Breathedge 2 – Announcement and Changes

So… what are we even supposed to write here?

Hey, ChatGPT, write a nice and polite announcement about our game so nobody realizes it was written by a chicken with a severe case of chaotic, slightly sadistic graphomania. Make it sound like a proper AAA studio post. Let’s go:

Hello, friends! We couldn’t help but notice that the first quarter has already passed, and that long-awaited GTA is still nowhere to be seen. “How are we supposed to interpret this?” – you might ask. And yes, it is indeed a serious issue. Want this text to sound even more polite? I can also offer five alternative headline versions optimized for maximum trend potential!

Alright, alright, you got us – even AI doesn’t write that badly. But the general idea is correct, and today we’ve got some big news about our small game, some major overhauls, a slight change of direction, and all that good stuff.

So… Breathedge 2 – what’s the deal?

Let’s start with the two most important questions:

1. When release?

2. Release when?

Sure, we could dodge the question again with some clever joke about wolves, forests, and… squirrel dentistry or whatever – but we won’t.

Based on our highly scientific estimates (and with help from whatever higher powers are out there), we’re aiming to launch Early Access in Q3 this year. Most likely, there won’t be any more delays – unless something truly catastrophic happens. We’ll announce the exact date a bit later – mostly because we don’t actually know it ourselves yet. But hey, we do have a plan.

So yeah… that’s where we’re at. But!

If the demo came out ages ago and was already polished to a shine back then – what exactly have we been doing all this time? And this is where the magic of game development kicks in! Watch closely: the demo was well received by players, made it into the festival’s popular demos list, and got great reviews on Steam. What does that mean?

It means we had to throw it out completely and rebuild it from scratch. Yep. That’s exactly what we did.

Magicians usually don’t reveal their tricks, but we’re terrible magicians – and we don’t really have any secrets anyway. So let’s break it all down, starting with the big picture.

It’s no secret that Breathedge 2 is a direct continuation of the first game. Various details hint at this – including, you know… the name. At the same time, our main goal has been to make the sequel significantly better, while fixing the annoying issues that were present in the original.

The demo, as a vertical slice, seemed to have solved most of those problems – especially the suffocating oxygen timer and a lot of the more frustrating backtracking. Sounds good, right? Sure. But in the process, it also got rid of something important – the gameplay.

The sheer density of dialogue, events, items, and quests ended up overwhelming players while basically masking the near-complete absence of actual mechanics. That might work for a short demo, but for a full survival game – yeah, that’s not gonna cut it. And this brings us to one of the key points we finally defined for ourselves – something that wasn’t clearly established in the first game and now drives everything we do. We asked ourselves a simple question – what is Breathedge?

Breathedge is a story-driven survival adventure with a comedic tone. Simple? Well… apparently not. It only took our tiny bird brains about 8 years to figure that out. We’ve been bouncing all over the place – from hardcore survival to a single-player action game. We tried this, that, and a bit of everything. We analyzed feedback, tried to understand our core audience, ran all sorts of smart metrics… when, in reality, the answer had been right there all along – basically in every tenth comment:

“Dude, this is just Subnautica in space – but with a chicken and a bunch of stupid jokes.”

Now, to be clear – our relationship with Subnautica is mostly one-sided admiration, plus a few borrowed ideas here and there. But the core takeaway is obvious. We need to focus on survival, exploration, and crafting. And then wrap all of that into the kind of experience we actually enjoy making – with story, absurd humor, and our usual talkative suit doing its thing.

So now that we’ve finally figured out what genre we’re making in our old age, what does that actually mean for the game? And why exactly did the demo bother some of the developers so much? It had survival, exploration, crafting, and even dumb jokes, didn’t it?

You’re probably expecting us to say “it was shit.” Nope – depth. That’s the word. Subnautica has depth. Ba-dum-tss. We love a good terrible pun. Our demo didn’t. The first Breathedge didn’t really have it either. The mechanics all lived separate lives, barely interacting with each other, disconnected and flatter than our staff analyst Anton’s chest. Sorry, buddy.

And that’s one of the key reasons the game felt off in places – sometimes it behaved like an adventure game with survival elements, and other times it turned into a hardcore grind machine. So what happens now?

First of all, we’re shifting the gameplay focus. Up until now, progression mostly came down to collecting X amount of resources so you could reach the nicely marked quest objective. Now the core is overcoming larger external problems and obstacles. We may be able to see where we need to go, but we can’t actually get there because of freezing cold, extreme heat, angry robots, or whatever else is currently making our lives harder. How players solve that problem is up to them – put together a resistance set, brute-force it with medkits, or find a way around. Resource gathering is still there, of course, but now it’s more of a mechanical part of the micro-loop rather than the ultimate goal in itself.

Quest locations themselves will become less rigid and a bit closer to how they worked in the first game. Players will need to explore the environment a little, poke around, pull some levers, and generally figure things out before getting anywhere.

Markers on every single button that basically say “press this” are being burned to the ground and forgotten like a bad dream.

So if progression becomes a bit less linear and depends more on character development than on how many metal scraps you’ve hoarded – does that mean crafting needs more depth? Yes. As always, you’re absolutely right. To tackle this, one of our lead developers created a unique DIY crafting system, which he proceeded to force into the project with screaming, swearing, and borderline madness – until we finally had to restrain him and call in professionals with sedatives.

That sacrifice was not in vain. The DIY system (as in Do It Yourself) made its way into the game in various forms and is now… generously spread all over the project. So what is it?

At its core, it’s the main system for upgrading tools, equipment, and even parts of the environment. In its basic form, the Man can slap together a pretty terrible but functional prototype out of raw resources – say, a crowbar. But that crowbar? It’s not going to impress anyone. Low damage, slow swings, poor durability – you get the idea. To really unlock its potential, you’ll need to dig around space for actually valuable, heavy-duty components you can strap onto it – turning it into something with the impact of a 10-kilo weight plate… or even granting bonuses to stamina or unique effects (like a bust of the Great Leader that makes space cops salute you before attacking).

You won’t be able to just duct-tape this kind of stuff together on the fly. Proper upgrades require a dedicated workspace. Every man gets a garage. And a free starter toolkit.

It’s worth noting that item durability is now tied to the durability of the DIY module attached to it. If a DIY breaks – and it absolutely will at some point – that module is gone for good (well, almost – there will be a way to recover your favorite DIY item using raw resources). The base tool, however, stays with you – intact and eternal.

Both the weight plate and the Leader’s bust fall under the same category – “Heavy” – and there are several of these categories in the game: Sharp, Impact, Utility, Protective, Active, Capacity, and Biological. Items within these categories come in different rarities and qualities. Very often, the same category of item is used across multiple devices and even for repairing world objects, so you’ll sometimes have to make a choice – do you use that valuable find for crafting gear, building a weapon, or fixing something important?

You’re free to remove and swap DIY modules between tools as long as they haven’t broken yet. But magically duplicating that fancy bust and sticking it everywhere? Yeah – not happening.

Separate from tools and equipment, there’s also DIY suit gear. The spacesuit in the game is rare and extremely valuable – but not always enough on its own. To deal with environmental hazards and all the local creatures trying to bite us, the Man will be using items from the “Protective” category as… you guessed it – protection.

All you need to do is grab a bunch of protective junk, walk up to your favorite wardrobe – and voilà: welcome to Paris Fashion Week, where you’re strapping cardboard (or whatever else you managed to find) onto the Man. Different protective items – different stats. Some are better for cold environments, others for combat, and some will keep you safe from radiation. Naturally, completing a full set of the same type will grant additional bonuses – because clearly, you look amazing.

And just like DIY modules on tools, armor doesn’t last forever. So you’ll want to refresh your wardrobe from time to time with whatever new junk you can get your hands on.

Since we already mentioned repairs and various devices earlier, it’s worth talking about that in a bit more detail.

As part of our overall push to add more depth to gameplay and systems, we made a fairly tough decision – to introduce more unique, interactive machines into the world. It’s “tough” because being able to craft everything, anytime, anywhere sounds convenient… but it completely kills both realism and engagement (and let’s not forget – this is a highly realistic space survival simulator. Obviously). In the old system, nothing really mattered. The Man would just head out into the vast, unforgiving – let us emphasize that – cosmos and keep drifting forever. That’s not how it should work. So now we’ve taken away his ability to do everything on the fly, forcing him to rely, at least in part, on cold, unfeeling machines and improvised devices.

For example, sure – you can eat a rotten apple and delay starvation for a bit. But why risk poisoning yourself when you could bring it back, process it, and turn it into something vaguely edible?

Or take water. Chewing on dirty ice works… right up until your stomach completely betrays you. Or you could fix up a kettle, slap a “Capacity” module on it, jam a “Protective” one in as a filter – and boom, you’ve got a masterpiece of engineering inspired by your grandpa’s homemade distillery. Drink up.

There won’t just be one or two of these machines – both improvised and industrial ones. We’ll always be able to find something interesting: things you can fix with basic resources, upgrade with the DIY system, and then enjoy for a long time as they make survival a whole lot easier.

The DIY system also extends into other parts of the game, like transportation or base upgrades (which, by the way, might not make it into Early Access right away, since those are complex systems and not just placeholder nonsense like before).

All this DIY madness doesn’t just reinforce our unofficial game motto and the Man’s survival philosophy – “It doesn’t matter where your hands grow from, as long as they’re golden” – it’s also tightly woven into progression and the rules of the world itself.

Depending on what players find and how they develop, new paths will open up – leading to new locations, new items, more progression… which then unlocks even more locations… you get the idea.

At the same time, the world will live its own life, largely independent of the Man and his wishes. Worms will drift along their own routes in search of tasty oxygen, moles will spit at everything in sight and argue with each other, robots will be busy repairing things, and space cops will be out on patrol. Ice will melt from heat, fire will be extinguished by water, and systems like day and night cycles will introduce different rules and behaviors.

The world itself is also getting significantly bigger. That small demo area – from the station to the depot – will no longer take two minutes to cross, but at least a couple of hours to fully explore. And it’ll be packed with side activities, little events, weird encounters, and all kinds of cosmic nonsense. The Early Access version will roughly match the scope of the first Breathedge’s Early Access, including the size of the initial area. If we manage to do more – great. If not – then everything is going exactly according to plan. Totally. Absolutely.

In this more expanded world, there will be fewer freely floating resource orbs – and a lot more actual work for the Man. If you want something, you’ll have to break it, tear it off, move it, melt it or cut it open. All of that builds up fatigue, increases hunger, wears down your gear, and sometimes just gets you smacked in the face if you’re not careful.

We’re aiming for a wide range of mechanics that become part of the world and its rules, used everywhere, tied together into a single system, and working in synergy (now that’s a fancy word, huh).

As we mentioned in a previous update, the Suit is making a return – right behind your back. It’s gained a bit more freedom, but it’s still very much attached to you and will follow you on every outing. This time, it’s not just a talkative annoyance – it also comes with a powerful grabbing arm. With its newly acquired mechanical hand (which, by the way, can also be upgraded), the Suit can help you move heavy objects, rip off panels, grab distant items, and even hold things in place while you’re violently smashing them in space so they don’t drift away. So yeah – turns out this AI is actually pretty useful.

Since we briefly mentioned melting ice earlier, it’s worth talking about that separately.

We’re tying the world, the player, and DIY upgrades together through an interactive environment. The most basic laws of physics will apply here – extremely realistic and scientifically accurate, of course, because we’re making a very serious sci-fi game about an immortal chicken.

So. You see a massive chunk of ice blocking your path. What can you do? Find another way around. Maybe. But if you’ve got a decent upgrade on your trusty crowbar – say, a red-hot iron – your hits will start dealing additional heat damage. Almost like some fantasy nonsense… except it’s all perfectly scientific. Heat beats cold, water beats heat, fuel burns, and so on.

If you come across a torn, sparking cable and don’t have a repair kit on hand, you can always look for something conductive – like an empty metal barrel – and close the circuit manually. Just make sure it’s actually empty and not full of fuel… unless you’re in the mood for a different kind of outcome.

Electricity in general will be tied into quite a few mechanics – from charging batteries to building proper networks at your base. But that’s a story for another time.

Another system tying everything together is an expanded buff and debuff system that affects pretty much all player stats.

First and foremost, buffs and debuffs act as rewards for smart decisions – or punishment for reckless ones. If the Man eats well, sleeps properly, and keeps himself warm – good for him. He’ll get some nice bonuses for his next outing, like increased stamina or reduced consumption of core resources. But if he’s a filthy drunk living off rotten apples and running on one hour of sleep a day, then yeah – things are going to go badly. From illnesses to borderline unplayable conditions thanks to things like impaired vision.

Buffs and debuffs are no longer just one-off, disconnected icons on your screen. Now they form a fairly deep system where effects can stack, evolve into one another, last over time, accumulate, or be removed depending on your actions, conditions, items, and various triggers.

That said, buffs and debuffs aren’t meant to turn the game into hardcore survival or become the core of gameplay – they’re just another way to stay alive longer and feel a bit more comfortable in this world.

We haven’t forgotten about the story either. No matter how you look at it, Breathedge is a narrative-driven game, and we’re putting a lot of time and effort into that side of things. The demo gave a general idea, but it didn’t tell a coherent story or deliver the right message. We’ve put a lot of work into the characters – their arcs, motivations, and conflicts – aiming to tell a story that feels natural and engaging. There will be quite a few of them. If the first game could proudly boast a whole one Coffinbot, Breathedge 2 is going to be a lot more ambitious when it comes to new faces.

We’ve also adjusted how we approach dialogue and narrative structure to better support gameplay. Characters will no longer try to dump important information on you while you’re in the middle of a fight or desperately trying not to die somewhere far out in a dangerous area – because let’s be honest, you wouldn’t hear or understand any of it anyway.

With the deeper gameplay systems, your “home” becomes a key part of the gameplay loop. It’s calm, it’s safe, and it’s where most of the important story information will be delivered. Curious players will also be able to poke around and talk to characters to get additional context about the world and ongoing events.

And of course, cutscenes will handle the major story beats. We love cutscenes. You can skip them, by the way. All of them. Dialogue too. In fact, you can tweak pretty much everything to your liking – just in case our writing isn’t your thing.

Characters are great and all, but what about other life out there in the world?

In the demo, you’ve already met flying worms, spitting moles, and screaming larvae – but those are far from the only inhabitants of space. Of course, it all depends on the location, but early on you’ll also run into various types of robots.

From a technical standpoint, building a game in open space comes with some pretty unusual challenges. One of them is implementing any kind of intelligent – or semi-intelligent – flying creatures. Ground navigation is relatively straightforward since everything is constrained by surfaces, but once you move into full 3D space, things get a lot more complicated.

To make robots behave like actual robots – and not like heavily scripted dummies flying along weird paths – we had to build a fairly complex 3D navigation system. It was painful, time-consuming, and involved a fair amount of suffering, but the result is worth it. Now repair bots, police bots, and scavenger robots you’ll encounter even in the early stages of the game will have their own routines, go about their business, avoid obstacles, chase you, or run away along unpredictable routes.

Robots will be a solid source of resources – but not an easy one, largely thanks to their movement and behavior.

And the 3D navigation system isn’t just for robots. Other creatures use it too. For example, the alkaline moles are no longer stuck to their burrows – you can pull them out, and they’ll try to get back using the same navigation system they effectively “learned” from the robots.

What we end up with – and whether we manage to make the game exactly the way we want it – we’ll find out very, very soon.

In the near future, we’ll be sharing a video with about 15 minutes of honest, unpolished gameplay as it currently stands. It should give you a good look at the changes we’ve made – and, of course, an opportunity to hit us with your smartest feedback so we can drop everything and redo the whole game one more time. We believe in you. There are many of you. And we… well, we have paws. That’s the situation.

Oh, and one more thing. We’re starting to share more of the development process – showing off specific mechanics and other bits and pieces we find interesting, straight from the trenches. Don’t miss it – follow us on our social channels, especially on YouTube, where these “dev diaries” (if we can even call them that) will be posted first.

All the other links, including Discord, are now conveniently listed at the bottom of this post. Uncle Gabe and his team aren’t sitting idle either – they keep improving things and surprising us in nice ways. Gotta love it.

And as always – if you absolutely need to send us something unpleasant and got banned on Discord for doing exactly that, you can always reach us by email:

info@breathedge.com

And if you haven’t added Breathedge 2 to your wishlist yet… well, the moon phase is perfect right now:

Breathedge 2