A few months ago, I had the pleasure of participating in a conversation on the RPS Discord about the proliferation of cyberpunk/steampunk/atompunk/punk variants and how most of them actually lack the spirit of rebellion and counter-counter-counter elements that punk actually entails. This discussion came to mind as I sat down to play Reignbreaker, a new action roguelike from Studio Fizbin, at Gamescom 2024 – a little wary of its self-proclaimed medievalpunk style. However! It turns out that you're trying to kill the queen. Yeah, it's, uh, pretty punk.
In Reignbreaker, you play as Clef, a former child soldier freed from the mad monarch's private custody. You've returned to his massive stronghold to crush his automaton army, eliminate his loyalist minions, and generally crush the state, probably dying a few dozen times along the way but always returning for another foray into the depths of the stronghold. Your weapons: a pair of giant lockpick spears, perfect for delivering a killing blow to the giant lockpick-shaped mechs that make up the bulk of the enemy ranks, and smashing their metal mechanisms to pieces. Is the symbolism subtle? No, but it's still more punk than if they'd just stuck spikes everywhere.
Fizbin has a peculiar form here: their Alice Bee-approved Say No! More was an overly anti-capitalist argument against everyday submission, and community manager Ian Stewart told me that Reignbreaker is a direct response to the “rise of right-wing authoritarianism around the world, growing class division and exploitation.” So it’s all about burning, ideally with fantastical spears that can unleash a burst of machine-gun fire or explode in a burst of screen-filling fireballs.
Playing it, I have to admit that I found myself less concerned with how to break free from social constraints and more concerned with how much of a Hades fan Fizbin is. Reignbreaker’s crude concept, according to Stewart, has been around for a decade, but it’s clearly been designed in the image of Supergiant’s modern roguelike classic. Successfully completing its flashy isometric combat grants you a choice of three run-specific upgrades, with progression pausing occasionally to chat with a charismatic, lovingly hand-drawn, and probably handsome supporting character. It’s very, very Hades.
Is that a problem? Not necessarily – there are far worse games to draw inspiration from, and Reignbreaker takes care to tweak the formula here and there. For example, there’s a greater emphasis on weapon diversity, which will see you choose from a wide range of combat hooks that can trigger different types of environmental traps and offer their own methods of dealing direct damage. These carry over from playthrough to playthrough, and you can equip two at a time, expanding your options. The Queen’s Bastion is also a more sprawling structure than Hades’ fast-paced arenas, with fights that only temporarily trap you inside certain blocks, creating a more imposing sense of scale and hammering home what Clef is really up against.
Still, direct comparisons don’t always flatter the newcomer. Reignbreaker plays and feels well enough, but the combat doesn’t yet have the same precision that Hades (or Hades 2) put into each strike. I’d also like to see a bit more enemy variety, though I know I’ve only played what’s likely a small portion of the final game. At least the ones I’ve fought, en masse, have shown a good eye for design: a church bell with a keyhole and poorly attached robot legs is what Tan France would call “a look.”
Will that keen aesthetic eye, arsenal of explosive needles, and sincere anti-authoritarian streak be enough to pull Reignbreaker out of Hades' vast shadow? I don't know yet. But I suspect it wouldn't be very punk not to try.
For more of the latest news and previews from Gamescom 2024, head over to our Gamescom 2024 hub.