To get yourself ready for the Battleborn Open Beta, wrap your mind around what’s at stake. Set in the distant future, you’re fighting to save the last star in the universe. You have 25 heroes – each with wildly different personalities, powers, and play styles – at your disposal as you dip into the action-packed Story Mode or go 5 v 5 in Competitive Multiplayer matches. Experience the natural progression of the game as you rank up and unlock new heroes, skins, taunts, Helix mutations, and more during the Battleborn Open Beta.
Battleborn is an
online first-person shooter video game developed by
Gearbox Software, and published by
2K Games for
Microsoft Windows,
PlayStation 4, and
Xbox One. The game was released worldwide on May 3, 2016. Labelled as a "hero shooter", the game features
multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) elements.
Gameplay
Battleborn is a
first-person shooter with
multiplayer online battle arena elements, in which players engage in combat through a
first-person perspective. Unlike other first-person shooters, the quests and game modes of the game were designed to feature a format and structure similar to a
multiplayer online battle arena game.
[1] The game will also feature a leveling system, which resets when a match begins. Players start with the same basic level, and they can unlock new skills and abilities during a match. When players gain enough skill points and are allowed to level up, they can select one of up to three choices to pick per level through each characters' unique Helix Tree.
[2]
The game will feature 25 playable characters upon release, with each having different abilities and weapons.
[3] For example, Rath is a melee-based character who is equipped with a
katana,
[4] while Thorn is a long-ranged character, whose primary weapon is a bow.
[5] Characters of supporting role, such as Miko, who specializes in healing other characters of the same team, will also be playable.
[6] Each character also has their own "ultimate ability". In addition to melee and ranged combat, characters can also cast magic and area-of-effect attacks.
[7] Characters controlled by
artificial intelligence in multiplayer will also be featured in the game.
[8] Players can also switch to
third-person perspective to activate special abilities.
[2]
A campaign mode, which can be played solo or co-operatively with four other players, will also be included in the game.
[9] The game will feature an interconnected world and an objective-driven narrative.
[7] Three modes also playable upon launch include: Meltdown, an Arena mode; Incursion, which tasks players to destroy enemies' base; and Devastation, which tasks players to capture bases.
[10]
It was confirmed that the game requires a persistent Internet connection to play due to the game's progression and saving systems.
[11]
Setting
The game is set in a space fantasy setting, in which every species fled to a star known as Solus after a disastrous event destroyed most other planets and stars in the universe. These species are divided into different factions upon their arrivals, and eventually they united and cooperate with each other by sending out the best fighters, who are labelled as battleborn, to fight against Varelsi, the origin of the catastrophe.
[9]
Development
Battleborn was announced by Gearbox Software and 2K Games and revealed by
Game Informer on July 8, 2014. It will be the first original game developed by Gearbox Software since the release of
Borderlands in 2009, and is also claimed to be "the most ambitious video game that Gearbox has ever created." and a "genre-fused" video game by Gearbox Software's president,
Randy Pitchford.
[12][13] Several gameplay elements from
Furious 4, another project from Gearbox which was cancelled in July 2015, were transferred to the game.
[14] A closed technical test for this game, which allows Gearbox to test the multiplayer servers and alter the balance between characters, was held on October 29, 2015.
[15] A
beta for the game was released on April 8, 2016. It came to the
PS4 first before other platforms.
[16] Battleborn's PC open beta began on April 13, 2016 and lasted until April 18, 2016. Players were able to participate in both story mode and two competitive multiplayer modes: Incursion and Meltdown.
[17] More than 2 million players participated in the beta.
[18] The game was set to be released worldwide for
Microsoft Windows,
PlayStation 4,
Xbox One on February 9, 2016,
[19] but was later delayed to May 3, 2016.
[20]
The game's graphics are inspired by
computer-generated imagery like the movies produced by
Pixar, as well as
Anime, the animations developed in Japan. When creating the game's
2D graphics, the team hired
Michel Gagné, a Canadian cartoonist, to work on the 2D effects of the game's maps and characters' abilities. The team also drew inspirations from a variety of
fighting games,
multiplayer online battle arena games,
role-playing games and toys from the 1980s.
[21]
In addition to the standard version, players can purchase the
Digital Deluxe Edition, which includes the game's Season Pass and cosmetic items. Five additional characters are set to be released for the game upon release for free, and 5 different paid packs, which includes additional story content, are also scheduled to be released after the game's launch.
[22]
Reception
Battleborn received "mixed to average" and "generally favorable" reviews, according to video game
review aggregator Metacritic.
[29][30][31]
Destructoid awarded it a score of 6 out of 10, saying that the game is "Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy this game, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled."
[23]
GameSpot awarded it a score of 7 out of 10, saying "With so many moving parts that never quite gel, I found plenty of things to love but just as much to feel confused by and ambivalent about."
[25]
IGN awarded it a score of 7.1 out of 10, saying "Battleborn's fun heroes and leveling will keep you hooked despite a lack of content."
[26]
Hardcore Gamer awarded it a score of 4.5 out of 5, saying "Battleborn has done what I would have previously thought was impossible: it has kept me interested in its multiplayer. I typically grow bored with adversarial multiplayer after about an hour or two, yet I have spent so much time with this title already and want to keep going."
[27]
PlayStation LifeStyle awarded it a score of 8 out of 10, saying "If Borderlands and the MOBA genre could have a baby, I imagine it would look something like Battleborn. Gearbox Software’s signature style shines here, even if the humor falls flat most of the time"
[28]
