of World War II, enemies will consist of both mysterious military units and the hopes and fears of each soldier as they deal with the mental and physical horrors of war. Making it back to friendly territory will not be easy, and players will need to weigh their options carefully in this tactical-RPG that features a “pause and play” format. This will provide players with a combination of fluid, realistic gameplay with an automatic pause when new dangers appear, forcing players to respond to each new situation as best they can.
Within this tactical combat, the game will feature a heavy focus on the characters and story that aims to present a fresh, accessible, and innovative approach to unit control. Players will do their best to manage a squad of soldiers as they fight through Eastern European battlefields back towards friendly lines.
The gameplay footage in the trailer reveals not only a great looking tactical experience, it also suggests that players will need to think carefully about their moves, as the squad shrinks in size as soldiers die in combat. Death appears to come quickly in Broken Lines, much like in real war.
Combat is only one way that will affect the squad. War is hell, and the effects on each soldier will be different as they make their way through the war-torn lands and find themselves needing to make difficult decisions. Do they take prisoners, or execute those who are an inconvenience? Do they share their supplies with non-combatants, equal victims in the war, or think only of their own survival? Each event will shape their personalities and relationships with one another, and potentially cause conflict among themselves, building a storyline that reveals the true impact of the horrors of war, and perhaps something more.
By focusing on building a narrative through the horrors of war, Broken Lines looks to replicate what other games have done so well. This War of Mine can be considered the gold standard of building a narrative that demonstrates the harsh reality of war, though there it is in a contemporary setting and from the perspective of normal, everyday citizens. If Broken Lines succeeds in portraying war even half as well as This War of Mine has, players will be in for a real treat.
Broken Lines looks like a promising title, and the game can be wishlisted on Steam by clicking here.
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