Spin to Breathe Preview – Gamble Your Lungs Away in a Pirate-Raided Casino

Give me a moment – I need to Spin to Breathe. No, I don’t mean a little twirl to relieve some stress from the day at work or dealing with grumpy hoomans, but the fundamental need to fill my lungs and gamble.

And, for further clarity, that doesn’t mean taking a risky deep breath in an asbestos-filled room of ganja smokers, but pulling the ol’ one-handed bandit to earn some oxygen.

Spin to Breathe is a rogue-lite from Spaghetti Cat (Midnight Souls) where you play a fruit machine (roulette) in a casino that’s being raided by space pirates. That’s mad in itself, and even with that context, the ‘plot’ is hard to follow.

What Even Is This Madness?

I can’t tell if I’m the casino owner or just some poor sod glued to a swivel chair. The aim is to gamble your oxygen reserves to earn more. Run out? Game over. Literally.

There are three full oxygen reserves per roulette attempt, which consists of approximately four spins (these increase with artefacts to increase your chances.

With the tokens earned, these are invested in a terminal via the OxyNet market to your right, and when you fill the gauge with currency, oxygen is restored, and you earn some bonuses that can be applied to the next spin.

Each time the gauge is filled in Spin to Breathe, the cost increases, so you need to ensure you are completing side quests and utilising the power-ups that increase your chances.

Side Quests, Bartenders, and Anime Trivia?

To the left of the machine is your own bespoke bartender that sells randomised goods that can be inserted into the machine to improve the odds. You can also sell them in side quests.

Left futher still, and a phone connects you to casino guests who ask for an item (bought from the bar or won from the machine), and a feat, such as scoring a three rows of the same item, or spinning on your chair 50 times. A quick win… if you’re feeling lucky.

Further to that are guests that will call you and offer a bit more cash for a task, plus a bonus multiple-choice question about factory work or anime. It’s all very bizarre but necessary to keep your lungs functioning to keep playing.

As a rogue-lite, Spin to Breathe is challenging to earn the big bucks. In this demo, there are four stages to beat, each with increasing oxygen prices. It’s very doable in under an hour, though it’s important to complete those side quests and utilise the power-ups.

Worth Your Oxygen Budget?

Said power-ups work like Asgard’s Fall and the recent Tokatonton, where you organise Tetris-like blocks to fit onto the machine’s circuit board. Future wins expand these areas and incentivise some of the slots.

In the short runtime of the Spin to Breathe demo, I was pretty much hooked. I’m not much of a gambler, but the mechanics work well, and though the underlying ‘story’ is sketchy, the character engagement and side quests make this quite a fulfilling experience.

Out later this year, the demo is playable now on Steam.