Released as part of Netflix gaming, Into the Breach mobile is one of the best mobile games to launch this year. As the next game from FTL developer Subset Games, this mobile conversation is a perfect fit for mobile. But just how much work was on the side of the original team, and how much was on Netflix?
Netflix’s work on Into the Breach mobile
In an interview with TouchArcade, Subset Games developers Justin Ma and Matthew Davis explained how the game came to mobile. The developers explained that most of the work was done by them, just like with FTL mobile, but Netflix did help in some instances.
“We did the porting ourselves but they helped along the way,” Ma told the outlet. However, Netflix’s support came in areas that are very important to the streaming service’s goals of creating a worldwide gaming audience.
Ma explained that Netflix’s primary support was in “localisation”. This is the act of translating a game and making it playable in a large variety of languages. In the new release, Into the Breach mobile supports an impressive 17 languages, from Chinese to Arabic.
Netflix was also integral to getting the game working flawlessly across devices. Into the Breach mobile works flawlessly across a wide range of Android phones. As it turns out, Netflix’s testing support was an important factor in that process.
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Small screens are the biggest issue
During development, Into the Breach mobile did have to overcome numerous issues. The most important of these was converting the game down to devices with small screens, like most smartphones. In order to play on mobile, the UI had to work on devices from a tablet to a smartphone.
“Into the Breach was already better prepared for dealing with different resolutions [than FTL],” Ma said. “That being said, much of the UI and interactions had to be reconsidered for touch input and the lack of screen space. In some cases we had to sacrifice having all of the information visible at all times by using collapsible UI elements or by simply cutting back on unnecessary information. Making sure all of the buttons were large enough for touch controls also required a lot of thought.”
In order to create the best experience possible, every UI window had to be redone for the perfect touch experience. While a straight port with touch controls may have been satisfactory, this process made for the best version of the game.
Simply put, this intense porting process has led to one of the most perfect ports we’ve seen on mobile. Yes, the need for a Netflix account is frustrating, but a month’s subscription is worth it to experience this masterpiece.