Preview – Born of Bread [Demo] PC
How many times have I complained about classic turn-based RPGs boring me to death on this platform now? It feels constant. But then, on the other hand, how many games that fall under that genre have I absolutely raved about here? It might seem like a fine line separating games into either of those two spaces but it all comes down to player engagement. I don’t want to be tapping ‘attack’ mindlessly throughout an entire game, or watching the same slow animation a thousand times over – I want to be involved. Born of Bread does just that, borrowing much of its gameplay from the incredible Super Mario RPG. By having players perform skill checks during both their own and enemy turns in order to dish out extra damage or reduce what you’d take from incoming hits, there’s never a dull moment. On top of that, unique character abilities and equipment can completely change the flow of a fight, requiring smart planning and efficient strategising. That is how you do a turn-based RPG.
That’s not the only hook, though. The colourful and joyously cartoony world bounces with personality. The lush environments, nonsensical plot lines, and charming folk scattered throughout makes just existing within this universe a wonderful experience all on its own. Nevermind the open areas to explore, secrets to uncover, and items to find. I mean you play as a boy made of bread for absolutely no reason, fighting off a gang of demons trying to get their hands on a random relic you decided to steal for yourself just minutes before (also seemingly without purpose), and this whole chain of ridiculous events just continues to spiral on. It’s rather a breath of fresh air. It plays out like a hyperbolic parody of older classic RPGs like Golden Sun and Final Fantasy and we need that as a community – light hearted fun for fun’s sake. No looking deep within ourselves and asking the big questions here!
Although it did commit the cardinal demo sin of simply having the player go through the first section of the game, that approach worked excellently here due to the fast pace of the story, constant introduction to new mechanics both in and out of combat, and even included a small amount of progression via levelling up and unlocking new powers that help to traverse and fight. It’s like a perfect horizontal slice of what the entire game is going to offer, served alongside a cliffhanger story beat. A killer combo that had me scrambling for a release date so I can get back into smiling my way through this cute-as-a-button title. Oh, and items are equipped using a Resident Evil-esque inventory management system?! Stuffed with neat ideas and good times – it’s safe to say I’m a little hyped for this to rise.