Battlefield has earned the status of one of the best franchises in the industry for a reason. DICE has a load of experience with developing some of the finest shooters in the world, and this time they offer a surprisingly cool concept for the Battlefield game that takes place during WWI.
This is the second time that DICE has changed the background of the series (the first time it was Battlefield: Hardline, when they moved from the modern warfare to cops fighting criminals). They have tried almost every other war of the 20th century, so it’s no wonder that Swedish developers decided to look at the very first big war of the last hundred years.
Now, let’s look at what was so special about the period of 1914-1918.
World War I – the first of its kind
WWI was the very first war in the history of human kind that involved heavy machinery, such as tanks, and aviation. This was also the first war that introduced bombs with poisonous gasses. And in general, WWI was the first one that encompassed an entire globe and had the highest lethal rate ever up to that point.
DICE definitely had a lot of experience with creating realistic representations of different wars, and this time they once again managed to capture another era in grand fashion. Their goal was simply to attract young people’s attention to this historical event that had a massive impact on the entire world during those times.
Battlefield 1 is a true successor of the Battlefield series and one of the best games of the year.
Just think about it, young players that are unfamiliar with the events of WWI will automatically go online and read more about the context of their favorite multiplayer maps in Battlefield 1. The amount of detail that DICE included in the game is staggering, and players can experience all of the weaponry and gear of WWI in all its glory.
The developers even included the exclusive Kolibri pistol – the smallest gun in the world that actually existed in the beginning of the 20th century. However, the amount of weapons in Battlefield 1 is still much smaller than in the previous installments, which is completely understandable – WWI didn’t have too many weapons either.
All weapons in Battlefield 1 behave exactly as they would back in the days. They are clunky, slow and deal less damage than any of their modern counterparts. On top of that, Battlefield 1 has introduced horse riding, so you can even try galloping through a couple of maps as a true cavalier.
Story mode is short but sweet
Single campaign mode has never been the main focus of the Battlefield series, at least in the last few installments. It has always been there to provide fans with some Hollywood-esque spectacle and show the finesse of the masterful cutscenes that are usually quite long.
This time the whole single campaign lasts for about 5-6 hours and tells five stories in five different locations. For example, the first chapter is dedicated to a heroic crew of the Mark V tank, the second one covers the story of a young and inexperienced soldier during the Battle at Gallipoli, another one shows the friendship of the two aircraft pilots, and so on.
But probably the biggest one is the story of Lawrence of Arabia that takes place during the Middle Eastern campaign. If you want to learn more about this grand character, then check out David Lean’s movie of the same name.
Every chapter in the game is like a short movie that documents various events of WWI. One of the most amusing parts of the single campaign is the journey of a War Pigeon that players can control during the flight. You can watch this particular part of gameplay in this video.
Multiplayer is as good as ever
Multiplayer is definitely the best executed part of the game, as basically, it has always been with the Battlefield series. The new Operations mode designed for 64 players is an amazing addition to an already well-established roster of other multiplayer modes, such as Domination, Team Deathmatch, etc.
Every match-up is followed by the detailed narrative that explains the reasons and objectives of the conflict. The new mode usually always ends up with an epic battle of 32 vs. 32 players, where everything explodes — and to be honest, it all looks like a Michael Bay movie.
All this will probably be spiced up with even more new content that will arrive with the next few expansions. But for now, this is more than enough, if you want to spend many hours fighting for the freedom of your country in the role of a Medic, Assault, Scout or other class of soldiers.
Conclusion
Battlefield 1 is a true successor of the Battlefield series and one of the best games of the year. Bringing the experience of a hundred year old war is not an easy task, but DICE made it work. However, the game is not perfect and will not receive the highest possible score due to some bad enemy AI and less than stellar design on some of the maps.
On the other hand, Battlefield 1 has given us all an opportunity to dive into one of the most brutal wars in the history of humanity — and this is something you don’t try every day.
If you want to get a gritty, fantastic look at the first World War, then you can pick up Battlefield 1 for $59.99 at most major retailers.
Note: This review was written with a copy provided by the publisher.
