Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Sci-fi base-builder The Riftbreaker will launch on Xbox Game Pass

The way you mecha me feel.

Do you like weird alien planets? Do you like building bases? Do you like defending those bases from weird aliens? Well it sounds like The Riftbreaker has all of those things, and you'll be able to try it for yourself on Xbox Game Pass when it launches this autumn.

As announced on Xbox Wire, The Riftbreaker will be available on Game Pass from day one. It's described as a "mix of base-builder, survival, and action-RPG". Players take on the role of Captain Ashley Nowak, a member of the "elite Riftbreaker formation". She travels to a distant planet called Galatea 37, where she must prepare the world for human settlement. At least she has a mecha-suit to help with that.

Cover image for YouTube videoThe Riftbreaker gameplay - StarCraft meets They Are Billions meets Diablo
The Riftbreaker gameplay - StarCraft meets They Are Billions meets Diablo

When it launches this autumn, The Riftbreaker will release on Xbox, PlayStation and PC, but the latter already has a demo available if you can't wait to try it out. The free PC demo is called The Riftbreaker: Prologue and takes place before the events of the main game's campaign (you can find it on Steam, GOG and the Windows Store). "Explore an entirely new world, gather resources, build up a base, and defend yourself from thousands of alien creatures," said Exor Studios producer and designer Paweł Lekki. "Or just take the scenic route and do whatever you want - the choice is yours!

Bertie took The Riftbreaker for a spin in June last year, and described it as a "cross between StarCraft, They Are Billions and Diablo" - and he certainly seemed to like it.