#My personal thoughts on Moonbreaker
#Talking about the Painting system
#Introducing my own deck
Unknown Worlds, an independent studio under KRAFTON, released its latest game, “Moonbreaker” as an Early Access title via Steam on September 30. Moonbreaker is a turn-based strategic tabletop simulation game in which players command 10 units in a squad to fight in exciting battles, in a similar format to the offline game of chess. We’ve interviewed Krafton members who played Moonbreaker after its launch and heard their personal impressions of the game, their preferred strategies, and the reasons behind such strategies in detail.
My name is Valor and I’ve been working at KRAFTON Americas. The game is a little over a month into Early Access and has already seen some vast improvements thanks to great community feedback, but I’m here to talk about my own personal impressions of the game as someone who is an avid 3D printer, miniatures painter, and tabletop gamer in real life.
#My personal thoughts on Moonbreaker
First off, Moonbreaker is unlike anything we’ve seen, both from a tabletop-based video game standpoint and from its creator, Unknown Worlds. Here are the basics. You choose a Captain, assign them Crew, then use their collection of unique traits and abilities to try and defeat the enemy Captain. Pretty simple, huh? While simplistic at its core, Moonbreaker actually features quite a bit of strategy. Ranged units have to deal with enemies hiding behind cover. Melee units will receive a retaliation attack if they hit another melee unit. And then there are Ship Assists to worry about, which are powerful effects that can change the course of the battle when they’re available. On top of all that, every unit has its own set of keywords and abilities that change how it fights. Fast units can move further each turn. Units with Rapid Fire or Pummel attack twice. Some units can add damage over time, heal other units, or even drag an enemy across the battlefield. How you build your roster is entirely up to you, but if they don’t work well together, your chances of protecting your Captain greatly diminish.
Moonbreaker’s core game mode is the 1v1 PvP bout. Each person takes turns moving their units and spending their Cinder to deploy new Units or utilize Unit abilities. The Cinder you have available depends on which turn you’re on and you can bank up to 3 unused Cinder to save for a more powerful Unit or attack. Outwit your opponent and defeat their Captain to claim victory!
For those looking for a unique challenge, Moonbreaker also offers the Cargo Run game mode, which works as sort of a single player roguelike experience. You choose a preset Captain and Crew and face a 5 round gauntlet with unique bosses to fight and power-ups to collect. If you lose any Crew, they’re gone permanently in this mode, but fear not¾every so often different “Cargo” will appear around the battlefield. Collect it to add replacement Crew to your Roster, powerup individual Units, or gain special passive abilities that stay with you until the end of the run. Collecting and utilizing this Cargo is essential to victory here, as these bosses are no joke. You’ll have to stay on your toes and approach each fight in a unique way if you’re to complete your run.
As you play any of these modes, you’ll earn XP towards the Season Track, which unlocks rewards that let you visually improve your Units, add new customizations, or even unlock new paints for you to use to make your Roster truly unique!
#Talking about the Painting system
That’s right, Moonbreaker has an entire section of the game completely dedicated to painting your Units however you want! From washes, to dry brushing, to decals, to special paint types, there are countless ways to customize your Units. As an avid miniature painter myself, these tools feel great. They give you all the precision and results of real painting with the added benefit of quick masking and an undo button. There are even things you can do in Moonbreaker that wouldn’t be possible with real life painting (I recommend you try using Glow paints as a wash once you get your hands on some, it’s a really cool effect!). If you’re looking for some inspiration, you can even learn about the game’s lore by listening to fully produced audio dramas while you paint your Units.
#Introducing my own deck
Before I go, I want to talk a little about my personal favorite Units and playstyle. For me, it’s Zax all the way. I love his versatility in both PvP and Cargo Run and if you pair up his bombs with AoE damage from Units such as Detonia, Axl Pyro, Florio Lancer, and Aegys Sentinel, you can manipulate enemies into destructive zones to maximize the damage you’re dealing per Cinder spent while playing a never-ending game of keep away to stay safe. New Captains and Units will be released every few months, so I expect my Rosters to change quite a bit as the game evolves!
Moonbreaker is a fun and unique take on tabletop and allows you to explore levels of customization unheard of in most games. The game has just begun its Early Access release, and the team is super receptive to player feedback, so you can have a part in crafting the game as you play it. And since Early Access just started, there’s so much more to come, so I hope to see you in the Reaches!
