PAX West Spotlight: Wave Break

 By Rae

Honestly, Wave Break is not my normal kind of game. I gotpulled in when my friend noticed the vaporwave aesthetic and wanted to give itago and… holy heck was it worthwhile.

While California-based Funktronic labs mostly works in VR,Wave Break’s super-active boating parkour action didn’t quite work for the VRplatform. Fortunately instead of giving up, they adjusted to a non-VR versionthat’s still a ton of fun.

I’ll be honest and admit I’m still not 100% sure what was going on in the game –I’m fairly certain there was no story involved, though I could have missed it.But honestly… I’m not even sure I care. Wave Break is pure chaotic joy with aside of adorable. Imagine a Tony Hawk game – you can free skate and grind yourway across the arena freely, right? Now imagine you’re doing it in a boat. Andyou’re a bear.  

Yes, you heard me right.

Heavily inspired by Tony Hawk, Wave Break throws you into agorgeous beach area where you can grind, flip, and spin your way to the high score.It’s pretty much a free-play sandbox. Just watch out – you and your competitorscan shoot each other to help guarantee victory.

Honestly, the shooting aspect feels a little tacked on at times, but overall the game is so fun and manages to be competitive without being too stressful. Unfortunately for me I’m really bad at it, but my friend who's a bit better with this style of game loved the controls and thought they felt really smooth.

Aesthetically, the game is ridiculously lovely. It’s got brightpastel colours and art that I would honestly throw on a wall with no issue. Thecharacters are quirky and adorable, and I’m really excited for the customizationoptions – you’ll be able to get new clothes and change your appearance.

Thankfully, Funktronic Labs was kind enough to provide me some alpha access keys, so I’m hoping to check out some more, and I’ll plan to keep you updated as things progress. Sure, Wave Break isn’t my normal style of game, but it’s so stupidly fun and pretty that it’s impossible to not want to go back and play again.

Wave Break has an unspecified 2020 release, but you can add it to your steam wishlist if you wanna keep an eye out!