I love card games – especially the deck-building types of games. Things like Heartstone, Slay the Spire, Magic the Gathering. You catch my drift. So when a game toys with this concept, call me intrigued. So when Super Bullet Break dropped in our inbox, I was breaking the .. no, this won’t work. Well, let’s dive in, shall we? Unfortunately, I can’t think of any game-breaking puns.
Super Bullet Break
It even features a story! Something Heartstone dropped with the latest updates. Yes, Blizzard, I’m looking at you! Super Bullet Break is a one-of-a-kind strategy deck builder inspired by your favorite gacha games (hello, Genshin Impact). The game is filled with a wild bunch of cute and colorful characters called ‘Bullets’ – each unique in their way. It’s time to rescue the online game world from destruction in Super Bullet Break, where online multiplayer games have been taken over by a rogue AI! Can you save the world, defeat enemies in strategic turn-based battles, and beat Super Bullet Break? Well, we can – let’s connect our consciousness to the PC and hop in Sword Art Online style.
Online games worldwide have been corrupted and infected by the mysterious BuggA mysterious girl contacts three gamers (Akari, Hikaru, and Sumire) girl called Nayuta to help them play through the games, defeat the Buggos, and restore the games and their characters to normal.
Hip Hop – Do the Game Mode Hop
The unique aspect of Super Bullet Break is that you hop from game to game (sort of like in Live a Live); Let’s discuss them briefly – so you know what you’re getting yourself into. You start with a game based on one of the world’s oldest games; Monochrome Tactics features primarily black and white imagery and bosses inspired by chess pieces and tactics. Its first boss is Ruy Lopez; a no-nonsense knight determined to bring justice back to the realm. With her aid, you’ll go up against King Duchtoli, a maniacal female demon guarding the final level. On your first playthrough, you’ll play with Akari, who has a basic deck with no special abilities. Much like chess, planning is essential to beating Monochrome. You’ll need to pay attention to enemy attack patterns and abilities and stack shields and armor to fend off the most brutal blows.
Seasons of Love
The next game is Seasons of Love, inspired by classic Japanese dating sims and wholesome high-school romance (and I’m a sucker for those). The ‘Seasons’ Bullets are a quirky cast of girls bringing to life all the tropes of the genre, from those that want to share their lunchbox with you to the ones that’ll spit you out for not paying them enough attention. This level’s main mechanic is ‘Heartsplosion’: get your gauge up to 100, and you’ll delay your enemy’s attacks to do even more damage. Building the gauge can take a while, so it’s essential to have a long-term strategy, especially in boss fights!
Deepsea Orchestra
Next is the Deepsea Orchestra, a colorful group intent on captivating the world with its rhythms and melodies. Aquarhythm Deep is inspired by classic rhythm games like Taiko no Tatsujin and features music- and water-themed items and abilities. In addition, this level introduces the Combo Gauge mechanic: every time the gauge gets to a multiple of 10, a random enemy gets hit with 30 damage. Use this to your advantage because Aquarhythm often has you fighting multiple enemies simultaneously (beware of the worms!).
Phoenix Gunner
More gritty and ‘mature’ than any of the previous stages, Phoenix Gunner is a throwback to classic mecha games (girls + guns = fun) with steampunk elements. The Phoenix Bullets differ significantly from previous ones, many of them bioweapons that have been genetically enhanced with bird DNA. In Phoenix Gunner, drone mechanics come into play – the effects of the attack, defense, and healing drones stack and are applied at the end of every turn! Use drones wisely to compliment your play style and defeat the eponymous Phoenix Gunner!
Buggos
Super Bullet Break never gets boring; this level comes with a twist! Nayuta herself gets infected by the Buggos, and the three gamers set out to rescue her. Along the way, the player will meet various NPCs from previous levels that have been ‘corrupted’ and are seriously unpleasant to deal with. The team is joined by the personification of their mascot, Blackcat (more of a classification, really), who guides them through the level. The theme of this level is pretty much ‘classic’ Bullet Break: neon colors and ‘techy’ vibes as far as the eye can see!
Cons
Buttttt, since it’s a deck builder like Slay the Spire, it also means that Super Bullet Break is very unbalanced. Some bullets are useless; they are an instant throw-into-the-bin, while some are too overpowered; the moment you get them, you’ll instantly win. Battles can also be unfair; 1* battles could end up causing you to lose half of your HP if you’re still using your starting deck. It’s as if the overpowered bullets are designed in such a way as to make the unforgiving battles fair.
Conclusion
However, this is also the game’s main selling point (next to other aspects, a particular target audience will provide a likable). Because of the number of overpowered bullets this game has, I kept coming back for another run, thinking about what overpowered builds I could make this time. One time I could make a seemingly average bullet powerful, and the other time I could push a broken bullet to its limits. It’s the dopamine rush the game provides to keep going the game to its limits and see what you can do next. Combine this with the combined number of game modes and replay value, and you have an unforgiven game.
