Today at E3 2015, I had the rare opportunity to visit the 2K booth to check out their upcoming new co-operative first-person shooter game Battleborn. It’s being developed by Gearbox, the creators of Borderlands, and if you like that franchise (there are millions who do!), then you just have to check out this game!
Publisher: 2K
Developer: Gearbox Software
Release Date: Winter
ESRB Rating: not yet rated
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
The Last Beacon of Light
To put Battleborn’s story in context, one of the developers explained that it begins with the ultimate doomsday scenario: in the distant future, nearly all the stars in the universe have burned out, except for one lone surviving sun called Solus. Every alien species still alive and with the means to make it to this last solar system have congregated here, resulting in a huge mishmash of lifeforms.from across the universe. As you might expect, some of them don’t play nice with others, and soon massive conflict ensures.
25 Mighty Heroes Emerge
What’s really exciting about Battleborn is how there is a whopping 25 different characters you can play as, and each of them have their own look, personality, backstory, special attacks, and progression tree! The developers gave us an overview of ten of these characters (with the remaining 15 kept a secret for now), and there are some extremely interesting heroes to play as here. They range from Phoebe, an elegant-looking heiress to her family fortune who wields a deadly multi-phasal sabre, Caldarius, a brutal mech with heavy armour, Thorn, an elvish woman and master of the bow, Miko, a healer mushroom, and more!
Thrilling 5-player Co-operative Gameplay
The gameplay of Battleborn is centred on 5-player co-operative missions, with each player choosing a different hero. I chose Rath, a member of the Jennerit Empire (there are five different factions total), who is described as “not” a vampire, though he gets that a lot. Soon I discovered just how powerful Rath his. He has three main attacks: throwing his energy blades forward, unleashing a shockwave directly in front of him, and a whirlwind blade attack. Not only are each of these special attacks powerful, but they also kickback 10% of the damage inflicted as health! There is a cooldown period after each special attack, which means you do need to be strategic about when and where to strike. Also, there is a level up system in the game, and with each level my character gained, I was able to choose one of two perks to further strengthen them in battle.
Battleborn was incredibly fun to play, especially if you’re like me and love going online with your friends. Considering the pedigree of the development team (they created Borderlands after all), I am already greatly anticipating the launch of this game in winter.
Have you had a chance to view the trailer, or read up on Battleborn? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!
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