Breathedge
Breathedge
Sorti le 18 septembre 2018, Breathedge est un jeu d'aventure et de survie aux accents ironiques développé par le studio indépendant RedRuins Softworks et édité par HypeTrain Digital. Disponible sur PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One et Nintendo Switch, le titre fonctionne sous Unreal Engine 4 et est proposé au prix de 24,99 euros. Il se classe dans les genres aventure, simulation, jeu de rôle et indépendant.
L'intrigue place le joueur dans la peau d'un homme simple chargé d'apporter les cendres de son grand-père à des funérailles galactiques. Suite au crash d'un corbillard spatial massif dans l'espace profond, le protagoniste se retrouve seul au milieu des débris, des cercueils et des passagers décédés, accompagné uniquement d'un poulet immortel. L'objectif principal consiste à survivre dans cette décharge interstellaire tout en découvrant une conspiration universelle et en tentant de sauver une princesse, le tout narré sur un ton résolument humoristique, parsemé de blagues sombres, de dialogues cyniques et de cinématiques volontairement mal animées.
Côté gameplay, l'expérience repose sur l'exploration des épaves, la collecte de ressources et l'artisanat, ce dernier étant symbolisé par l'utilisation centrale du ruban isolant pour créer aussi bien des objets inutiles que des équipements vitaux. Le joueur peut construire et gérer sa propre station spatiale, l'alimenter en oxygène et en électricité via des panneaux solaires, y installer divers équipements comme une ferme de hamsters et la meubler à sa guise. La progression permet également d'assembler des moyens de transport variés, allant d'une petite fusée à une grande navette spatiale, en passant par la possibilité de chevaucher des cadavres, sans oublier l'indispensable klaxon de voiture.
La durée de vie pour l'histoire principale est estimée à environ seize heures et demie, tandis qu'une complétion à cent pour cent demande près de trente-trois heures. L'accueil critique et public, reflété par une note agrégée de 71,84 (Metacritic 71, OpenCritic 69), souligne l'originalité de l'humour et du cadre. La presse a salué une expérience décontractée jouable par courtes sessions de quinze à vingt minutes, qualifiant le titre de « flottement libre, amusant et humoristique » dans l'espace. Du côté des joueurs, les avis divergent : certains y voient une « petite pépite » riche en références culturelles, appréciant l'humour unique et la progression satisfaisante, tandis que d'autres regrettent que l'aventure, initialement comparée à une version allégée de Subnautica, finisse par ressembler à une corvée répétitive.
Médias
Avis des critiques et joueurs
Critiques de la Presse (Metacritic)
« Breathedge is one of those games you can play casually at your own pace and doesn’t require long consecutive amounts of time to play. Sparring 15-20 minutes here and there is all that’s required for a steady progression through the game but still very enjoyable if you’ve got ample time up your sleeve as well. I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys easter egg styled dad jokes or wants something oddly rewarding to play at a casual pace. »
« Breathedge 1.0 is a fun, humorous free-form float through space. There's not a lot to complain about here as the game does the survival/collecting game genre proud. Wrap this up with some humorous storytelling that would make Deadpool proud and you have a bonafide winner! »
« It’s not very helpful at the start, and at times the comedy falls flat. But stick with Breathedge and there’s a surprisingly deep mechanic entwined with a Schafer-esque story adventure. »
« Alcohol, chickens, kebabs, space and coffin robots in bowler hats. 1950s Soviet visual stylings and hamster smoothies. Mayonnaise, kebabs, flying ZAZ cars and laser blasters. There’s so much to love about this game. Buy it. »
« While not perfect, Breathedge is a fun spin on the survival formula that doesn't take itself too seriously. »
« Breathedge isn’t the greatest survival-crafting game out there, but it is one of the more unique. There are genuine moments of brilliance here. You have to look to find the better aspects of its storytelling and find a way around the aggravating narration, but dig deep enough, and you will find some amazing things. »
« Breathedge has great visuals, engaging story and good humor, but its survival elements prove to be more of a burden than something that enhances the experience. [Issue#252, p.58] »
« Awesome when it’s about visual interface and immersion, but it has several design mistakes that slow down game’s rate. Luckily, losing oneself floating through the space it’s worth it while we unlock extras. It’s also a video game with many doses of humor and easy to keep players hooked to the main plot. »
Avis des Joueurs (Metacritic)
« Starts out as the normal survival experience. Feels like lightweight version of Subnautica at times, but then starts to feel more and more like a slog. And then it adds a bunch of bloat and points in your face and laughs "look at all the time we made you waste, we're soooo funny, lol". Just felt icky at that point, and couldn't be bothered to finish, even after putting 11 hours into it. Also had issues of getting stuck on geometry and had to reload on 3 separate occasions, wasting 5-10 minutes each time. There was also a sequence that is impossible on higher framerates, makes you feel like the game is either broken or you're dumb/blind until you look it up and learn you have to cap your frames in order to proceed. »
« [ENG] Score: 7.9/10 Breathedge is a unique space survival game that manages to stand out thanks to its unusual humor, creative setting and satisfying progression system. The strongest aspect of the game is its gameplay. Crafting, equipment upgrades and survival mechanics involving oxygen, temperature and radiation create a rewarding sense of progression. Exploring wrecked spaceships and abandoned structures is one of the best parts of the experience, supported by a strong artistic direction that makes the space environment memorable. The protagonist and especially the AI companion provide most of the game's personality. The story itself is not particularly deep, but the constant jokes, absurd situations and dark humor give Breathedge a distinctive identity. However, the game has several weaknesses. Some objectives are unclear, backtracking becomes frequent, and collecting large amounts of resources can make progression feel repetitive. The base-building system also loses importance later in the game, and inventory management can become frustrating. Breathedge is not the deepest or most polished survival game, and its narrative and characters are fairly simple. However, its excellent atmosphere, fun crafting system, exploration and unique sense of humor make it an enjoyable adventure. A creative and entertaining survival experience with some pacing issues, but definitely worth playing for fans of the genre. [ITA] Voto: 7.9/10 Breathedge è un survival spaziale particolare, capace di distinguersi grazie a un forte senso dell'umorismo e a un'ambientazione molto curata. Il gameplay è il vero punto di forza: il crafting, la progressione dell'equipaggiamento e la gestione di ossigeno, temperatura e radiazioni funzionano bene e danno una buona sensazione di crescita. All'inizio ogni viaggio nello spazio è una piccola sfida, mentre con il tempo il giocatore diventa sempre più preparato grazie a nuovi strumenti, tute e veicoli. L'esplorazione dei relitti e delle strutture spaziali è molto piacevole, supportata da una buona direzione artistica che rende l'ambiente interessante da visitare. L'AI che accompagna il protagonista è probabilmente il **** più riuscito del gioco e contribuisce molto al tono comico dell'avventura. I problemi principali riguardano la gestione dell'esperienza: alcune missioni hanno obiettivi poco chiari, il backtracking è frequente e la raccolta delle risorse può diventare ripetitiva. Anche la costruzione della base e alcune meccaniche survival non sono sfruttate fino in fondo. La storia e i **** non raggiungono livelli eccezionali, ma non sono il focus principale dell'esperienza. Breathedge punta soprattutto sul gameplay e sull'atmosfera, riuscendo comunque a creare un'avventura spaziale divertente e originale. Un buon survival con idee interessanti, penalizzato solo da alcuni problemi di ritmo e profondità. »
« Very boring game. You grind resources, fly back to base, repeat. And that's all the game has to offer. The humor, by the way, isn't funny. »
« Subnautica in space less the plot, enemies, sense of danger or actual progress and reason to keep playing it. There is a humor here which pretends to be moking "game development" but then proceeds to still apply all of your typical grindy mechanics so... joke's on you I guess? »
« Space subnautica part was 5/10 but the humor here is so lame and unfunny like 1st grader. Who tf though it will be great idea to put there low oxygen limit where game has nothing to offer. We got like 10 tools and space limit inventory... What's more they tell you often to get back to craft sth when you almost finished location and you need to create and place only this singular item... It's seems like in half way they wanted to releas in same year... Absolut W that i didnt waste money on that. PS: Big HA TFU for this sexual chick trick character. »
« Es injugable, además de que tiene algún que otro bug a los primeros 15 minutos de jugar quieres vomitar... literalmente te mateas al jugar. No tiene una gran historia. »
« Frustrating space version of the Subnautica with dull humour. Play at your own risk of boredom. »
« I think the potential of the game is high, but it was wasted badly. Although the jokes and jokes made in some places make you laugh out loud, unfortunately we cannot see such things in 90% of the game. The tone of voice and speed of speech in the dialogues with us are disturbing. There is no sense of discovery. At first I thought I'd go here and there, but everywhere I went it was the same thing. »
