Boundary
- April 13, 2023
- Studio Surgical Scalpels
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"Boundary is a tactical multiplayer shooter where players, as Astroperators, engage in zero-gravity combat in space installations. The game offers personalized space suits and weaponry, promising intense 3D battles. However, it has been noted for being very grinding, having bugs, and requiring patience."
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Cloud
NVIDIA GeForce NOW
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Unique and refreshing take on the FPS genre with innovative zero-gravity mechanics.
- Great gunplay and movement, providing a fun and engaging experience.
- Visually stunning with impressive graphics and sound design.
- Severe issues with player count and matchmaking, often resulting in high ping and unbalanced matches.
- Lack of content and variety in maps and game modes, leading to repetitive gameplay.
- Concerns about cheating and lack of effective anti-cheat measures.
- gameplay442 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is praised for its unique mechanics, fluid movement, and engaging gunplay, offering a refreshing twist on traditional FPS experiences, particularly with its zero-gravity combat. However, many players express disappointment over matchmaking issues, limited game modes, and a dwindling player base, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these challenges, the core gameplay is considered fun and addictive, with potential for growth as the game continues to develop.
“The gameplay is fast-paced and intense, requiring quick reflexes and strategic thinking to come out on top.”
“The game's zero-gravity mechanics are a standout feature, creating an entirely new way to approach combat and movement.”
“This game has so much potential, the gameplay is fluid and fun, the guns feel great, and it looks amazing.”
“It's a shame that all those mechanics and concepts are wasted only on a multiplayer mode that's barely played by anyone.”
“Gameplay UI is distracting, flashy, and blocks most of the screen without delivering much information, while the menu system's feeling and visual presentation matches the controls.”
“Every match plays almost exactly the same; gameplay is very repetitive, so no wonder the player count is already heavily dropping.”
- graphics214 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising the stunning visuals, realistic lighting, and immersive aesthetic that effectively captures a near-future space environment. Players noted that the graphics enhance the gameplay experience, making every firefight feel intense and engaging, although some mentioned occasional performance issues and a need for further optimization. Overall, the game's visuals are considered top-notch, contributing significantly to its appeal as a unique FPS title.
“This is an incredible game with no competition in its class, amazing visuals and arguably flawless gun mechanics, and I won't get started on the movement tech because that's unmatched.”
“The graphics and sound design in Boundary are top-notch, with stunning visuals that bring the vastness of space to life and immersive sound effects that make every firefight feel intense and pulse-pounding.”
“Boundary is a fresh take on the FPS genre with fantastic graphics and sublime sound design.”
“The other big issue I have with the cargo hold map is that it's just kind of visually dull; it fits the game's art style and is easy to navigate, but the whole thing is basically just a ton of cargo containers arranged into three lanes.”
“Everything looks the same; overblown HDR environment on the lowest graphics settings.”
“The visuals of the 'jetpacks' look not good and a bit buggy.”
- optimization70 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some players experiencing good performance and graphics on high-end systems, while others report significant lag spikes and low frame rates on mid-range setups. Many users note occasional stuttering and performance issues, particularly in PvE modes, indicating that while the game shows potential, it still requires further optimization and balancing. Overall, opinions vary widely, with some praising its performance and others criticizing it as poorly optimized, especially for lower-end hardware.
“Very fun and well optimized game!”
“Performance was great considering how good the maps and models look.”
“It's more optimized than a lot of AAA games coming out on PC these days.”
“It suffers mostly from poor optimization.”
“Fun game, however, optimization is very poor.”
“Edit: horrible optimization, can't recommend at the moment.”
- story58 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game currently lacks a dedicated story mode, which has left many players disappointed, as they feel it could benefit from a narrative to enhance the experience. While the gameplay and environmental storytelling are praised, players express hope for future updates that might introduce a more developed storyline, particularly given the game's space theme reminiscent of a popular mission from Call of Duty: Ghosts. Overall, the absence of a story is a significant drawback for potential buyers.
“Great gameplay and movement systems, graphics, level design, and environmental storytelling are top-notch.”
“The world and story behind this game sets wonders as to how a space war has been set.”
“Excited to see where they take this, hoping for an awesome storyline and campaign.”
“I do not know if I would buy this game anymore since it doesn't have a story mode and the lobbies are empty or typically have hackers.”
“Imagine how creative the devs could be with the story missions with the whole space theme and floating around.”
“All in all, this is what that one Call of Duty: Ghosts mission wanted to be but an entire game and way more stuff going on.”
- stability52 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 77 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with many players noting a variety of bugs and glitches typical of early access titles, including issues with animations, audio, and occasional performance hitches. While some users report that the game runs well overall and is enjoyable despite these problems, others express significant frustration with the frequency and severity of the bugs, leading to requests for refunds. Overall, players acknowledge the game's potential but emphasize the need for further polish and stability improvements.
“This game is amazing, well made, not buggy, great concept, and very well executed.”
“Runs great, feels great, looks great.”
“First and foremost, I love the game. I loved the demo that was released and I'm happy the game is out in early access. So far, the game runs great with a few bugs here and there.”
“The game itself is very buggy.”
“I understand this game is in early access, but the sheer amount of glitches, bugs, connection issues, framerate dips is just insane.”
“Game frequently freezes in the menus, resets my loadout every single time I enter a match.”
- monetization48 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game has been widely criticized, with many users labeling it a "cash grab" due to a lack of updates and advertising, which has contributed to a dwindling player base. While some players see potential in the game, concerns about its monetization model and the absence of microtransactions or ads have led to skepticism about the developers' commitment to the game's longevity. Overall, the game's failure to attract and retain players is attributed to poor marketing and perceived abandonment by the developers.
“And the sound design is fantastic, oh and it's not filled with ads and microtransactions.”
“I am worried about their monetization model though.”
“Game had potential; strategic cash grab.”
“I wouldn't be surprised if this was a cash grab seeing how the dev team hasn't provided us with anything more.”
“Edit: since the time of my original review the game has died, there's maybe a handful (5 to 12) players active anymore, the devs abandoned the game and let it die by lack of content or growth so I can't recommend it anymore. Shame really, it was one of my favorite FPS games to drop recently but it seems like it was just a scam or cash grab because as it sits the game has maybe 3% of what was shown or promised.”
- music32 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
Overall, players express a desire for more music in the game, particularly during matches, as the current sound design is described as minimalistic and quiet. While some appreciate the existing atmospheric music and sound effects, many suggest that adding a battle soundtrack or faint background music could enhance the gaming experience. There is a consensus that curated music, such as jazz or classical, would be a welcome addition to the game's ambiance.
“Atmospheric FPS game, nice music, looks stunning.”
“I am more than content leveling up operators and weapons and ignoring most issues as the game's atmosphere, graphics, and music are all incredible and I'm generally easy to please when it comes to early access games.”
“Add battle soundtrack, we need some spicy music.”
“The sound is minimalistic, not much music, just you, your gun, and the endless space.”
“There is no music that plays during the match.”
“All in all, good sound design, but I would listen to some music while playing.”
- grinding28 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 64 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is heavily criticized, with many players noting that it requires an excessive time investment, often feeling unbalanced and unfair, especially for newcomers. While some find the progression rewarding as gunplay improves with upgrades, the majority agree that much of the content revolves around grinding for skins and attachments, leading to a repetitive experience after reaching certain levels. Overall, players who enjoy grind-heavy games may find it appealing, but it may deter those seeking a more balanced and varied gameplay experience.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It's super unbalanced, highly unfair, and grindy for new players.”
“Edit: just spent way too many hours grinding for the Probes Sparrow launcher and it's garbage.”
“Couple that with the grind there is for the attachments for your operator and weapons; it tends to make it a very grindy game after about level 5-10.”
- atmosphere26 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its immersive qualities, with players highlighting the effective use of sound effects and attention to detail in environments and character design. While many enjoy the stunning visuals and smooth gameplay, some criticize the lack of variety in map aesthetics and the overall blandness of certain atmospheric elements, which can detract from long-term engagement. Overall, the atmosphere is a strong point for many, though opinions vary on its depth and variety.
“It gives a highly atmospheric experience with the only prominent sound being that of your own breath and the slightly curved reflection of the interior of your helmet.”
“The attention to detail in the environments and characters is also impressive, adding to the overall atmosphere of the game.”
“I have now played this for 10 hours, absolutely love the gunplay, atmosphere, maps, and environment.”
“I could play my own music in the background, but it would be nice to have atmospheric jazz or classical music picked by the devs playing.”
“A little too flashy lighting and effects in my opinion, even for a direct-sunlight/no-atmosphere environment.”
“Granted the game modes are immensely fun, and the map design has a lot to give, but a lot of the maps are just 'some space complex above the earth's atmosphere,' and while they differ in structure, there's little visual change.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, opinions on the game's replayability are mixed. While some players believe it offers endless replayability due to its bot functionality and potential for updates, others express concerns about the game's longevity and player base, particularly noting low concurrent player counts shortly after launch. The consensus suggests that while the game has replayable elements, its long-term appeal may depend on future content updates.
“In combination, the game is endlessly replayable.”
“Even if the servers are running on hamster wheels, bots would make this game infinitely replayable.”
“I'm a bit worried about the replayability and longevity of the playerbase. I was playing earlier at 3 PM EST and there were only 500 people on SteamCharts on a Sunday afternoon right after launch week.”
“I firmly believe that the reviews that criticize this game for its 'lack of replayability' or the 'lack of progression' are largely unfounded.”
“Considering it's early access, I hope the developers will update with more playable content.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, particularly through amusing gameplay elements like the airlock feature and quirky UI translations, such as "ammunitionstoragedevice." Additionally, the inclusion of humorous skins and battle passes reminiscent of Fortnite adds to the overall comedic experience.
“I also love the airlock feature on some of the maps; it's funny to watch.”
“UI is literally Google translated from Chinese to English, including some funny ones like 'ammunitionstoragedevice' instead of magazine.”
“- MTX, battle passes, Fortnite-style funny skins, like the tiger mascot space suit that early backers unlock.”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the character development for its original and aesthetically pleasing designs, particularly the suits and weapons, which effectively blend realism with creativity. Overall, the character design enhances the game's immersive experience.
“I enjoy the character design, as the suits seem very original while also maintaining the realistic theme of the game.”
“It feels very pretty and very much fitting, the various weapons and character designs.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game has been criticized for a lack of distinctiveness among the different classes, which may hinder players' ability to connect with their characters and the overall narrative. This sentiment suggests that the emotional engagement could be enhanced by providing more unique experiences tied to each class.
