That’s No Moon’s new third-person shooter Crossfire does something no other game in the genre has done so far.
We’re well into the big 2026 now and gaming has come a long way. Third-person shooters in particular have evolved to look prettier, be longer and push realism to places we never thought it’d get to.
Crossfire aims to push that realism further than ever and after attending a hands-off preview we’re excited to see more.
Duck In Cover
Crossfire follows Layla, played by The Boys’ Claudia Doumit, and Cross, played by American Gods’ Ricky Whittle. The two are directly opposed to one another but must form an unstable alliance to survive a coming threat. Fortunately, both have plenty of military training and experience to overcome any hostile obstacle.
Unlike other cover shooters like Gears of War or Uncharted, Crossfire aims to innovate with a more intuitive cover system that encourages tactical decision making, rather than simply hunkering down and blasting enemies from afar.
The team used real-life references to emulate exactly how a person would move and morph to remain in cover, or stay out of sight. The goal was to keep player movement fluid rather than stick them to a wall or rock that’s just conveniently high enough to crouch beside.
Preview attendees got to see this in action with some gameplay footage and it achieves the intended effect. The gunfights looked tactical and intense, encouraging constant movement rather than hunkering down for minutes at a time.
This constant battle for attrition looks like it’ll keep every encounter engaging and memorable, but ultimately we think it’ll come down to the variation of terrain.
If the developers were going for realism though they’ve got it, but it doesn’t look like it’ll outstay its welcome.
Realism in games tends to have diminishing returns after a while. When a gaming experience feels like it could be happening right in front of your eyes that’s good, but there comes a point where it gets too realistic and doesn’t feel like a game anymore.
At first glance Crossfire is striking a solid balance and we’re looking forward to seeing just how advanced the combat can get. It looks like it’ll be a killer on higher difficulties for gamers who seek a challenge.
At the time of writing Crossfire doesn’t have a release date, but when it eventually launches it’ll be available on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
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