Battlefield 1

Battlefield 1 takes us back to ‘the war to end all wars’ and the brutality that came with it. There are no drones, high-powered weapons or even that many vehicles in 1918, meaning you have to get up-close and personal with your enemies. The inclusion of bayonets on the end of weapons should tell you all you need to know about just how close range and brutal the fighting was.

Single-player campaign

The tales of heroism in Battlefield 1 are told via a series of ‘War Stories’ rather than one long campaign, offering a more focused experience, especially in terms of narrative, when compared to older Battlefield games. These are based on a non-linear format, and can be played in any order without ruining the overall storyline. This is partly due to the fact that each story is a separate campaign and the protagonists aren’t connected in any way apart from the fact that they are all fighting in the same war.

Every War Story has a distinct narrative, and presents you with different perspectives and motivations. Take the exploits of the largely unlikable pilot Clyde Blackburn, for example. His character represents the stories that get confused in the chaos of war, and leaves you to interpret his adventure yourself. Was he a reckless thief and gambler or was he trying his best to save his fellow man and survive the brutality of the first world war?

His is one of six stories and is a world away from the post-war account of Luca Vincenzo Cocchiola, an armoured Italian soldier tasked with protecting his twin brother while pushing back approaching enemy forces. Amidst all the action is a sprinkling of heartfelt emotion, and it’s the emotional connection that you build with these characters that makes War Stories such an impressive and integral part of the Battlefield 1 experience.

They also introduce you to the first generation of tanks and fighter planes, which were considered advanced warfare at the time. One story – Through the Mud and Blood – takes you through the early days of tank warfare, painting a picture of sheer destruction with a hint of panic whenever the notoriously unreliable machines would break down mid-battle. It’s also where one of the game’s most emotional and hard-hitting scenes takes place with a carrier pigeon, though we won’t spoil that experience for you.

Beyond the phenomenal storylines and characters that the War Stories offer, it’s a fantastic training mode for Battlefield 1’s multiplayer mode. Each one has an emphasis on a different skill, whether it’s flying a plane, driving tanks, stealth or surviving an all-out assault, all with helpful hints and tricks that can be carried over to the online multiplayer. Trying to fly on multiplayer before playing ‘Friends in High Places’ was terrible, but the mission’s tips meant that we could take to the sky and have half a chance of inflicting some kind of damage on the enemy team.

Multiplayer

Many fans of the series felt that 2015’s Battlefield Hardline was too similar to Call of Duty, with a lack of decent large-scale maps and relatively tame gameplay, but Battlefield 1 takes the series back to what it does best: open-space combat, this time with First World War weapons, vehicles and terrain, which present their own perks and challenges.

Operations is the centrepiece of the multiplayer experience, offering players the ability to join in a large-scale operation with up to 64 players. One team defends while the other tries to take over the various points of interest, and while these games can go on for up to an hour at a time, the ever-changing environment helps keep the experience fresh. A match can span across five different areas in the same region and is akin to playing five separate small games, but with one story and a unified effort from all players involved. The losing team will also get access to airships, attack trains or dreadnoughts as a last ditch attempt to help turn the tide of events, too.

Along with Operations you’ll find Battlefield classics Conquest, Domination, Rush and Team Deathmatch, which are largely the same as in previous games. Beyond the thrill of amassing the highest kill count and the best kill/death ratio, there’s a hidden charm in adapting your gameplay to the battle as it progresses. Team players must constantly analyse the needs of their squad, and figure out how best to contribute. Should you be a medic that backs up your support and assault teams or should you snipe from a distance? Should you jump in a plane and wipe out an advancing charge from the air? It’s the variety of options you have that makes Battlefield 1’s online experience so enjoyable and varied.

There’s another new addition to the multiplayer roster, too – War Pigeon. While this has the characteristics of a novelty game mode, it’s similar to Capture the Flag. The idea is to capture a pigeon, write your message and release it without it being shot, with a successful release producing an artillery strike on the opposing team. The challenge comes in finding somewhere safe to write the note, which can take a minute or two, depending on whether you’re interrupted at any point. It’s a tense time as your location is made available to all on the map, and you can feel the chaos ensuing around you as you huddle, bleeding, in a corner as your wounded comrades defend you at all costs.

Of course, the game mode is only as good as the map it’s based in and Battlefield 1’s maps are smart and frankly gorgeous in unique ways. Take the Argonne Forest, for example: the light mist, detailed textures and layout of the map give it a certain charm, with many calling it one of the best-looking Battlefield multiplayer maps ever. Peronne is another favourite of ours, depicting a small French town in ruins, with a windmill in the centre, surrounded by unkempt fields – it’s actually tranquil before the death and destruction begins.

It’s not just the look of the maps that makes them phenomenal, as the destructive nature of the game can reshape the look of the battlefield in moments. Take the airship, for example – if one is successfully shot down, it’ll destroy anything beneath it. We’re not talking about people here but entire buildings – even the French palace in Ballroom Blitz can be rendered completely unrecognisable, littered with mangled metal beams, rubble and fire.

It’s not exclusive to the airship either, as tanks, grenades and RPGs can all bring down buildings and create craters in the environment – ideal for pushing up on a heavily fortified position. It’s due to this functionality that we have one of our favourite memories of Battlefield 1: we were playing online, running between buildings when we spotted an enemy tank. Of course, we couldn’t take it out with standard ammunition, so we ran into the closest building for cover and to select a more appropriate weapon. “They can’t hit us in here” we thought – oh, how wrong we were. As we watched the entire building collapse on itself with us inside (killing us in the process), we couldn’t help but be impressed by the level of detail. Destructive environments offer new and exciting ways to play, and help to keep both you and your enemies on your toes.

While in previous Battlefield games you’d be able to personalise just about every aspect of your gun, Battlefield 1 has limited weapon customisation. You can still get skins via Battlepacks for a different look, but nothing enhances the weapon you have. This is also true for sights, as most weapons will only offer the bog-standard iron sights that were available during the First World War – snipers obviously excluded. This means that shooting from a distance can be a challenge, especially when playing with evenly-skilled players online, and forces you to think tactically about getting closer to the enemy without being spotted.

One area where Battlefield 1 blows the competition out of the water is in the graphics and sound effects department. While the game would have been good with average graphics, the combination of a strong story, high quality textures (especially on PC) and intelligent sound effects make it one of the most beautiful and enjoyable games we’ve ever played. From the light mist of Argonne Forest to the dark, decaying wastelands of No Man’s Land, the high production values emphasise the sights and sounds that you experience. From the distinct clatter of empty bullet shells hitting the floor around you, to the rumble of an approaching tank, it’s the small details that make the game so immersive to play.

Verdict

With Battlefield 1, EA and DICE have proven that sometimes it’s best to take it back to basics. The game puts an emphasis on the individuals and not the war itself, showing that those who fought – on both sides – were just like us. The interjection of statistics and other facts throughout the game are educational, and help players grasp just how devastating it was. A phenomenal single-player mode, fantastically enjoyable multiplayer and mechanics that’ll keep you on your toes for some time makes Battlefield 1 one of our favourite games, possibly ever.