2003 · G.rev · Shoot 'em up · Shooter

Border Down

Sega console exclusive

A futuristic sci-fi shooter in which you play a test pilot strapped to the brand new RAIN combat simulator which allows you to remotely control fighters as they immerse themselves in the midst of enemy territory.

Released: 25 September 2003
Platforms: Arcade Dreamcast
Genres: Shoot 'em up Shooter
Developers: G.rev
Publishers: —
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Science fiction
Country: Japan

About

Border Down is a horizontal scrolling shooter video game developed and published by G.rev. It was released in Japanese arcades in April 2003 on Sega NAOMI hardware, and was ported to the Dreamcast later that year. The story takes place in the future where humans are defending their Mars colony from an invading alien attack. The game employs a "border system" where each stage has three variations of different difficulty. The player starts on the easiest variation, and is lowered to a more difficult variation with each subsequent loss of a life.

rev with ex-Taito employees specifically to develop a shooter of his own. The team of five did subcontract work to gather funding and build their skills programming NAOMI arcade hardware. Among the projects they worked on were Treasure's Ikaruga (2001) and Gradius V (2004). Due to lack of funds, they were not able to realize all the ideas they conceptualized for the game.

Keywords

shoot 'em up
60 fps on consoles
polygonal 3d
sega naomi

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Border Down is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up set in a futuristic setting. Centuries after humans have colonized Mars, hostile aliens begin attacking the planet. The Mars defense force mobilizes and launch a new type of unmanned aircraft. The player takes on the role of a pilot, controlling the aircraft through a remote control interface.

The game's name is derived from its "border system". Each stage has three parallel variations, or "borders" of varying difficulty. The player starts on the easiest border ("green"), and if they lose a life, drop to "yellow", and then finally the difficult "red" border. If the player loses a life in the red border, it is game over, though a continue option can be unlocked through repeated play.

Development

rev, a team founded by producer Hiroyuki Maruyama with the explicit purpose to develop a shoot 'em up. The team consisted of five ex-Taito employees: three programmers, one designer, and Maruyama himself. After founding the company in July 2000, he first needed to build capital and give his team an opportunity to learn the skills and techniques to develop a shooter. They were able to gather most of the funds through producing their first game, Doki Doki Idol Star Seeker (2001), a puzzle game for the Sega's NAOMI arcade board.

The remaining amount was accumulated through freelance work, including subcontract work with Treasure on two shooters, Ikaruga (2001) and Gradius V (2004). rev the key experience of programming for NAOMI hardware.

Reception

Initial reactions to the arcade release were mixed. Maruyama recalled: "It's a really individualistic type of game, so when we first released it [in the arcades] it received both positive and negative reactions". Edge gave the Dreamcast version a 6 out of 10, feeling that the game had all the ingredients to be an outstanding shooter, but lacked the energy to push it to that next level. They explained that Border Down lacked the intensity to frighten players, and felt that good shooters need that type of panic inducing gameplay.

rev's] best game", among the likes of Senko no Ronde and Under Defeat. Retro Gamer called it one of the highest regarded late-era releases for the Dreamcast. Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 wrote that the game remains popular with hardcore shoot 'em up fans, but found it hard to recommend given its high price tag within secondary markets. com believed it to be the best horizontal shooter for the Dreamcast.