The Broken Beyond

Leaving Ipsilon behind for the vacuum of space Returning to Besiege after a two-year hiatus feels like stepping back into a familiar workshop, only this time, the ceiling has been completely ripped off. The medieval physics sandbox that once tasked players with crushing soldiers and toppling stone castles has expanded its horizons far past the clouds. With the release of The Broken Beyond expansion, players must trade their wooden gear assemblies for rocket boosters and fuel lines. The transition is jarring. There is no air in space. This single mechanical change instantly invalidates traditional flying machines, forcing builders to throw out their propellers and wings in favor of raw rocket propulsion. Drae steps onto the launching pad with a self-proclaimed warning: he is a destroyer of machines, not a master engineer. Decades of community creations have shown that Besiege can host incredibly complex systems, but starting from scratch in a new environment levels the playing field. The immediate goal is simple. Build a rocket that can break the atmosphere. The game warns that engines need direct fuel connections to function, introducing a fuel hose mechanic that requires manual linking from tanks to boosters. This adds a layer of plumbing to a game previously defined by simple mechanical joints. The structural challenge begins immediately as the massive thrust of the rocket engines threatens to tear the flimsy wooden framework apart on ignition. Balancing fuel tanks and fighting the core block rule The first attempt at liftoff is a chaotic display of raw power and structural failure. The machine leaps off the pad but quickly veers into a wild, burning arc. Drae quickly realizes that building a straight-flying rocket requires meticulous weight distribution and stabilization. He adds welds and braces to keep the bottom of the craft from collapsing under its own weight, but weight is the ultimate enemy of space travel. Every added reinforcement requires more fuel, and more fuel adds even more weight. Adding to the frustration is the classic Besiege core block rule. In this physics sandbox, the original starting block—the core of the machine—must survive and reach the destination. Drae builds a highly functional multi-stage rocket where the booster stages detach beautifully, sending a small capsule high into the upper atmosphere. However, the victory is cut short. The core block was left on the discarded first stage, meaning the capsule that successfully reached the edge of space did not trigger the mission completion. This structural puzzle requires a complete redesign, forcing the player to build the entire rocket around the central core block while still allowing heavy fuel tanks and spent engines to safely discard during flight. Inertial steering balls save a doomed space flight To solve the stabilization issue without relying on atmospheric air fins, Drae turns to the new space-focused parts introduced in The Broken Beyond. The expansion provides massive inertial steering balls. These heavy spheres use rotational momentum to pivot the craft in a vacuum. It is a massive departure from the wheels and steering hinges of the base game. Placing these heavy spheres on the craft instantly alters its center of mass, but the control they offer is undeniable. With the core block safely nestled in the final stage and the inertial steering balls calibrated, the rocket launches for a final attempt. The rocket climbs straight through the clouds, leaving a thick trail of smoke behind. As the first stage runs dry, the coupling releases, and the tiny second stage ignites. Using gentle taps of the controls, the heavy steering balls correct the flight path, keeping the nose pointed directly toward the stars. The progress bar climbs steadily until the screen fades, marking a successful entry into outer space. The triumph is sweet, placing the simple design high on the global leaderboards and proving that minimalist designs can outperform bloated, over-engineered monstrosities. Saws and cannons tackle a low-gravity moon nightmare The victory in orbit is short-lived as the campaign moves to a low-gravity planetary surface. The mission demands the destruction of local alien structures and hostile defenders, but the low-gravity environment makes traditional driving impossible. Light vehicles simply bounce into orbit at the slightest bump. Drae attempts to build a rolling melee machine covered in saw blades, but the lack of traction turns the combat into a slow-motion nightmare where enemies easily dodge the spinning blades. Realizing the limitations of ground combat, he pivots to a mobile artillery platform. By mounting a heavy plasma cannon on a steering block with strict angle limiters, he creates a weapon system capable of aiming across the planetary gap. The physics engine shines here as shots fired from the cannon experience significant bullet drop due to the planet's unique gravity field. After adjusting the angles and managing the fuel tanks that power the cannon, Drae successfully snipe the distant alien towers, completing the level through sheer perseverance. Reflecting on the experience, the decade-long journey of Besiege becomes clear. From simple medieval catapults to interstellar rocketry, the game has maintained its core identity of playful experimentation and physical comedy. While the learning curve of space travel is steep, the satisfaction of watching a custom-built machine defy gravity makes the countless explosive failures entirely worth it.