20 Best Video Games Of 2018

14. Into The Breach

The followup to the immaculate FTL: Faster Than Light was always going to be special, but Into the Breach is isometric strategic combat perfected.

Depicting a showdown between human forces and towering kaiju monsters, battles take place on an 8x8 grid as each turn, you know exactly what enemies are planning and where you'll need to defend. Lose too many structures or units and it's game over, so placement and tile-specific attacks are everything.

The game's timeline carries forward regardless, with one of your crew being sent back to try again if the worst happens, though quickly you'll realise that unlocking the best set of gear means winning in the present, too.

Thankfully, Into the Breach has an outstanding difficulty curve; a really honest opening slew of missions that challenge you to overcome or perish. When it's firing on all cylinders, gameplay tends to represent XCOM meets chess, and therein is a cerebral intensity like nothing else.