Moonbreaker Early Access Release Date, Trailer And Gameplay - What We Know So Far

Announced during Gamescom Opening Night Live, "Moonbreaker" is a new turn-based strategy game from the developer behind the "Subnautica," a non-violent open-world game. This new game, made by Unknown Worlds Entertainment, is looking to emulate the experience of tabletop gaming in a colorful and vibrant sci-fi setting. "Moonbreaker" has players put together a team of units, all represented by detailed in-game tabletop models, and battle it out in a single area using turn-based combat. 

During an interview between Geoff Keighley and "Moonbreaker" game director Charlie Cleveland, Cleveland said that they wanted every unit in the game to feel strange and special. Cleveland also stated that each unit will have their own strange and wild powers, making for a more unique experience than people might expect from a digital tabletop strategy game. Another key aspect of "Moonbreaker" is that there is an in-depth miniature painting tool in "Moonbreaker," that simulates what it's like to paint miniatures in real-life. Here's when fans can expect to get their hands on "Moonbreaker."

"Moonbreaker" is set to hit early access on Steam on September 29. "Moonbreaker" has not been announced for any other platforms, although that likely could change whenever the game hits its 1.0 release. "Moonbreaker" also doesn't have a price listed yet on Steam. In a press release from publisher Krafton, it was revealed that the early access launch will feature 50 units on day one, allowing for a wide variety of rosters.

"Our aim with the game is to reduce the traditional barriers associated with tabletop gaming and miniatures while retaining the hobbyist appeal that makes that genre so special," Cleveland said in the press release. "After several years in development, we're thrilled to officially reveal 'Moonbreaker' and look forward to working with the community to evolve the game while it's in Early Access." Unknown Worlds Entertainment also said that it plans to have multiple large updates, with new units over the course of its time in early access.

Unknown Worlds Entertainment released a gameplay trailer alongside the reveal of "Moonbreaker." The trailer shows the unique animation style that the game has, where static tabletop figures don't move in the traditional sense, but are still able to attack and use other abilities. The trailer gives a sense of the variety in the world of "Moonbreaker," with units covering robots, wacky animals, and people riding giant toads, along with a variety of different arenas that you can battle in.

The trailer also touts that the universe was created by Brandon Sanderson, who wrote the "Mistborn" series and helped finish "The Wheel of Time" series after its author, Robert Jordan, died. Later in the trailer, a brief glimpse of the unit roster is shown, revealing that "Moonbreaker" is going to have a massive roster of different units to choose from. Finally, the trailer shows off the in-depth painting system that lets players give any unit they choose a brand-new paint job.

Based on the description of "Moonbreaker" on Steam, it appears that the game will heavily focus on multiplayer competitive matches, with a side mode for people looking for a single-player experience. The description reads, "Challenge your skills in single-player Cargo Runs with procedurally generated AI encounters. Try unique, upgraded abilities in matches that become increasingly more challenging the longer the Run lasts." Another section says that you can either play online against other players or play single-player challenges, suggesting that there might not be a full single-player campaign.

As for the moment-to-moment gameplay, players will set up a roster consisting of a captain, units, and assists. Players will get dropped into a small arena, where they must defeat their opponent in turn-based combat. The combat was described as being similar to "XCOM", likely having hit percentage chances and special abilities to use. It's not clear how players will unlock new units and neither the developer nor the publisher have made any statements regarding microtransactions.