Battlefield 1 is a complete reinvention of game series

The team at Swedish game developer EA DICE took a big gamble by taking their flagship Battlefield series 100 years back in time with the release of the game Battlefield 1. Fortunately, this risk has largely paid off.

Similar to other mainstream first person shooters, Battlefield slowly came to embrace modern warfare starting with Battlefield 2. After the initial excitement surrounding modern combat in Battlefield games died out, the franchise began to feel stale. While its rival series Call of Duty opted to go further into the future of warfare, Battlefield needed to reinvent itself.

Battlefield 1 does exactly that by taking the series where it hasn’t been. In doing so, it completely reinvents the tone of the series while still retaining the familiar formula of large-scale, objective-based combat.

The multiplayer concept has and always will be the bread and butter of first-person shooters. After the initial release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, single-player campaigns have largely been an afterthought. This is especially true in the Battlefield series,  where the quality of such experiences has diminished considerably in recent years.

Rather than stick to telling the story of one person at one specific time in one specific place, Battlefield 1 opts to showcase multiple characters in different areas across different periods of time. These vignette-style stories allow players to experience a wide range of geographical locations, but most importantly allow for the telling of human-based stories.

These missions also serve as a primer for many of the mechanics and modes found in the multiplayer. It’s a unique approach that allows for players to not only experience an amazing set of stories, but to also prepare themselves for the frantic experience that comes after the credits roll. It’s a shame, however, that the campaign isn’t very long.

Fortunately, in comes the multiplayer option. Whereas Battlefield 4 suffered from the fatigue of sameness regarding its weapons, Battlefield 1 triumphs in its old-school feel. The massive collection of weapons, from rifles to carbines, are all unique and varied. Most importantly, the weapons are customizable in ways that truly matter.

There are no thermal sights or recoil-reducing attachments to be found in the multiplayer mode, which means players cannot tailor each weapon to their exact specifications. This in turn forces players to experiment with each weapon and what little attachments are made available in order to create the best possible load out. It’s a hard trade-off at first, but is most certainly worth it.

Adding to the collection of weaponry is the addition of World War I-era vehicles. From bi-planes to horses to early renditions of the modern Abrams tanks, there is no shortage of vehicles at players’ disposal. Each vehicle behaves in a unique way and, depending on the circumstance, can completely change the tide of the game.

The addition of a new game mode in the form of Operations helps bring the multiplayer full circle. It’s a mishmash between the scale of Conquest and the combat of Rush. Two teams clash on an open map for dominance of the entire area.

The game mode is designed with the trench warfare of World War I in mind with all the players meeting in the middle hoping to gain control over a certain area. Added cutscenes place the game mode in the context of World War I and add a historical element. It’s an interesting game mode, however, whether it has the capability to overtake the immensely popular Conquest mode remains a big question.

Unfortunately, while the new multiplayer additions are solid, the same cannot be said for all the maps. Though most of the maps are generally well designed, some of them feel rather boring. But the addition of dynamic weather, coupled with destruction and vehicles, help make these mediocre maps a bit more bearable.

While the lack of compelling maps isn’t a deal breaker, it would have been nice to have a few more memorable maps that capture the intensity, grit and horror of World War I that the game is able to masterfully portray in its campaign mode.

Small annoyances aside, Battlefield 1 is a risk that paid off. To say Battlefield 1 is a good game would be an understatement. EA DICE truly outdid themselves with their rendition of World War I. From amazing visuals to a poignant tone and everything in between, Battlefield 1 is truly an excellent game.

The addition of new game modes and mechanics all help turn what was becoming a stale series into the bonafide leader of first person shooters. It is, quite possibly, the most complete Battlefield game to date.