Breathedge is a lot like Subnautica but set in space, according to players. And it looks like the two games share many similarities, including in the ways of a co-op mode.
Subnautica became widely popular in the YouTube community when Let's Players like Markiplier and Jacksepticeye posted their playthroughs to the video platform, and its reach has grown quite large since thanks to its unique setting and distinctive approach to survival. Stranded on a remote ocean planet, players assume the role of a lone survivor of a ship crew who gets wrapped up in an advanced alien species. Similarly, players in Breathedge find themselves in the middle of a massive conspiracy after what was supposed to be a simple mission. In this survival game, players can die by suffocation, freezing, incineration, electrocution, and much more.
Since its release just a few days ago, Breathedge has had a strong run on Steam, despite some minor balancing issues with gameplay. Similar to Subnautica's full release, many players are wondering if they can experience the horror of space with their friends in a multiplayer mode, because the main campaign of Breathedge is a single-player experience. Unfortunately, like Subnautica, Breathedge does not currently have a multiplayer mode and it's unclear if it will ever receive one.
A while back, Subnautica director Charlie Cleveland had said that, while adding multiplayer was something the team would have loved to do, it would have taken a lot of manpower and reworking the gameplay engine to get a co-op mode supported, and it could be the same issue with Breathedge. With both games, the lonesomeness is a major part of the plot, so dropping in a Player 2 into the campaign could mean changing dialogue and animations as well as rebalancing some survival mechanics.
On the Steam Community forums, some Breathedge fans asked about a co-op mode and the developer, RedRuins Softworks, responded to the query, saying it isn't "going to add co-op in nearest future." However, the developer hints that multiplayer isn't completely out of the question, saying the team isn't sure if co-op will be implemented "in general." In another comment, RedRuins revealed that there currently isn't a development roadmap for the indie survival game, at least not publicly.
While this news comes to the dismay of many survival gamers, it looks like Breathedge is solely meant to be played in single-player mode, and players shouldn't expect a multiplayer mode in the future, though it's not impossible. Perhaps part of the horror is being forced to experience outer space completely alone. However, Breathedge could see a mod from fans in the future allowing a multiplayer function, much like Subnautica's multiplayer mod.
Breathedge is out now on PC, with console ports coming April 6th.
Source: Steam Community Discussions