Spellbreak was a free-to-play, class-based third-person shooter video game created by Proletariat. It was available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The game was released on September 3, 2020. The official servers were closed on January 10, 2023, but community-run servers have continued to operate the game.

Gameplay

Spellbreak is a player-versus-player shooting game where players use gauntlets to fire magical spells instead of guns. Players can levitate and carry one 'Rune,' which allows abilities such as flight, teleportation, or invisibility. There are six elemental classes to choose from: wind, fire, ice, lightning, stone, and toxic. Each class provides in-game advantages tied to its element. Every player begins with one class gauntlet permanently attached and can collect one of the other five as a secondary gauntlet. Gauntlets can perform a primary attack, called a spell, and a secondary attack, called a sorcery. Spells use a shared energy called Mana, which also powers levitation. Using a sorcery causes a cooldown timer. Combining elements from different gauntlets can create stronger spells, add crowd control effects, or weaken opponents, depending on strategy. The game includes role-playing and roguelike features, according to the developer.

Game modes include battle royale and Clash, a team deathmatch. With the release of Chapter 2 on April 8, 2021, the 5v5 mode Dominion, which includes control points, replaced Clash.

Development and release

The core combat style was inspired by older games such as Quake and Unreal Tournament. Seth Sivak, the CEO of Proletariat, wanted to create a game similar to H1Z1 but with fantasy and roguelike elements. The team chose a fantasy setting after noticing that most Battle Royale games focused on guns and believed they could make a fantasy-themed version of the genre. Cardell Kerr, the executive producer, said the game originally had more "swords than sorcery," but the balance changed later. The game's visual design was influenced by anime films like Akira and Princess Mononoke, as well as the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Additional visual inspiration came from games known for their beautiful effects, such as 2D Castlevanias, League of Legends, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The game was released on September 3, 2020, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. In late June 2022, Proletariat announced they would stop updating Spellbreak because they had been acquired by Activision Blizzard and were joining Blizzard Entertainment's team responsible for World of Warcraft. In December 2022, a community version of the game was released, allowing players to host their own games.

The game's official servers were shut down on January 10, 2023. As of September 2024, the game still has an active playerbase on community-run servers.

Reception

Spellbreak received mostly good reviews for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One, and some positive and some negative reviews for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, according to review site Metacritic.