Tom Francis, former PC Gamer editor and developer of Gunpoint and Heat Signature, released a ten minute video of gameplay footage from his next game, Tactical Breach Wizards, a turn-based strategy featuring cops with magical powers taking down drug dealers and terrorists. Think Doorkickers but with lightning bolts and transmutation spells. The video (above) is narrated by Tom as he shows how the game works runs two of the wizards though a couple of levels.
If you've played Tom's earlier games, it's not a huge surprise that the first action shown is a 'Riot Priest'—a wizard brandishing a huge riot shield—knocking a bad guy through a window. Knocking people through windows is sort of Tom's thing. The other character shown in the video is the Witch Cop, who plays by the rules to the extent that she only gains mana by not using excessive force. Knocking that bad guy out the window is over the top for Witch Cop, but when she does two damage to an enemy with two health, she does gain mana for only using the necessary amount of force. Mana can be spent on special spells, such as a chain lightning bolt shown in the video's second level.
In an effort to encourage experimentation, the rewind button shown in the video isn't just a development tool for demonstration purposes, but an actual feature of Tactical Breach Wizards. Players will be able to undo their moves and rewind the mission at will.
"This rewinding stuff, it obviously makes the game a bit easier," Francis says in the video. "There's less kind of stakes to each action you take. You're free to just play around and try stuff. And I actually don't want the game to be very difficult to complete because it's going to be a story driven experience."
Yes, Tactical Breach Wizards, a turn-based strategy about magical cops infiltrating terrorist lairs, is story driven. Each wizard cop you recruit ("I think there's going to be about six of them," Francis says) will have their own backstory and personality, and he'd prefer it if players get to experience the full story. To reward those who want to challenge themselves, players can earn style points by completing missions efficiently and with fewer moves. Style points will unlock outfits and cosmetics for the wizard cops.
At least that's the plan for the moment. Tom is careful to note on the Tactical Breach Wizards Steam page that the game is still being developed "so everything about it might change!"
