Battlefield 1

Over 60 million soldiers fought in the “War to End All Wars”. It ended nothing. This solemn reminder of the tragic events of the first Great War is how DICE’s Battlefield 1 begins. Battlefield 1 nestles itself among the chaos and the trenches of World War 1— it couldn’t have found a better home. It is the accumulation of gorgeous graphics, terrific sound design, and fine-tuned gameplay that has turned the grim and monochromatic setting of WW1 into an exhilarating and vivid experience. Even though it’s single player is little more than a glorified tutorial, the multiplayer is masterful. If you’ve never played a Battlefield game before, now is the perfect time to jump in.

Battlefield 1’s campaign is broken up into 5 brief vignettes called War Stories; each one offering a glimpse at the War through the eyes of the soldiers that fought it. You’ll drive a tank through France, ride a horse through arid deserts, storm an enemy fort in the Alps, and more. Each story is short and focuses on a specific style of gameplay, making it abundantly clear that the campaign serves as a training ground to get you used to the many vehicles and mechanics in preparation for multiplayer. The change of gameplay pacing, inclusion of optional stealth play, collectables, and sincere and emotional character motives make this campaign, nevertheless, enjoyable. DICE put great effort into focusing on the human element of war; making the characters distinct and profoundly human. Though the brevity of it all severs a would be emotional connection between player and soldier. Furthermore, this angle of storytelling makes it seem like a missed opportunity to explore the conflict through the enemy’s perspective. There is no draw to replay these stories once completed, but at the end of the day they do succeed in introducing you to the large assortment of vehicles and weapons you’ll be using in the core of the game—the multiplayer.

With the debacle that was the bug infested launch of Battlefield 4’s multiplayer still fresh in my memory, I approached Battlefield 1 with some apprehension. However, it’s safe to say that not only is the game actually playable, but it is one of the top Battlefield multiplayers to date. It’s exciting, gloriously chaotic yet balanced, and instills constant brutish fun. There are a plethora of “new” mechanics, vehicles, and weapons to play with, all dawning from the early 1900’s. This means the game has been stripped of its modern accoutrements that saturate modern shooters. There’s no lock-on missiles, no rocket launchers, no laser sights, and no spawn beacons thank god. Customization for both weapons and vehicles has been simplified, relying on pre-set packages rather than individually tweaking every peripheral. Though there are certainly enough options to cater to every type of play style. The four character classes of Assault, Support, Medic, and Recon make their return. These maintain their previous purposes as: anti-vehicle, ammo dealer, medic and scout with their specific gadgets catering to these purposes. The most notable change is with the weapon types each class supports. Each weapon type has an optimal range and set bullet mechanics that focus on subtle nuances like gravity and velocity. This, combined with excellent sound design, make each weapon and class feel more distinct than ever before. Every bullet feels powerful if used optimally. There is something profoundly satisfying about hearing the crack of your sniper and watching the bullet land on an enemy with a satisfying “thud”. Because of all of these things, battles are much closer now. There are now a slew of melee weapons to take advantage of, you can now beat an opponent with a shovel or a club. There is also a bayonet charge mechanic that gives you a burst of speed that if aimed correctly, can stake and kill an enemy. There is also a horse with a cavalry sword you can use to cut down enemies like weeds. This makes battles much more brutal, but also more fun. And of course, it wouldn’t be a battlefield game without vehicles.

Like the weapons, each vehicle feels distinct and has its own strengths and weaknesses on land, sea and air. Fighters can glide swiftly through the air while devastating bombers are slow and targeted. Trucks and motorcycles will get you to an objective fast, but a tank will ensure you can survive a hit from an artillery gun. Vehicles rely he

avily on team coordination to use effectively. Many have multiple cannon’s and machine gun placements and can be absolutely devastating if others are riding with you. There are also new behemoth vehicles available on Conquest and the new Operations game mode. These Behemoths take the form of an Air ship, Dreadnaught, or Armored Train. Each one offers unprecedented fire power. They only appear to a losing team if they are losing by a considerable amount, making them useful in evening the odds, but not completely overpowering.

Battlefield 1 has certainly mastered scale. Some maps are quite large and emphasize vehicle warfare, though all maps have choke points and clever design that funnels the action for infantry play. Additionally, there is a new dynamic weather system that can change gameplay on the fly. Fog, rain, and sandstorms can come at any time, decreasing visibility and the effectiveness of vehicles and long range weapons. Battles during these scenarios are chaotic and close. Melee weapons become ever more useful and so does squad coordination.

The best place to experience all Battlefield has to offer is Conquest. The large scale capture the zones game mode that allows for 64 players and vehicles. There are small scale modes as well such as Team Deathmatch and an Oddball type mode called “War Pigeons” that focus on infantry battles. These aren’t as fun however. Rush makes its return as well, but seems to lack the drive and excitement it had in Bad Company. Thankfully, there’s a new game mode called Operations that takes its place. It’s a mix of Rush and Conquest, taking place across large maps that are broken up into sections. Attackers must capture the points of a section before moving to the next one. These hour long Operations span multiple maps, and have a nice historical tie in through before and after match narration. It is fun (and stressful) large scale tug-of-war type mode that allows players to push a frontline—which is a feeling Rush used to have.

No matter the game mode, there is certainly a larger focus on team play and coordination. It’s a shame then that DICE fumbles with its menu features and user interface regarding playing with friends. There is no way to squad up with your friends before entering a game. You have to join a game that a friend is already playing, and the only way to do that is to be in a voice chat party with the other player (on consoles at least). Worse, there are a number of issues that can go wrong after this. You could have connection issues and simply not be able to join your friend; the game server might fill up, and you might be placed on the opposite team. With Operations there is no server browser option, making joining a game together seem even more like sheer luck. This is the biggest issue to plague the game, every other aspect seeming balanced and well designed.

Even though the single player is brief and leaves some to be desired, the exhilarating and brutal multiplayer will have you returning to the battlefield again and again.

9/10