Borderline (video game)
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 3, 1960 in Japan |
| Headquarters | Japan |
| Products | Video games, arcade games, consoles |
is a maze and vertically scrolling shooter game launched by Sega as an arcade video game in April 1981. Players operate a jeep with the objective of demolishing enemy refineries across four distinct stages that offer diverse gameplay styles. The initial stage features vertical scrolling shooter mechanics, whereas the second stage requires navigating through dense underbrush where adversaries can only trace the player's previous movements—a gameplay element that later appeared in Namco's Dig Dug (1982).
Later in 1981, Borderline was re-released with enhanced visuals under the title Star Raker. It also saw a port to the SG-1000 console in 1984 and was adapted for the Atari 2600 as Thunderground, distributed by Sega's home division. The Atari version marked one of Sega's last third-party releases for that system. Both the SG-1000 and Atari 2600 adaptations garnered favorable reviews from critics.
Reception
In 1983, E.C. Meade and Jim Clark from Videogaming Illustrated evaluated the Atari 2600 version, Thunderground. Despite Borderline predating titles like Dig Dug and Mr. Do! (1982), the reviewers characterized Thunderground as somewhat of a "semi-clone" of those games but still offered positive remarks. Meade awarded it an A grade, highlighting it as "a semi-clone with muscle!" and described it as "a genuine challenge" to play. Clark assigned a B rating, calling it "an exciting game" featuring "quality elements," though he noted a feeling of familiarity and some "violence" that likely would not deter players.
The French publication Tilt gave the SG-1000 version a strong score of 5 out of 6 stars overall in 1984, including 5 stars for graphics and 4 stars for audio.
A retrospective review by Sega Does in 2014 awarded the SG-1000 edition a respectable B− grade.