Crossfire Preview – That’s No Moon’s Debut Aims To Redefine Cover Shooters
Platform:
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Developer:
That’s No Moon
Release:
TBA
Today’s Summer Game Fest presentation hosted the reveal of the debut project by That’s No Moon, a fledgling studio founded by industry veterans in 2021. The developer has pulled the curtain back on Crossfire, a single-player, story-driven reimagining of the multiplayer shooter by South Korean developer Smilegate. This new version shares little in common with its inspiration, promoting tactical stealth more than straightforward action using what That’s No Moon bills as an innovative cover shooting mechanic.
Crossfire’s plot centers on two protagonists, both soldiers. First is Layla Qassam, played by Claudia Doumit (perhaps best known for portraying Victoria Neuman in The Boys), who is the sole character players control. The other lead is Delroy Cross, played by Ricky Whittle of American Gods fame, an AI-controlled partner who will remain at players’ sides throughout the journey. These two soldiers do not get along due to their differing ideologies. Layla believes in change and progress at all costs, while Delory fights to maintain the status quo, but the context for how they apply these philosophies is unclear. During my visit to That’s No Moon’s Los Angeles studio to preview the game ahead of Summer Game Fest, the team made it clear that this is not a story about the heroes finding common ground. Rather, it’s more about them learning to agree to disagree and to respect the other’s stance without converting them to their own.
On its face, Crossfire appears to be a standard military shooter, but it’s actually a sci-fi story, albeit a more grounded take on the genre. Lalya and Delroy battle enemies using conventional weaponry and highly advanced tech; Delroy can cloak himself to turn invisible, for example. As cool as that sounds, the game’s centerpiece feature is its adaptive cover feature.
After tinkering with Unreal Engine 5, which Crossfire is built in, That’s No Moon realized it could create a tactical cover shooter that does away with the decades-long genre standards. Specifically, it wanted to remove obvious cover points like boxes and crates in favor of more organic surroundings, such as natural terrain. To that end, it has created what it bills as Adaptive Cover, which allows the player character to realistically interact with natural terrain elements, like rocks and boulders, to hide behind or maneuver around them the way a real person would. Instead of broadcasting obvious hiding points, everything can be used as cover; it just depends on your needs and how well you think an object will conceal you.
“With every game we work on, we try to do something that has never been done before, so we designed Adaptive Cover to bring a level of detail and grounded realism that is unlike anything else. It requires tactical thinking and has removed the constraints placed on our designers and artists,” said game director Jacob Minkoff in a press release, “This sense of realism connects the design and the narrative, delivering the tension of a cinematic thriller.”
That’s No Moon is using its adaptive cover to make Crossfire a shooter that emphasizes tactical stealth more than run-and-gun firefights. The adventure promotes realistic lethality, meaning only a few shots will end Layla. Success will largely require carefully sneaking past targets or strategically flanking them to take them out before they can respond.
Crossfire has no release window, but the game is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
