The game follows Derrick Cole, a protagonist suffering from amnesia after being injected with T'langen, a substance intended to create supersoldiers with T'lan-like abilities.

Derrick and Alex attempt to flee via helicopter, but it is destroyed by the U.S. military, forcing them to escape to the nearby Terminus 4 research facility.

Derrick and Alex meet Chief Researcher Glen Ogawa, who reveals Nexus's plan to launch a global attack using T'lan forces.

In this dystopian timeline, Derrick learns from surviving scientists that he can travel back in time using a device designed by Stefania, a neurologist he encountered earlier.

With enhanced powers from Ogawa, Derrick relives key moments, ultimately saving Alex, stopping the rocket launch, and defeating Solus.

She is a member of the facility's Beta Project, a more successful initiative that seeks gradual improvements instead of immediate effects from a single injection.

Now involved in a classified project, he spearheads experiments in augmenting soldiers into supersoldiers, with military backing, and processes the T'langen administered to Derrick.

Although deployed by the military to track down Derrick, Gianni answers to a higher authority and is on a covert mission to reach Nexus and prevent the launch of the T'lan rockets.

[18] IGN's Hilary Goldstein criticized the game for its boring level design and clunky gameplay mechanics but praised it for its solid voice acting and deep story.

[14] The Times gave the game four stars out of five, stating, "The graphics are strong and shot from a realistic first-person point of view, which adds to the disorientation while simultaneously immersing you in the story".

"[19] However, The Cincinnati Enquirer gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five, noting, "Fans of run 'n' gun games and arcade-fighting titles likely will find that Breakdown is a uniquely enjoyable – though visually dizzying – single-player tale".

[16] In 2009, GamesRadar+ included it in its list of games "with untapped franchise potential", stating: "Breakdown garnered attention for its originality (first-person fistfights!)