It would be sufficient to say that Beyond the Wire is a multiplayer first-person shooter set on the battlefields of the First World War but to describe the game as intended, here is what developer Redstone Interactive and Publisher Offworld Industries offer as an introductory description of their game:
Beyond the Wire is a large-scale multiplayer first-person shooter immersing players in the frantic and bloody Western Front of the Great War also known as World War I. In battles with up to 100 real-world combatants of 50v50, players will have to contend with large open maps and tight claustrophobic trenches. Utilizing both period-appropriate guns and a more tactical close-quarters melee combat system, the action in Beyond the Wire is more comprehensive than anything seen in a WWI game to date.”
And all of that is correct. Beyond the Wire offers a more realistic and accurate depiction of trench warfare from World War I compared to other shooters set in the same time period, including the popular 2016 Battlefield spin-off from DICE and Electronic Arts. This should make it so the game pleases the critics who often complain about the authenticity of World War I appropriate weapons and criticize the lack of gritty trench melee combat, however, there is a different problem that holds Beyond the Wire back from getting top reviews.
After leaving Early Access on PC via Steam on August 31, Redstone Interactive has been hands-on with the game, updating it consistently based on feedback from the online community. Yet I fear the direction they are taking to improve the game may be missing the most glaring issue that Beyond the Wire has: the irregular and lacking player base.
Beyond the Wire has immersive visuals and audio cues that place players right into the trench-strewn battlefield. Abandoned farmhouses and buildings offer cover on either side as players pursue objectives for their respective victory conditions. Though these impressive environments do not make up for the less than half or quarter-filled games during the weekend. We were lucky enough to get early access to the game and while I did come across a nearly full server on release day, the largest player base that I encountered since was 34 players (out of the expected 100) during the more popular Friday or Saturday evening gaming sessions. During the week after, the player base substantially dropped, making one match last over an hour. The increased time spent in these environments made me appreciate the art and dedication put into the background scenery, but the absence of a consistent player base evoked the feeling of random combatants fighting over useless territory and objectives rather than a consistent and systematic WWI military offensive.
Redstone Interactive has made numerous promises to its community and they have had a substantial roadmap of improvements since starting in 2020. The passion and care for this WWI-themed game is felt by its community, and by me. I hope that the developer pursues adding AI or NPCs to supplement the lack of natural player count, or creates smaller map sizes for the lower player count, so that those who love Beyond the Wire can actually play it. It can be quite an enjoyable game when you and your squadmates are charging enemy fortified trench positions or defending areas and working together to methodically advance the trench line, it’s just a shame that you can rarely experience it.
The two game modes that were available for players when I started playing the game were Assault and Frontlines. There isn’t much of a difference between these modes. Both involve capturing or holding territory with your allied squads set in the WWI-themed battlefields. Nevertheless, Beyond the Wire does have some key features that set it apart from other games of the genre, especially ones set during WWI.
- Large-Scale 50v50 Multiplayer Action: Players are split into two 50-person teams with each team broken into nine-person squads and a commander overseeing the battle.
- Team-Focused Gameplay: Share tactics with your squad to contend with enemy emplacements, large open maps, and claustrophobic trenches to survive the brutal scale of action soldiers faced on the front lines of the Great War.
- Ten Playable Factions: Each with their own specialized gear loadouts and vehicles
- Ten Large, Authentic Maps: Inspired by the battlefields on the Western Front, each up to 2km in size
- Historically Inspired Weapons: Charge into combat using era-specific weapons and vehicles used by soldiers from 1914 to 1918
- Brutal Melee Combat: Attack, parry, and counter in close combat with clubs, bayonets, and other melee weapons
- Reinforce the Front Line: Build fortifications and reinforce your frontline using an advanced construction system
- Tactical Communication: Use in-game Voice Over IP using high-quality codecs for local and long-distance voice communication
Beyond the Wire is available to purchase ($34.99) on PC via Steam. It launches in English, French, German, and Chinese. The publisher provided a review code for the game. In full honesty, this review was meant to go up sooner, but the dwindling player counts made it hard for us to get in enough time with the game to cover it comprehensively. For this reason, we won’t be giving Beyond the Wire an official review score.
