Unlike Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, which dropped the single player mode, Battlefield 5 plays the story-based campaign map to the fullest to attract players who appreciate the possibility of playing offline, like any self-respecting antisocial. We can say what we want, but to understand the gameplay mechanics of a title, it is always more pleasant to compete with the AI than to face other players who are often already experts in the license. As with BF1, the studio opted for the War Stories format, except that the concept has largely evolved. While last year it was a big tutorial in disguise with a narrative by specialization, the single player campaign now offers much more attractive stories. Here, the goal is to pay homage to lesser-known battles of World War II. More specifically, players will be entitled to five episodes, four of which will be released as soon as the game is released (November 9 for EA Access players, not before November 20 for others): the prologue (a condensed tutorial), "Nordlys" ( where we embody a Norwegian resistance fighter capable of skiing), "Tirailleur" (where we play a Senegalese tirailleur), and "Under No Flag" (which puts us in the shoes of a convict enlisted in British Special Forces in North Africa). Finally, in the months to come, we will be able to embody a German Tiger tank commander during the last months of the conflict. Overall, these War Stories are fun to play without revolutionizing the formula.
THE WAR DES BOUTONS
Among the novelties, we note that each chapter will offer a very open map with several free objectives, in order to change the very linear progression. There are also small features specific to each hero that we embody. For example, if the heroine of Nordlys will be able to ski, know that the habitual criminal in Under No Flag will have specific homemade bombs, or that the skirmisher in the eponymous episode will have a flare gun to signal to the allies that it is time to attack. As often, the AI is not necessarily very smart, and the difficulty setting only impacts the damage suffered. Each adventure offers its share of highlights: these "War Stories" provide excellent popcorn entertainment although the most rigorous historians will cringe at certain aspects. Among these hiccups, the game explains that the French army removed the soldiers from the colonies from the photos, which is true, but without specifying that it was a request from the American army. The game obviously seeking to seduce the United States, and the GIs being for the moment absent from the casting, one suspects that DICE wanted to spare very patriotic buyers. Similarly, to please its fans, the Swedish studio has made some small adjustments since the first trailer. Indeed, although historically faithful, the mechanical prosthesis that we saw is present nowhere in the game, just like the katana that a soldier carried on his back.
SAVE THE EA SOLDIER
At the multiplayer level, DICE has also proceeded in small steps in order to develop the formula introduced in Battlefield 1. No revolution therefore, but several new features that will transform the way of playing. To break the respawn-frag-death pattern that was prevalent in BF1, the Swedes have devised a new system to encourage users to play as a team. When you arrive on the server, you are immediately integrated into a squad made up of 4 players. From there, we will be able to respawn on any player still alive, but also heal each member without having chosen the Medic class. Of course, a Support will take longer to revive an ally than a specialist, but this addition allows the player to get much more involved in the team and, above all, to increase the chances of being revived once on the ground . Another development is the "Operations" mode, which gives way to "Grand Operations" and its even longer games. Each day offers a different game mode, and depending on the results of each round, Axis and Allies will be entitled to advantages or restraints for the next game. In general, the winners will be able to have more respawn tickets, a reduced cooldown on vehicles or even more time to complete the objectives. If the two teams are neck and neck after the three main rounds, a kind of tie-break will be played in a brand new game mode. Qaunt in the Final Assault, it places players on a map with a single objective, knowing that respawn is disabled and ammo is severely limited. Here, there is no longer any question of taking risks, victory depends enormously on our sense of strategy. The downside is that during these rounds, the vast majority of players opt for Medic or Support in order to counteract the starting restrictions. Of course, the classic modes remain in the game with the essential "Conquest", "Domination", or even "Team DeathMatch".
We still deplore the small lack of gigantism induced by the loss of the famous Behemoths of BF1, while the wow effect will now be provided by the special abilities of the squad leader.
A quick word, too, on the "Breakthrough" mode (which resembles the "Operations" mode of BF1) in which you will have to seize capture points in a very specific order, knowing that if the team at the attack misses an objective, it will have to defend the previous one. This system can lead to situations where each side is back and forth between two particularly difficult points to take, which leads to extremely long sessions. Regarding player progression, know that if most of the options are cosmetic, it is possible to customize weapons and vehicles via a skill tree where each level is unlocked against the famous Battlefield Coins (the in-game currency). If this system is not the easiest to understand (you have to navigate through several menus to improve your weapons for example), it still allows you to modify the tools available to the player quite radically without conferring advantages which would ruin the balance of Battlefield 5. To put it simply, each weapon can be precision or "hip fire" oriented, while it will be possible to improve vehicles to optimize anti-tank or infantry combat. It's the same with airplanes where the player has the option to change an aircraft into an armored and bomb-laden machine, or opt for speed and maneuverability boosts by adding machine guns. In short, the choice is vast and the options are in fact very numerous, which allows aficionados of the series to perfectly match their weapons and vehicles to their style of play. We still deplore the small lack of gigantism induced by the loss of the famous Behemoths of BF1, while the wow effect will now be ensured by the special abilities of the squad leader. Indeed, the points of the team will be able to unlock supply parachutes, special vehicles (a half-track with an artillery piece, a very heavy tank), but also strikes with a V1. This cruise missile has a strong psychological impact, because once launched, it will be heard arriving with the characteristic buzzing noise of the pulse jet engine. Like the real thing, seconds after the engine shuts down, the bomb plunges towards the ground, delivering an incredibly powerful explosion that can be seen on the other side of the map.
DRAGON TIGER
Overall, Battlefield 5 offers more or less open maps that will appeal to players depending on their affinity with this or that class, or their propensity to use vehicles. Fans of vast and open maps, we admit to having particularly appreciated Torsion d'Acier with its bridge, Aerodrome and its murderous hangar, and Hamada which plunges us into the heart of North Africa. In short, the selection should suit everyone, knowing that the number of maps is set to expand over time. Moreover, true to its "game as a service" credo, DICE has promised to release content regularly throughout 2019. From the end of the year, players will be able to get their hands on the War "The Last Tiger" story, the training field, vehicle skins and a new map that will showcase tank battles in the heart of Belgium. The festivities will take place according to the roadmap already communicated, the Battle Royale "Firestorm" mode being planned for next March. Basically, there will be plenty to do in the coming months, especially since Battlefields are not annual, unlike Call of Duty. Finally, on a technical level, despite bugs, Battlefield 5 still sends wood thanks to Frostbite, which offers impressive visual rendering and physics that are still just as immersive, especially in terms of destruction or blast effects (on leaves and particles). specifically). Small problem on PC: RTX support will not be available when the game is released, and you will have to wait for a patch (the date is not yet known) in order to take advantage of the latest NVIDIA technology. Anyway, the game has many graphical options on PC, which will allow a large majority of players to choose the effects they want to favor according to their machine.
