Reality Break is an action RPG set in space, that’s also an opt-in roguelite, and has elements of incremental games for a blend of genres that compliment each other beautifully. Developed by Element Games, this game made by a solo developer offers a unique “Rewrite” mechanic that sets it apart from other games in the genre by a wide margin. I only have a few quibbles with areas of the game, but its great gameplay loop, deep customization, and intriguing storyline make Reality Break a stand out game for 2025.
In Reality Break you play as a mercenary who unwittingly gains the power to alter reality. This newfound ability throws you into a maelstrom of conflict and confusion. You’ve gained some powers and abilities with no known origin. The story unfolds as you progress through the game, revealing more about the universe, its inhabitants, and how things came to be. While the narrative isn’t the primary focus and could have been more fleshed out, it provides a compelling backdrop for the action and adds depth to the overall experience. The story is primarily delivered through text dumps and brief cutscenes, which can feel somewhat disjointed. Because often the text from the dialogue takes over the screen, interrupting whatever you were doing (like selling items or trying to apply a skill point). It’s bothersome when it happens, but it isn’t a big problem.
There are main and side missions that propel the game and your character forward. The main missions advance the story which have a lot of interesting and unique moments. Though the side missions have variety, you will see repeating types like: intercept, destroy ship, obtain item, demolition, excursion, and the like. Each of them has its own limits, and I had an upgrade from a previous run where I could have expert challenges to complete while in them. And this is only the tip of the iceberg of surprises this game offers.
The core gameplay is an space ARPG, where you move with the left stick and shoot in omni-directions with the right stick. You’ll shoot, acquire loot, and eventually level up. Levelling up will enhance certain things passively, but there’s abilities to gain that will give you additional skills to use in and out of battle. If you die in battle, you restart at the entry point of the area and can continue from where you left off, the game is rather forgiving this way.
The exceptional gameplay of Reality Break revolves around its innovative “Rewrite” mechanic. This ability allows you to fundamentally alter the game’s rules, adding a layer of strategic depth that is rarely seen in roguelites. You can use “Rewrite” to resize weapons to fit your ship, upgrade items, increase the difficulty, add time to a ticking clock, and much more. This system encourages experimentation and allows you to tailor the gameplay to your preferred style. For example, if you find yourself struggling with a particular enemy, you can use “Rewrite” to increase your weapon’s damage or add a new effect to your attacks. Or, if you’re looking for a greater challenge, you can increase the difficulty or add new obstacles to the environment. The possibilities are vast, and I’ve yet to uncover them all.
Reality Break features an opt-in roguelite structure inspired by games like Dead Cells or even something like Dead Rising. This means that you can choose to reset your timeline at any point, allowing you to unlock new talents and further customize your character. This system adds a layer of progression that extends beyond individual runs, giving you a sense of long-term growth. To do so, you’ll enter the reality stream, and break your profile. This sends you into an unwinnable fight, but if you can survive as long as possible, you’ll receive the most reality points to spend. Spending these reality points will earn you permanent unlocks and alter the next reality, like acquiring the ability to use loot filters or the ability to change and increase higher difficulties. When you reality break, you lose your credits and loot, starting over in a new run with an increased meta progression power level.
To tie things to the story, the game will start to notice when you’ve rewritten things and reality broke too many times. Threats will start to increase in accordance with your power. However, you never have to restart or engage with this system ever. You can play it like a normal ARPG and see it start to finish, but that’s only seeing a portion of the game, and there’s so many secrets to uncover.
The loot system is also well-designed, offering a plethora of items with unique stats and effects. You’ll constantly be on the lookout for new gear to improve your character’s build and unlock powerful new abilities. The deep customization options allow you to create a character that perfectly suits your playstyle. Loot comes in all kinds of rarities: uncommon, common, rare, epic, and so on. Being able to transform it into the loot you want or need gives you so much freedom.
There is a home base where you can return to shop, store weapons and items for future runs, and take on upgrades like adding drones to your ship or improving repair quality. You’ll also be able to buy new items, sell junk, and more. There’s an analysis system that works in real-time, and so if analyzing is going to take a really long time, you can turn the game off and wait it out. Alternatively, you can use the rewrite feature to reduce the analysis time.
Performance is simply excellent, and the game will run on just about anything, and I was able to achieve maximum frame rates at all times. I was able to get 180fps, and it never slowed down.
My PC Specs:
– Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
– Intel Core i9 13900K @ 5.8GHz
– ASUS ROG RYUJIN II 360 ARGB AIO Liquid CPU Cooler
– G.SKILL TRIDENT Z5 6000MHZ 64GB (32×2) DDR5 RAM
– ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4080 16GB GDDR6X
– WD_BLACK SN850X M.2 (4 TB)
– LG UltraGear 34GP950B-G (21:9 Ultrawide @ 3440×1440)
Reality Break is a really clever with its rewrite mechanic, allowing you to play the game as a roguelite on your own terms, or simply as a traditional engaging space ARPG. There’s endless possibilities here, and Element Games gives you a power fantasy you’re in complete and total control of. Once you wrap your head around it, you’ll clamor to see all the ways you can break the game and tips the scales in your favor. Reality Break lets you reshape the universe with a prestige loop concept that , is an absolute gem.
A Steam code was provided in advance by the publisher for review purposes
