While Rainbow Six and CS:GO strive for down-to-earth shooting, Boundary leaves gravity behind completely. We have played the shooter.
Tactical shooters like to send us to far-flung battlefields. But fans of Counter-Strike and Rainbow Six don’t get as far out into the unknown as in Boundary. In Boundary, the tactical shooting takes place in space.
In the vacuum between satellites and space debris, we float around weightlessly in thick space suits, armed with futuristic but very familiar shooting irons.
As in other team-based titles, players in Boundary compete against each other in 5v5. But not on flat battlefields with gravity that forces our heroes to the ground, but free-floating with three-dimensional movement vectors and lines of sight.
I have already been able to try a demo of Boundary and must admit I was surprised. Despite my 20 years of shooter experience, I have never come across a game like Boundary before!
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A shooter, yet very different
My first round goes something like this: With my teammates, I start on one side of a debris field in Earth orbit. I choose a souped-up AK as my armament, and as is my style of play, I float directly head-on towards the approximate position of the opponents. After a few metres, I completely lose my bearings, as is unfortunately my wont. Where are the enemies again?
This trailer shows how impressive the gameplay of Boundary is, also thanks to the strong lighting effects:
Finally, I am shown a red mark on the other side of a satellite. Apparently a teammate is having a gunfight with an opponent. So I use the upward hover function to capture the High Ground and take the enemy under fire from above.
That was a gross error in thinking: In three-dimensional space, as we know, there are no cardinal directions. No up and down, only vectors. As I confidently float out of my cover, blue space beans fly straight at me. My brave hero comes to an inglorious end.
In the next round, I opt for sniper tactics. With sniper class and long-range sights, I keep discreetly in the background, nestle up against an object for cover and wait for the right moment. Finally, a slowly hovering enemy appears in my crosshairs, which I routinely take out of play. Now that’s fun!
Tactics remain the trump card
Boundary’s shooting remains comprehensible due to the physical rules and ballistics. Unfamiliar in any case, but quite predictable. Otherwise, a competitive tactical shooter, which places great value on performance-based gameplay, would hardly be feasible.
With gadgets like the grappling hook, I can also change positions very quickly, grenades cover an area with damage and by changing the loadout I can modify my weapons to adapt them to different combat situations.
The gameplay left a strong impression on me: I have never played a tactical shooter in this way before. Certainly, moving through airless space with thrusters takes some getting used to, but anyone familiar with Elite Dangerous or Star Citizen will also be able to celebrate their first successes in Boundary relatively quickly.
What do we like so far? What remains unclear?
What do we like so far?
- Atmospheric highlight: The muffled sounds of gunfire in a vacuum, the scattered debris, white spacesuits: Boundary bleeds authentic space atmosphere.
- Unique setting: There is no other tactical shooter like Boundary. This promises exciting new experiences.
- Many tactical options: There are always different approaches to choose from. This way, you can always adapt your own tactics when the opponent requires it.
What remains unclear?
- How long can this excite? So far, only a handful of maps are known. The question remains how long Boundary’s unusual approach can motivate.
- How well does the interaction work? Due to the three-dimensional movement, players can always go anywhere. The great freedom of movement could be at the expense of team play in the long run and make communication more difficult.
- Is Boundary creating its own niche? The game has good prerequisites to generate its own fan base even alongside big names like CS:GO and R6: Siege. But is the unusual setting appealing enough to retain a solid player base?
Editor’s Verdict
Boundary has piqued my interest. Now the only thing that worries me are the live conditions. Even tactics masterpieces like Hunt: Showdown struggled with teething problems, and there the shooter aspect still plays largely classical.
Boundary wants to venture into places that no one has ever played before. Whether there are even enough interested parties for this is difficult to determine in advance. After all, the blueprint, the role model, the Google searches for tactical shooters in a vacuum are missing.
But as is the way with innovation, some pioneering work will be necessary before it can be clearly seen whether Boundary will go down in history as an exciting shooter experiment or a successful multiplayer game.
