14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Gearbox Software aims to deliver a compelling mix of MOBA elements and classic first-person shooter action in its upcoming Battleborn, and the studio is determined to make the story of the title engaging, with more details revealed about the way its episodic structure will keep gamers interested.
The official announcement says that inspiration has been drawn from properties as different as Star Trek, X-Files, Transformers, and X-Men. Players will be able to experience a prologue and eight core episodes as part of the first season, and they will witness how the characters are fighting to save Solus.
Gearbox says that gamers can play any episode on their own, but they can also join friends in local two-player coop or go online to join a larger group of five players for group play.
Each Battleborn episode should take about one hour, and apparently, each of them is highly replayable, with changes based on the hero chosen and more rewards offered for every playthrough, including process on the Commander Rank and the Character Rank.
The first two episodes gamers can experience are called The Algorithm and Void’s Edge, and the third one will be The Renegade.
Gearbox adds, "you’re dispatched on a rescue mission to save Caldarius and by doing so, recruit him to your cause and make him a playable hero. The same goes for ISIC in The Algorithm - you debug the rogue Magnus AI and make him friendly - well… tolerable – and he joins your team."
Battleborn open beta arrives in early April
Gamers will be able to get into the action on April 8 on the PlayStation 4 and on April 13 on both the Xbox One and the PC.
Both The Algorithm and Void’s Edge will be featured as the developers show off the various heroes as well as the progression system that opens up new characters, skins, taunts, mutators and more.
When it comes to competitive action, fans will be able to play Incursion on the Overgrowth map and Meltdown on Paradise using all the 25 heroes, with some open from the start and others ready to be unlocked via gameplay.
The beta period for Battleborn is set to end on April 18, and gamers will not be able to keep any of the progress that they make.
The game is set to arrive on all three platforms on May 3, and Gearbox already has five post-launched DLC packs ready to go with both story and multiplayer content.