It’s finally time to duke it at zero gravity as Chinese game developer Studio Surgical Scalpels and publisher Skystone Games announced the Steam Early Access launch date for Boundary.
The game will be available starting on April 13th with three different editions. The standard one costs $24.99, while the pricier editions (or Founder’s Packs) are priced at $34.99 for the Deluxe Supporter and $44.99 for the Ultimate Supporter. Both feature limited edition cosmetics and bonuses, though further details were not shared in the announcement press release.
It’s been a long while since we began covering the game. The first contact actually took place at Gamescom 2019, where Chris Wray played a demo build and relayed his first impressions in a hands-on article.
The first thing to make clear is that, if you’re not attached to something solid, your way of moving is through the boosters on your space-suit, as well as a grapple. The use of the grapple, combined with the lack of any force in space, does allow for some interesting movements, like letting you catapult yourself around an object. From what I saw, there’s a great sense of freedom compared to any other shooter on the market.
With this freedom comes the risk of being left out in the open. This is especially dangerous as you, or your enemies can feel free to use weapons like an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) which, if it hits or explodes near to you, will disable your boosters for a limited time. You become a sitting duck, left open to the whims of your enemies’ regular bullets or even high explosive rounds, which become like flak as they explode around you.
From what I was shown, there’s going to be a considerable amount to look at when it comes to the weaponry available to you. Each and every weapon in the game will customisable, but with each and every part of the weapon customisable. From the muzzle, suppressor and barrel, to the compensator, grip, handguard and sight – just to name a few – everything is separately customisable.
Later, we interviewed Studio Surgical Scalpels CEO and Co-Founder Frank Mingbo Li to learn more about the whole Boundary project, which was fueled with the help of Sony’s China Hero Project program. We’ve got a new Q&A coming in hot, though – stay tuned for it in the next few hours.
