Beyond the Wire takes players back to World War I in this Multiplayer FPS Shooter, setting players up for intense warfare that will take you over the top figuratively. Published by Offworld Industries, with titles like the massively popular Squad and Post Scriptum, and Developer Redstone Interactive, it brings players into a war that sparked the beginning of modern warfare as we know it.

The muddy trenches, mustard gas, and melee combat were unique and bloody moments that players can eventually expect in Beyond the Wire, as a large-scale first-person multiplayer shooter set during one of the bloodiest wars that were World War I. Having up to 100 players on a variety of maps, using the weapons of that time such as bolt-action rifles, revolvers, and your trusty melee weapon, and a roadmap that will eventually have vehicle and air combat that I look forward to.

As for the game’s maps and environments, I was impressed with the detail of the muddy trenches, tunnels, and small villages. They give a real sense of the claustrophobic feeling you can have fighting in such close quarters. Even if you look over the trench into no man’s land, you can see it littered with barbed wire, dead bodies, and craters from the constant shelling of artillery.

Looking off into the distance, the game shows how vast the battlefields of World War I were, with miles and miles of trenches that span off into a never-ending battlefield, but most maps are confined to a designated area.

Maps such as Vimy Ridge and Polecappelle were well made for close-quarter combat and trench warfare, so getting into the fight was not an issue, but at the moment, the game lacks a huge player base and the lack of any servers, including oceanic servers for Australians to play on. An average latency above 200 for the active servers is not the most ideal. When I did hop on a server, The average number of players was about 6, but maps can support up to 100 players. Fortunately, the game’s roadmap does say they are working on bot support, which is promising.

As for the mechanics of the game and gameplay, I enjoyed using the bolt-action rifles and revolvers, compared to the usual full automatic rifles of today that I am so used to using, so encouraging teamwork and using melee weapons, especially in more confined areas, is more favorable. Using a good old club or sword is sometimes more fun than just a pistol or rifle, but when you eventually do get an automatic gun, be prepared to clear those trenches, but if I wanted to get my hands on the true trench cleaner, a shotgun was in order.

As for unlocking many of those weapons during the battle, experience can be earned with kills obtained, and unlocking special load-outs, but unfortunately, due to the lack of players and viable servers, most of the time I found myself running around with a pistol or bolt action rifle.

The game’s audio and music are well polished, but I did find an audio bug. When I put on my gas mask, the muffled sound remained when I removed it later on, but the game is still in early access and those small bugs can be ironed out in no time. Going back to the game’s music, it’s composed by Scott Tobin, supplying 15 tracks that provide a beautiful backdrop to the game’s menu, along with additional tracks being added for free when released. Those familiar with Scott Tobin’s work on the Squad soundtrack will not be disappointed.

Overall Beyond the Wire is a diamond in the rough. The roadmap is very promising and so are the maps and gameplay. I want this game to be popular, but with the lack of viable servers for OCE and players, I can’t help but feel that Beyond the Wire may just need some extra time to develop before I’m ready to go over the proverbial top. Players do want a good WW1 shooter, and we have had many in the past such as Battlefield 1, Verdun, and Tannenberg, but I just hope that they will continue to work on Beyond the Wire, because as the saying goes, if you build it they will come, and I hope they do.

Written by: Simon Hayward