My goal in Reignbreaker is simple: infiltrate the Queen's Bastion, take back the power for the people, and defeat the fearsome ruler herself. It doesn't sound a simple task by any measure, but that's where our badass heroine Clef comes in.
Buff, tough, and wielding a giant bullet-shooting lance, Clef is the very embodiment of Reignbreaker's 'medievalpunk' vibe. If you're wondering what that means, think of Arthurian legends and add fluorescent spray paint, glam rock makeup, and stylishly disheveled half-plate armor. This fast-paced roguelike already sounded like my exact brand of kooky when I'd read the press release, but playing 35 minutes of Reignbreaker at Gamescom 2024 revealed it to be even better than I'd hoped.
Anarchy to a T
It’s a no-brainer: Studio Fizbin clearly made this game for me. This is something I know the moment I sit down to watch the action-packed trailer, all isometric angles and lurid neon colors splashed against the dungeon’s rusted metal locks and chipped brickwork.
Playing as Clef, it’s my sworn anarchic duty to take my trusty lance and have at thee, o villainous fiends (aka, padlocks) that would keep me from my quarry. Said quarry is the queen herself, whose twisted bastion I now find myself trapped in. Formed of interlocked dungeons that can only be opened by seeking out guardians, trading witty barbs, and defeating them to retrieve all-important keys, the Queen's Bastion covers a lot of ground. Its twists and turns are marked with helpful spray painted arrows, helping guide me through stony caverns to defeat small waves of enemies before coming face to face with one of many big bosses.
I only got a small taste of Reignbreaker's procedurally generated expanse during my hands-on session at Gamescom 2024, but it's more than enough to pique my interest. Underscored by an aggressive punk rock soundtrack, Clef races through the Queen's Bastion at breakneck speed. I'm quickly introduced to her weapon of choice: the lance, and she has a fair few in her inventory to choose from. Swapping lances out mid-run is as easy as hitting the left trigger on my Xbox controller, allowing me to chain melee and punch attacks with my Peashooter before swapping to a different lance that specializes in devastating ranged projectiles. I soon settle into a rhythm, much as I would in Hades 2 or Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior, experiencing the fluid synergy of Clef's combat arsenal.
I discover environmental traps are also great ways to keep things fresh and lively as a member of Studio Fizbin points out the "stomp" interaction when I pass over a metal grate in the floor. Electricity starts shooting up from the smashed panel, and as soon as I head to the key lock to trigger the next attack wave, I'm sure to use the electrical trap to its full advantage against my metallic – and therefore highly conductive – enemies.
By the time I reach the boss battle, newly tooled up with epic power-ups and lance upgrades akin to the Hades boons system, I'm feeling more confident than ever. A new dash upgrade drops a can of explosive paint in Clef's wake, though I barely register whether it does anything because I'm having far too much fun aiming and firing lances at the hulking church bell-shaped enemy in my path. It doesn't take long to whittle its health down considerably, and before I know it, my Reignbreaker demo has come to an unfortunate end.
Clef feels like a one-woman power house already, and I adored experiencing a slice of her world. The stunning art style is the cherry on top of it all; the studio has teased "relationships" of varying kinds that Clef might have with the Queen's guardians, ranging from romantic to friendly to rivalry, meaning that there's plenty more to this dynamic action roguelike than stabbing steampunk enemies with lances. This is one upcoming PC game I'll be keeping on my radar – I mean, where else can I shoot bullets out of a medieval weapon as a punk rock muscle mommy?
12DOVE was in Cologne playing the most anticipated new games of 2024, and speaking to the developers bringing them to life. For more of our hands-on previews and exclusive interviews, visit the Gamescom 2024 coverage hub.
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