Breathedge 2 Demo Impressions – Familiar and Polished

Breathedge 2 is a space survival game in development by RedRuin Softworks and publisher HypeTrain Digital. It is a sequel to the brilliant 2021 original game and a demo was available as part of the recent Steam Next Fest earlier this month. Together with your immortal chicken, you must discover the truth behind your sudden spaceship crash. You must craft tools, pilot vehicles, and even control space stations to survive and explore the wreckage.

Stepping into the demo of Breathedge 2 felt like slipping back into a delightfully chaotic space suit. The familiar brand of absurd humour that made the first game so memorable is alive and well, delivering witty quips and outlandish situations with the same comedic punch. While the core gameplay feels comfortably familiar, there’s a noticeable layer of polish and advancement that elevates the experience in the sequel.

The initial exploration outside the starting station was immediately captivating, showcasing the expanded scope of the game. However, the ever-present threat of oxygen depletion kept me tethered to a tight radius, forcing me to stick close while collecting resources and figuring out where to go next. Many of my options were locked behind needing a particular tool, so figuring out what each resource looked like and collecting enough was my first task.

Being so limited in range by my need to breathe oxygen meant I had to constantly loop back to replenish my oxygen supplies. While this loop was constant, it was far from being annoying or frustrating as each loop had me tick off some objective boxes and eventually, I was able to progress further to an airlocked area. This area contained a heap of loot to find and more puzzles to solve, and even though we have a journal that keeps track of our tasks, I found myself making my own hand-written notes in my notepad. “Ok, I need to get 7 aluminium, 6 plastics, and some other stuff – on it!”

Crafting remains a central pillar of the gameplay, and the demo offered a taste of the expanded toolset. The satisfaction of assembling a grappler or wrench and putting them to immediate use in grates I had mentally marked over the place was palpable. A particularly humorous, and somewhat embarrassing, learning curve involved realising I could refill the oxygen stations – a discovery that came after several panicked, oxygen-deprived leaps back to safety (and a few untimely demises). Lesson learned: don’t drink all your reserves, and those floating space worms can give you enough of a boost to get home. Just don’t eat them all at once!

Every now and then I would come across something that was “not available in this demo” and this only fueled my anticipation for the game’s full release. From the glimpses of larger structures in the distance to the mysteries surrounding certain interactive elements, Breathedge 2 has clearly laid the groundwork for a compelling and expansive adventure. The blend of familiar humour, refined gameplay, and intriguing teases has successfully reignited my excitement for the game. If you enjoyed the original, Breathedge 2’s demo suggests that a worthy and significantly enhanced sequel awaits.

Breathedge 2 is available to wishlist on Steam and there is no firm release date yet other than the words ‘to be announced.’ Based on the polish of the demo, I am hopeful it will be sometime this year.

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