BorderZone

About

BorderZone is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Orion and was released on April 23, 2014. It received negative reviews from players.

In BorderZone, a role-playing action game, players choose from three professions and form a team to embark on a dangerous journey across the world of Terra, a post-apocalyptic planet inhabited by various creatures and threatened by gods spreading destruction. Create your character, learn skills and spells, and navigate a complex non-linear storyline in a world where magic and technology coexist, with the fate of humanity at stake.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

34%

Audience ScoreBased on 58 reviews

atmosphere3 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game has nostalgic value for those who enjoyed old-school RPGs, providing a sense of familiarity and charm.
Some players appreciate the mix of medieval fantasy and sci-fi elements, finding the storyline immersive and engaging.
After recent patches, some users report improved performance and fewer crashes, making the game more playable.

The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including bugs, crashes, and poor pathfinding, making it frustrating to play.
Lack of a tutorial and unclear quest indicators lead to confusion and difficulty in progressing through the game.
The graphics and overall design feel outdated, with many players describing the visuals as subpar even for its release period.

story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The story is described as immersive and ahead of its time, with a moral about perseverance, but it suffers from a lack of clear direction and quest indicators, leading to frustration. Players often find themselves engaged in tedious fetch quests with minimal guidance, and while the narrative has potential, technical issues and poor gameplay mechanics detract significantly from the overall experience. Despite its nostalgic value, many reviewers feel the execution falls short, making it a disappointing venture.
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “It is so ahead of its time, for a game so old to have such an immersive storyline, attention to detail, and even working mirrors, which you know that most RPGs nowadays don't.”
- “You know what you have to do from the quest logs, but you don't know where the places and persons are.”
- “All my journal will ever update about is a silly fetch quest about a dog in the streets carrying a bag.”
- “Eventually I finished the fetch quest and had looted about 50 gold in stuff I stole and sold and had a knife but still had found no way out of the sand city nor did I seem to unlock a main quest.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The graphics of the game have been widely criticized as outdated and poor, with many reviewers noting that they resemble early 90s visuals rather than those expected from a 2006 release. Users have pointed out a lack of resolution options and graphical tweaks, resulting in a muddy and unappealing aesthetic that detracts from the overall experience. Despite some potential for fans of retro styles, the overwhelming consensus is that the graphics are a significant drawback.
- “If you're a hardcore RPG player, you'll surely get past the dated graphics.”
- “Game looks like it has potential if you like the old graphic style of games like the Gothic series and The Guild.”
- “Fuzzy, awful graphics (even for 2006, when we also got RPGs like Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and World of Warcraft!) and simplistic and unenjoyable gameplay round out this bargain bin filler.”
- “The aesthetics are lacking - the character models and detail in the backgrounds are weak and bland.”
- “Graphics that look like they came from the early 90s at best, bad sound, horrible visual effects, clunky controls, boring combat, and one of the worst interfaces ever.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
49%
38%
The gameplay of Borderzone is widely criticized for its poor graphics, simplistic mechanics, and lack of engaging combat or dialogue, making it feel outdated even for its release year of 2006. Players note sluggish controls and the absence of a tutorial, leading to a frustrating experience that fails to improve despite character customization attempts. Overall, the gameplay is deemed unenjoyable and a significant drawback, overshadowing any nostalgic value the game may hold.
- “I tried Borderzone despite the endless amount of negative reviews because I wanted to experience the gameplay for myself.”
- “Many core mechanics are linked to the FPS, so leaving it uncapped will cause major issues.”
- “The controls are a bit sluggish, and there is no tutorial to guide you through the game mechanics.”
- “Both combat and dialogues are lackluster - I played around with the character creation mode, hoping that different specializations would alter my gameplay a bit; however, I was always disappointed regardless of the character I created.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it relaxing and atmospheric, others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking variety. Despite its potential, the soundtrack is often overshadowed by gameplay issues, leading to a disconnect between the music and the overall experience. Overall, while the music is noted as a highlight, it fails to elevate the game significantly.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “The soundtrack is totally fine, especially since it tries to capture the essence of some tracks from popular old games.”
- “The music is easily the best part of the game, even if it doesn't fully enhance the overall experience.”
- “So the first thing I noticed was the god-awful soundtrack, so I turned it off and noticed that the game barely has any sounds at all.”
- “Con's: horrible camera system, bugs, no tool tips in-game, click to move instead of an FPS setup, inverted stamina bar, can't even walk when out of stamina, a single music track that just loops, items have little description if any at all, you can sell quest items and break the game.”
- “I turned off the music and set compatibility mode to XP SP3; did not crash after the changes.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is severely lacking, with persistent bugs and frequent crashes reported even after patches. Players experience issues such as enemies not staying down, problematic pathfinding, and constant freezes, leading to a frustrating and unplayable experience. Overall, many reviewers advise against purchasing the game due to its instability.
- “Even after the patch, the game remains fairly buggy and is prone to crashes.”
- “Could not even get 3 minutes of play without constant freezes.”
- “Do not waste your money, unless you want to play a buggy game in silence and don't want to search upstairs.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game suffers from poor optimization, lacking support for modern display resolutions and widescreen monitors, which hampers its performance on contemporary gaming PCs. While there are no significant performance issues reported, the overall experience is marred by outdated controls and a lack of updates.
- “No performance issues per se.”
- “Despite the amazing logo for the game, what you are actually getting is just a bad version of Gothic with abysmal controls and poor performance.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with users noting its cool vibe and captivating music that enhances the overall experience.
- “The game is cool; the atmosphere is incredible, and the music really sticks with you.”
- “The immersive atmosphere draws you in and makes every moment feel alive.”
- “The combination of stunning visuals and haunting sound design creates a truly captivating atmosphere.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game is perceived as exploitative, with users suggesting it serves primarily as a nostalgia-driven cash grab rather than a genuine effort to revitalize abandonware.
- “This seems to have been put on Steam as a nostalgia gouge, or just a cash grab to try to profit from abandonware.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unsatisfying, leading to a lack of enthusiasm for progressing further.
- “While I do want to eventually finish this game, I am not looking forward to the tedious and dissatisfying grind to come.”